Wine aficionados and wine novices alike should be on the alert to next Tuesday’s 2nd Annual Riedel Wine Tasting Seminar, this year held at the gorgeous Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa from 6:30pm-9pm. Event planner Catrina Maria assures no prior knowledge of wine is needed: “Anyone would enjoy this seminar and those who do not love wine already may find they enjoy it more after drinking wine from the correct glass. It opens your eyes to how different the same wine can taste.” Being a wine novice myself, I can’t wait to gain a little insight into how a wine glass affects the flavor of the wine and expand the breadth of my wine knowledge beyond the basics. The workshop, presented by Sylvie La

Apple Hill orchards are flooded with crowds in the Autumn but select destination spots are open all year. Families and friends flock to purchase cider and pumpkins but when the seasons change Apple Hill doesn’t lie dormant. The following are just a few places that keep the doors open to visitors year-around. 1. Boa Vista Orchards , 2952 Carson Road (No. 11 on the map) Phone : (530) 622-5522 Season : Open all year Open : Monday - Sunday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wine tasting : Monday - Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Boa Vista Orchards, previously Boa Vista Ranch, was originally a potato farm in the early 1900s. Family-owned for four generations, it has developed into a bustling apple orchard. Boa Vist

Local writers and budding wine enthusiasts gathered at the Sacramento Press office Thursday evening for a workshop on how to write about wine presented by author and former Sacramento Bee columnist Rick Kushman. “We generally associate wine knowledge with ‘class’ or as a social status of some kind,” said Kushman as he opened the workshop. “Really, people just want to know what wine to choose for dinner.” As more than 20 eager writers listened and took notes, Kushman gave the class his “Three Rules of Wine Tasting:” * Wear dark colors. * If you love it, you’re right; if you hate it, you’re right. * Always bring a swimsuit. “That last one doesn’t have anything to do with wine, but it see

As Francis House of Sacramento continues to celebrate its 40th Anniversary, this very important institution will honor the memory of Greg Bunker, Executive Director, who passed away December 28, 2010 with their upcoming 20th Annual “Feast for the Streets Food and Wine Gala”, April 27, 2011 at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in downtown Sacramento. Feast for the Streets is the largest fundraiser for Francis House and is highly regarded as one of Sacramento’s premiere food and wine tasting events. With the sudden passing of Greg Bunker in December, Francis House wants to celebrate his life’s work for the homeless and destitute in a way that he would have wanted. Forrest Reed, Acting Direct

El Dorado County, our neighbor to the east, is picturesque and varied. The landscape climbs from the valley floor through the foothills and all the way over the Sierra Nevadas to South Lake Tahoe. Camino, on Highway 50 just east of Placerville, is famous for the Apple Hill fruit growers, a plethora of Christmas tree farms, and one of the most successful wine regions in California. Each January, the El Dorado Winery Association presents “Bring Out the Barrel,” an opportunity for visitors to taste their new wine before it is bottled, blended or aged. This year, 26 of the region’s 50-plus wineries opened their cellars to hundreds of guests. Tickets for the two-day event sold out early, an

Everyone loves a “win-win” situation. One of those “nobody loses” scenarios is set to play out Saturday when the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association invites the public to taste some grape while supporting a trio of longtime SCNA beneficiaries at the 20th annual Curtis Park Wine Tasting and Silent Auction.  “Of the dozen or so different events we hold each year, it’s our biggest fundraiser,” said SCNA board member Melanie Smith, who is hoping that the annual community festival will bring in big bucks that will help keep the C.K. McClatchy High School cross-country and track and field teams in uniforms and equipment, send Bret Harte Elementary School sixth graders to the Sly Park Environ

Mayor Kevin Johnson gave full endorsement of the 47th annual Sacramento Greek Festival on Friday, its opening day. In his address to festival-goers, Johnson shared his appreciation of the great music, art and food provided by the Greek community over the course of the weekend’s festivities, which took place at the Sacramento Convention Center. “It’s all about the gyros for me,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a lot of great Greek restaurants in Sacramento, but what’s neat about this event is that they all come here.” With more than 10,000 people attending the three-day event, Johnson clearly isn’t the only Sacramentan in support of celebrating all things Greek. Chefs from some of the best Gree

One big fat Greek festival offers all you need for Hellenistic acculturation. Fortunately for Sacramentans, the Sacramento Convention Center will host the 47th annual Sacramento Greek Festival this weekend to make this possible. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church’s Mike Dariotis has been involved in the event for 15 years and said his favorite part of the weekend is, first, the food; second, the folk dancing and then of course working together with the church community and fellow parishioners. In recent years, the event has served around 10,000 people over the course of the three-day festival. So what is it about this event that brings both Greek and non-Greeks out? The answer is simple

 Baseball has long been considered a beer drinker's game.  The River Cats and Infuze Marketing are challenging that preconception with a series of wine tastings at Raley Field.       The events, which take place on game days, feature (semi) local wineries and catered appetizers, and part of the proceeds go to local charities.       The second of the aptly named "Wine in the Park" events was held Wednesday afternoon in conjunction with the the River Cats game against the Sky Sox.       An hour and a half before the first pitch, the gates opened for a gaggle of newly wristbanded oenophiles (I believe that "gaggle" is the correct term for a group of wine lovers, but  "murder" is also accep

Over 25 Lodi vintners will be pouring their wines this Friday, April 16, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at the 17th annual Lodi School Street Wine Stroll. Wineries will be showcasing their wines in boutiques and shops throughout the historic downtown Lodi. Stroll down School Street and enjoy live music, appetizers, chef demonstrations and of course great wines! Guests from Sacramento can ride Amtrak roundtrip - save the air ride the train! The train departs Sacramento on Friday at 4:55pm and arrives in Lodi at 5:30pm. The event takes place one block from the train station where guests are given a wine glass and map. Amtrak departs Lodi at either Friday evening at 10:39pm or Saturday morning at 11:

Sacramento wine connoisseurs will be able to savor the diversity of Paso Robles' wine country April 19-20 as part of the 2010 Grand Tasting Tour. Winemaker dinners at local restaurants are scheduled April 19. Wine tasting will be held April 20. A preview retail testing is scheduled April 16. Paso Robles is one of California's premiere wine-producing regions. Twenty-seven wineries and hospitality representatives will feature more than 150 wines during the two-day event. The tour was organized by the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance. "I think coming to the capital city is very special," Executive Director Stacie Jacob said in a phone interview. "I think many people come for other business

Mondays. Bah Humbug One recent Monday, however, was an exception to the perceived worst day of the week. I set aside my Monday blues, grabbed the umbrella and the BFF, and headed for Matteo's, Matt Woolston's eponymous neighborhood joint at the Five Points center in Carmichael.  Although the restaurant is usually closed on Mondays, Matteo's will occasionally schedule special events for Mondays, such as the food and wine tasting I attended this particular evening. As any 'foodie' worth their porcini mushroom will tell you, Matt's been turning out elegant repasts for the last 8 years at the north side's uber-swanky Supper Club. The elegant prix-fixe, multi course 'suppers' have maintained

Get ready for the 22nd Annual Winter Wine & Food Fest benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation® on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Sacramento Convention Center. This premiere food & wine event will once again showcase over 60 exceptional local restaurants and food purveyors and 60 of the finest wineries and top area microbreweries. The general admission tasting and extensive silent auction begins at 5:00 p.m. and continues until 7:30 p.m. Live music will be provided by the Over The Edge Band. For an additional cost, the evening continues on with a special VIP Program that also includes an exclusive live wine auction and runs from 7:45 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. The event is attended by more than