Delicate pasta , griled asparag us, spring lamb – these da ys, we just can ’t get eno ugh Nuovo fare.

Spring Lamb & Griled Asparag us

Just in time for spring, Vancouver’s best-known Italian restaurateur Umberto Menghi describes how groups of city dwellers flock to the newly lush countryside of Tuscany to celebrate the season’s arrival with a scampagnata, or picnic – and shows us how we can do this at home.

In his cookbook, “Toscana Mia: The Heart and Soul of Tuscan Cooking,” Menghi recalls how la scampagnata coincides with the arrival of spring lamb and wild asparagus. The lamb is served in the middle of the table and people eat it with their fingers – a nice, communal way to welcome the season. The accompanying asparagus is grilled and garnished with chopped, fresh mint and a drizzle of lemon-infused olive oil.

Start the meal with a bottle of Mionetto Sergio Brut, with its creamy, red-apple/ peach flavours, citrus streaks and a touch of sweetness. Contemporary master vintner Sergio Mionetto produces this wine based on a formula shaped by the founder Francesco Mionetto in 1887. The magic is in two ancient grape varieties, unique to the Veneto, blended with the finest Prosecco grapes.

While sipping on a flute of Mionetto, begin preparing the pasta course. Walnut ravioli with a filling of ricotta, Gorgonzola and walnuts is an adaptation inspired by the traditional Ligurian walnut sauce. It is said ravioli were invented in Liguria to stretch a small amount of leftover meat or fish into a full meal the following day.

Ciao to all the work preparing homemade ravioli. You will be delighted at how quickly these can be assembled using prepared wonton skins. These thin egg noodle wrappers are available in Oriental markets and in the produce department of supermarkets. Wonton skins can be kept tightly sealed in the refrigerator for about two weeks.

To accompany the pasta, choose two delicious, cool-style whites from northern and central Italy: Castello Banfi Principessa Gavia Gavi and Rocca della Macìe Occhio A Vento Vermentino. The Gavi is built to offset the ravioli with its fresh floral, pear, almond and citrus aromas and rounded, tasty flavours of lemon, pear and red apple. It should easily slice through the Gorgonzola, refreshing your palate after every sip.

Alternatively, you can match the richness and nutty oily notes of the ravioli’s cheeses and walnuts with the Macìe Vermentino from Maremma. Round, dry and soft on the palate, its crisp apple skin, pear, lemon, butter and quince flavours melt into the dish.

The powerful scent of lamb and its strong-flavoured meat is just the ticket for the generous, savoury, licorice-scented wines from Bolgheri. Offer a pair of Bolgheri blends to tame the meat. Le Serre Nuove Dell’ Ornellaia, a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot blend, is really an Ornellaia “bambino.” Ripe, full, round and warm, its peppery, menthol, cardamom, plum and savoury flavours are the perfect foil to the lamb, mint and lemon.

The same goes for Tenuta Guado al Tasso. The Antinori property extends from the foothills around the medieval village of Bolgheri down to the sea. Many of the 2001 Bolgheri reds are magical, but the Guado, with its silky texture and dense core of spicy, meaty, peppery, blackberry fruit, is the wizard of all.

Italian Macedonia

An Italian’s idea of dessert is Macedonia – pronounced mahtch-eh-DONE-ya – a fresh-fruit compote named for the troubled Balkan region shared by many ethnic groups. It’s a well-considered blend of the moment’s peak fruit, cut up, lightly sweetened and left to macerate with lemon juice or an orangeflavoured liqueur. You could also use Kirsch, sweet or dry Marsala or Limoncello.

After pacing yourself for this multicourse marathon, cap it off with a pair of similarly structured, lightly frizzante fruity endings based on the aromatic Moscato grape.

The Bottega Petalo Il Vino dell’ Amore Moscato is sweet but delicate with good acidity. The fresh orange and peachy mineral flavours mirror the Macedonia. If you want to bump it up a notch then serve the Batasiolo Bosc Dela Rei Moscato d’Asti. This is classy Muscat with a light spritz, a fresh nose and fine acidity followed by a parade of ripe peach, apple, spicy, nectarine and orange flavours. Viva Italia!