Each year the Sacramento Convention Center houses the annual Winter Wine and Food Festival in order to benefit the Northern California chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The goal for this year’s twenty-second annual event was to meet or exceed the $700,000 raised from last year’s Food and Wine Fest. The event consisted of a food and wine tasting portion from 5-7:30 p.m., followed by a VIP live auction from 7:45-10 p.m.
 

As guests entered the main exhibition hall, they were given a wine glass and a food plate and allowed to roam the floor in search of whatever wine or food that struck their fancy. Over The Edge, a local cover band, played upbeat popular songs in the center of the room while vendors were situated in circular groups of tables throughout the hall.
 

There were more than 60 local restaurants in attendance proudly showcasing their edibles. Many of them return year after year to show support for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The line to sample some sushi from Tex Wasabi’s (a restaurant in Sacramento owned by Food Network star Guy Fieri) was the longest in the building, making Tex Wasabi’s probably the most popular food vendor of the evening. Another popular vendor was Cupcake Craving, which brought more than 2,000 mini-cupcakes in delectable flavors such as 24K Craving (a carrot cake cupcake) and Red Velvet Rescue to feed food enthusiasts with a sweet tooth. Also a big hit was the Chocolate Architect, whose booth consisted of tiny cubes of “chocolate silk” in many tasty flavors such as rocky road, peanut butter and espresso. However, not all the food was sugary and sweet. Vendors such as Aioli Bodega Española, Boulevard Bistro and Nugget Markets offered savory fare ranging from pasta dishes to cheese platters.
 

With more than 60 wineries represented, the amount of Northern California wine available to taste was nearly overwhelming. There were smaller wine companies represented, such as Barsetti Vineyards, known for its signature zinfandel grown in the Lodi region. There were also more well-known wineries like Kenwood in attendance. Kenwood is known for its Sauvignon Blanc, a slightly grassy, crisp, light wine that borders on refreshing and goes well with oysters and crab, as well as its reserve Jack London wines that are actually harvested from the famous author’s historic vineyard in Glen Ellen, near Sonoma.
 

In addition to the numerous wineries, there were also several microbreweries in attendance. Gekkeikan Sake was present, which has opened its first brewery in North America in Folsom. Hoppy Brewing Company is a brewery in Sacramento that directly supplies retailers and its restaurant and brought some of its beers to sample. Sudwerk, a restaurant and brewery in Davis also attended.
 

The silent auction was set up at two large areas where guests were allowed to browse through the donated items up for auction and bid on them at will throughout the evening. There was a lot of wine up for auction, but there were also unique items such as hand-knit blankets, needlepoint and jewelry made by mothers of Make-A-Wish children. Overall support from the Northern California community was high, as there were so many donated items and services up for auction ranging from landscaping services to a complete Nintendo Wii videogame system equipped with games.
 

While plenty of money was expected to be raised from ticket sales and the silent auction lots, the live auction in the VIP area was where the big-ticket items were to be auctioned. While many one-of-a-kind items such as an autographed Guns N’ Roses bass guitar were for sale, the item all the big spenders were after was the most expensive thing up for auction – a trip to Costa Rica with business-class airfare valued at $16,400.
 

Probably the most important guest of the evening was 3-year-old Evan, this year’s ambassador for Make-A-Wish. Dressed to impress in his tiny tuxedo, Evan’s job as ambassador was to take part in the festival by having a film made all about him and his life to be shown during the auction, as well as to come on stage and participate.