Last night Betsy's niece and nephew came over to help prepare dinner;
they recently stayed at an agroturisimo in Tuscany and were eager to
share tips they learned re pasta making with her. The crew made
ravioli and tortellini with a variety of fillings (ricotta-parmesan-
spinach, butternut squash, pancetta-spinach, etc.) as well as a fresh
tomato sauce and a sage butter. The crew also made a mess, but I
happily cleaned up for being fed. Betsy's sister and bro-in-law
brought a salad, and we had great pasta and some wine:

2008 Ermita de Nieve Rueda
Light bodied, citrus and nectarine, good acidity, clean if not
exciting. B-

1988 Castello d`Albola "Acciaiolo" (Toscano IGT)
A cheap SuperTuscan (65% sangiovese/35 CS) that's actually holding on
well, black cherry and cassis, lots of leathery notes. Fruit is fresh
for the age, but wine is a bit short and plain for a great score. But
Dave was happy to try another birthyear wine. B

2005 Viticcio Chianti Classico
Warm black cherry and plum fruit, light tannins, a bit soft on the
acid front. Clean, ripe, could use a bit more zip. B/B-

Wines were ok, company better. While I worked on kitchen (looked like
a flour bomb exploded) others watched a video the female members had
made on a trip earlier in summer, definitely one of those "funnier if
you had been there" DVDs.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.