It's a blessing and a curse to be a wine lover living in Sacramento. After all, you're surrounded by hundreds of wineries producing some of the world's best vintages – from urban wineries like Revolution Wines and Rail Bridge Cellars here in the central city to Sacramento County, the Sierra Nevada foothills and beyond to Napa Valley. But when you want to do some wine tasting, that blessing can feel like a curse. How do you choose from all those tasting rooms? And with more and more of them charging tasting fees, how do you find the best deals: from free tastings and fees that apply toward purchases to private tastings well worth the extra bucks? A couple of local wine connoisseurs have

While there are many phrases in life that are sure to bring a smile to my face—“early retirement,” “winning lotto ticket” and “three-week vacation” among them—I must admit “Food and Wine Festival” is right there at the top of my list. I can hardly contain my enthusiasm ("ARE WE THERE YET?") as the rubber meets the road, with a full tank of gas, a couple of baguettes and a Google map at my side, knowing that at the end of the journey lies my pot of Epicurean gold. One thing Sacramento does not lack is geographical appeal (a.k.a., location, location, location). In two hours or less, you can be skiing, gamboling, taking a bay cruise beneath the Golden Gate, or walking the vineyard trail, tra