I was recently invited to dinner at a friend of a friend's house. She knew I was in the wine business and decided she would impress me with her prized bottle of unnamed reserve California chardonnay.

The food was spectacular, scallop ceviche to start and then bouillabaisse for the main course. The wine, well...not so good. That is unless you like okay, alcoholic, fruit bombs. I cannot blame the chef as she really didn't know my taste in wine. However...

With each sip of the big, rich, buttery wine, my mind kept wandering off to all the great alternatives I had resting on my kitchen wine rack.

One such wine that would have been a perfect match {for a fraction of the cost} is the Tenunta Le Velette Orvieto Classico. Orvieto??? The wine served in red-checkered-tablecloth restaurants across America? NO.

The estate of Le Velette is right in the center of the Orvieto Classico production area. The wine-making tradition of the area is ancient. The Etruscans were the first grape cultivators and wine producers. The presence of the numerous finds--pots, etc is witness to this fact.

Today the estate is owned by the Bottai family. They are pushing the quality levels to new heights for Orvieto.

The Orvieto Classico Berganorio is a blend of 45% Trebbiano, 25% Grechetto, 30% Verdello/Malvasia/Drupeggio. Delicate notes of flowers and tropical fruits continue on to a full flavored finish. The prefect wine for scallop ceviche and bouillabaisse. Oh, well, maybe next time.

Paul Quaglini