This wine cost nine bucks. How do the Italians do it? Their economy is in shambles and the euro is killing the dollar. If this was French wine, it would cost $15 or $18. I’m not complaining, of course. I’m just continually and pleasantly surprised by the quality and value so many Italian wines offer.

The Farnese (purchased, available at Jimmy’s) was exactly what I was hoping for when I bought it. There is soft white fruit in the middle (an English critic described it as “gently fragrant,” which is why Engish wine writing is so much fun), low alcohol (12 percent), not a lot of acid, and a kind of stony finish. In this, it’s a wonderful antidote to all the mass-produced, turpentine-like pinot grigio that we’re told we’re supposed to like and that everyone seems to be making these days. Right, Drew B.?

Pair this not only with seafood, but spicy food. That’s what I did (chicken tamales with green sauce), and it worked wonderfully. And, for those of you keeping track of grape varieties, there is apparently a difference between the trebbiano grape and the grape that is called trebbiano in the Abruzzo region of Italy. The former is more or less ugni blanc, one of my old pals, while the latter is something called bombino bianco. Maybe I can get the Italian Wine Guy to explain the difference.

Grape Expectations, the Twelve Hills Nature Center’s annual fundraiser, is from 7-10 p.m. Saturday at Turner House.

The party features a silent auction and tastings of more than 300 bottles of wine, plus snacks. Tickets cost $35.

Twelve Hills is a 5-acre private nature preserve at 817 Mary Cliff Road. It is open to the public and run by a volunteer board of directors.

Bakers Megan Wilkes and Mary Gauntt had so much success selling pies online to individuals and restaurants in Oak Cliff over the holidays that they would like to open a storefront in the Bishop Arts District. Specifically, they are considering this Good Space property at 314 N. Bishop, across the street from Green Pet.

With David Spence of Good Space, they are exploring the feasibility of putting a baking kitchen, retail counter, and dining area in the century-old cottage. They’re giving their idea, Emporium Pies, a test run during Oak Cliff Mardi Gras this weekend with a pop-up shop there. Wilkes and Gauntt will feature three pies: the Drunken Nut, which is bourbon pecan with shortbread crust, and the Smooth Operator, which is French silk chocolate in a crispy pretzel crust. The third flavor is a Mardi Gras-themed surprise.

The bakers started with family recipes that they have enhanced, using “the freshest local ingredients with a focus on wholesome, organic cooking,” according to a media release.

Wilkes and Gauntt, below,  also will serve Cultivar Coffee. Their pop-up shop will be open 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and 2-7 p.m. Sunday, offering whole pies and by-the-slice selections.

For more information, contact Megan Wilkes at 972.921.9618 or info@emporiumpies.com.

Oak Cliff: Meet your new crushes.

A new drinking-and-eating spot opened in the Bishop Arts District last week. Whitehall Exchange is in the space at Bishop and Seventh that used to be Cretia’s and the Nodding Dog Coffee Co.

The place got a chic interior makeover that includes blue-and-white patterned wallpaper that matches a long, blue sofa that is the centerpiece of a lounge area along one wall. The place otherwise consists of tall round-top tables and a long bar with dim lighting.

We thought of Whitehall as a wine bar before we went in, but the wine list was disappointing. The by-the-glass selections included a $6 Marcus James merlot. I’m not super knowledgeable about vino, but this label I know. I once bought a bottle in the three-for-$9.99 bin at Fiesta because I needed wine for cooking. It turned out to be a waste of $3.33. Awful stuff.

Whitehall also features a $2 glass of wine. I instructed my partner to order it, but he refused: “It probably tastes terrible.” Probably. We settled on glasses that cost $9 each. Mine was a red blend. I can’t remember the name of it, but it was so-so. He ordered a white wine, also which I can’t remember, but it tasted of grapefruit and I liked it better than what I ordered. At any rate, it cost $18 plus tip for two glasses of OK wine. Not a good deal. The bartender was very friendly, and we liked him, but he didn’t seem to know anything about wine and didn’t offer any suggestions. Also, Whitehall serves all its wine in blue glasses. This couldn’t possibly count as a wine bar, could it? How should one detect the color of chardonnay served in a blue glass?

No, Whitehall Exchange should not be considered a wine bar. It is a bar. They serve tall cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon for $3, plus better beer and all manner of liquor.

