Pairings: Cheese ravioli showcases chardonnay

Angeline 2015 Monterey County Reserve Chardonnay, our Wine of the Week, is rich and ripe from beginning to end. The bouquet suggests an orchard in spring, with little bursts of apple blossom, citrus blossom, vanilla and ripe pineapple.

On the palate, there is more sweet fruit, especially white pineapple, ripe pear and green melon, and more vanilla, with little threads of warm spice. Acid keeps things bright and refreshing.

At the table, the wine is excellent paired with winter squash, root vegetables, corn in all its myriad forms, roasted chicken, roasted pork loin, pastas in creamy sauces, sweet shellfish that include scallops and shrimp, and cheeses such as Fontina.

You'll enjoy the wine with creamy polenta, especially if you top it with wild mushrooms in cream.

If you're feeling ambitious, pair it with cannelloni filled with winter squash and topped with chèvre and cream sauce.

For today's recipe, inspiration comes from the ravioli we all used to get from Traverso's. You can find them at Canevari's Delicatessen (695 Lewis Road, Santa Rosa, 707-545-6941) or, if you're feeling ambitious, you can make your own.

Your best choice to pair with this wine is cheese ravioli, $7.99 for a box of 48, enough to serve three to four. For a stellar match, serve them with this luscious winter squash sauce.

Ravioli with Winter Squash Sauce

Makes about 21/2 cups

3 tablespoons clarified butter

1 yellow onion, cut into small dice

- Kosher salt

1 cup winter squash puree (see Note below)

2 teaspoons minced fresh sage

11/2 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock

- Black pepper in a mill

- Homemade or commercial ravioli

- Vella Dry Jack or similar cheese, in one piece

Put the butter into a medium sauté pan set over medium heat and, when it is melted, add the onion. Stir to coat the onion thoroughly in butter and season with a little salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook gently, stirring now and then, until the onions are very soft and beginning to caramelize, about 1 hour. Do not let the onion brown. When the onions are rich and sweet, stir in the winter squash puree and the sage.

Pour in the stock, stirring all the while with a whisk. Taste, correct for salt and season with several generous turns of black pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

Prepare the ravioli according to package or recipe directions, drain, but do not rinse.

Tip the ravioli into a large bowl, add the sauce, and gently turn the ravioli to coat them.

Divide among individual pasta bowls or plates, season with several turns of black pepper and a bit of salt and grate cheese over each serving. Enjoy right away.

Note: To cook winter squash, use a chef's knife or heavy cleaver to cut it into pieces, scrape out the seeds and strings and either steam until tender or set on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven until tender. Cool slightly and use a large spoon to remove the flesh. Transfer it to a bowl and mash thoroughly with a fork. Alternately, you can press it through a potato ricer or pass it through a food mill.