THE MANY FACES OF ITALY

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Your Wine Merchant

There are 6,000 bottles of wine in Your Wine Merchant and 500 different labels, which ought to take care of the needs of most people who wander in before or after filling a basket in A Touch of Italy. The two emporiums are joined. (Mamma Pasta has a separate entrance). So after you've selected your bread, cheese, olives and such at the market, it makes good sense to saunter over to the wine racks and complete your rustic menu.

The inventory is about 35 percent Italian wines, some for sipping and some meant to complement Tuscan food. But the store's wine buyers, such as Edward Canada, also stock a healthy supply of French reds and whites, and many representative vintages from Australia, New Zealand, California, Washington and Oregon.

The wines are organized attractively, the staff is knowledgeable and accommodating, and the inventory is varied enough so that you might come intending to spend 10 minutes and still be chatting and making your selections an hour later. We asked Edward Canada to choose five wines for our basket, wines he personally buys himself. Here's what we took home as per his recommendation.

Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon, 1997. A medium to full-bodied wine great with roasted or grilled meats. $38.98.

Lumen, Montepulciano, 1997 Cabernet. A nice drinking wine for relaxation at the end of a day. Great with Italian food, but also fine all by itself. $67.95.

Terrarossa, 1999, which is the equivalent of an Italian red Zinfandel. Throw a porterhouse on the grill and uncork this bold beauty. $18.95.

Soletta Dolce, Dolce Valle, 1997, a dessert wine with a slightly orange and caramel taste. But the sweetness is restrained. $31.95.

Primitivo Dolce, 1994, a dessert/port wine that offers flavors of almond paste and roasted chestnuts. Great with dry pastry. The unusual, dark opaque bottle is shaped like the vine upon which the grapes grow in the Puglia region of Italy. $32.95.

Mama Pasta, A Touch of Italy and Your Wine Merchant

7890 Summerlin Lakes Drive, Fort Myers

Mama Pasta: 936-3660

Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Dinner: Daily, 4:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Credit cards

Plentiful parking

Half or full orders available

All items available as take out

Catering available