There is a small food menu that looked interesting. A lobster roll is $15, and there are several flat breads for $12. Bar snacks include fried almonds and a selection of olives, which are $6 each.

Whitehall is not exactly what I expected, but I do like the interior update. I would rather stay home and drink a $12 bottle with a friend than order another glass there, but I could see watching a game at the bar, which features two big TVs, with a couple of tallboys and maybe those fried almonds.

Oak Cliff’s El Ranchito and its sister restaurant La Calle Doce want to give back to the community in an effort called Love Your Charity.

For the month of February all three restaurants will be donating part of the proceeds of certain dishes on their menus to the Promise House, as well as, the Genesis Women’s Shelter. The Guiso Norteno at El Ranchito, the Pescado a la Parilla from La Calle Doce in Oak Cliff, and the Enchiladas de Camaron at La Calle Doce in Lakewood are the dishes of choice.

A check presentation will be held in March by owner Laura Sanchez after the money has been collected and totaled. Check www.lacalledoce-dallas.com or www.elranchito-dallas.com for more information.

The holiday that must not be named is next week. You want to buy sparkling wine. But sparkling wine, being sparkling wine, is expensive and confusing.

Not to worry. I am on the job, as always, looking out for everyone caught between bubbly’s rock and hard place. The Bertrand ($15, sample) is sparkling wine from France that isn’t made in Champagne, which is why it’s one-third the price of entry-level Champagne. Better yet, it has much more than one-third of the quality, and is a tremendous value.

It’s made using the same method as Champagne, and it uses more or less the same grapes (including pinot noir, which is not common in sparkling wine made in France outside of Champagne). That’s one reason why it delivers so much value; its grapes are grown in the Limoux region in the Languedoc, where land is a fraction of the price of Champagne.

This is not as simple a wine as its price would indicate; the pinot noir gives it an edge that others don’t have. Look for very crisp apple fruit and an impressively long finish (lemon zest, maybe?). And you can impress everyone with your bubbly knowledge: If the wine says Cremant on the label, as this does, that means it’s sparkling wine made in the traditional method but not in Champagne. Highly recommended, and sure to impress whoever needs impressing next week.

Adam Bazaldua announced on the 303 Bar and Grill facebook page that he is no longer chef there. Bazaldua, formerly of Rathburn’s Blue Plate Kitchen, posted this message Sunday morning:

“I would like to start off by saying thanks for all the support you have shown me with the new restaurant. Unfortunately, I am no longer the chef at 303 Bar and Grill, due to a constant concept battle between the owner and myself. I am now no longer affiliated with the food that comes out of its kitchen, other than them using the menu that I designed and created. I will be on to bigger and better things soon, and I hope to have yalls support with my next venture. Thanks! Talk to you all soon!”

For some reason, another post on the 303 facebook page asks fans to add a different page. This is why people hire social media managers.

White wines from France’s Rhone region aren’t particularly well known and, at least in this country, don’t get all that much respect. You don’t see many of them on store shelves or restaurant wine lists, and you don’t see many of them reviewed, for that matter.

Which is a shame, given that white Rhones are usually different and interesting, and that’s something I’m always looking for. The Belleruche ($12, purchased, available at Spec’s), from one of the Rhone’s largest producers, has always been one of my favorite wines for just that reason. When I can find it, of course.

This is a previous vintage, and the extra year of bottle age has given the wine, a blend of grenache blanc, clairette and bourboulenc, a little more character. There is lots of white pepper, some oiliness and just a hint of a green fruit, like lime or apple. This is a not a white wine for people who need something fruit forward, like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, but it’s not supposed to be.

And don’t worry that you haven’t heard of the grapes used to make it — almost no one who isn’t in the wine business has heard of them, either. Which is another reason why the wine is so interesting, and that’s three more grapes for your Wine Century Club effort. Chill this and drink it on its own or with something like goat cheese; roast pork with apples would be terrific, too.

Greenling, the web-based organic grocery delivery company recently launched operations in the Dallas area. The company, which started in Austin and also serves San Antonio, has a new warehouse in Allen.

The company sells local and organic produce, bread, meat and dairy, as well as “sustainably produced” groceries and sundry items and delivers to homes and offices.

Greenling threw a launch party Saturday at Bolsa Mercado, inviting local growers, including Oak Cliff Organics and the Texas Honeybee Guild, for snacks and sips.

At this bistro, presentation is key. Chef Matt McAllister studied art before becoming part of the Dallas culinary scene.