Among a list of excellent French bistro fare, the menu offers 11 cheese flights paired with wines, plus one paired with beers, for $25 each. Each is thoughtfully combined to show off the best elements of both the cheeses and the wines.
 
Take, for example, the Aromatic Trio: Stanser Schafchas (a sheep’s milk cheese from Switzerland), Red Haw (a cow’s milk cheese from California) and Epoisses (a cow’s milk cheese from France) are matched with 2005 Riesling Kabinett Selbach Pierporter Michelsberg, 2003 Dolcetto d’Alba Scarzello and 2005 Montes “Reserve” Cabernet Sauvignon. The Ancient Tradition offers Spain’s famous Manchego (sheep’s milk cheese), Switzerland’s Sbriz (cow’s milk cheese) and France’s Roquefort (sheep’s milk cheese) with 2002 Robert Stemmler Pinot Noir, 2002 Vino Nobile de Montepulciano Avignonesi and 2002 Chateau Ducasse Sauternes.
 
In the mood for something a little different? Try the Unusual Ones: Cabecou Schnaps (a goat’s milk cheese from France), Robiola la Rossa (an Italian cheese made from a blend of sheep’s and cow’s milk) and Percorino Tartufo (a sheep’s milk cheese from Italy) paired combined with 2003 Pinot Gris Domaine Armand Hurst, 2004 Pinot Noir Logan “Sleepy Hollow” and 2000 Barbaresco “Valeirano” Ada Nada.
 
Want to put together your own pairings? You’ve got your work cut out for you, as you can choose from up to 160 wines by the glass and more than 250 varieties of cheese. Maybe when I’ve run out of flights to try, I’ll put together my own. In the meantime, I think I’ll just sit back and let the experts do the job they do so well.

but they must do so under another name.) Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio are the dominating whites here, although Sauvignon Blanc is becoming increasingly popular. You’ll also find Riesling, Moscato Giallo and a few lesser-known varietals: Sylvaner (a light, fresh wine with a slight scent of hay); Muller-Thurgau (pale and lightly aromatic); Kerner (spicy, dry, with a hint of Muscat); and Veltiner (fresh and fruity, with a light floral, herby scent).

800 wines at this highly educational event that includes wine seminars, cooking demonstrations and a live wine auction.
 
Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado, June 15-17: Food & Wine magazine hosts this all-star, all-out festival that includes such speakers as Mark Oldman, Jacques Pepin and Mario Batali. Cooking demonstrations, wine seminars and reserve tastings are all on the menu.

Brisbane Fine Wine Festival, Brisbane City, Australia, July 6- 8: It’s winter in Australia, but you’ll still get a warm welcome from Australian winemakers, who will be pouring over 600 wines from around the country. And while some of the wineries have silly-sounding names like Lillypilly Wines and Platypus Lane, this is serious as well as fun: Master classes on such subjects as Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon and a Pinot Noir “taste off” are bound to fill up fast.
 
Finger Lakes Wine Festival, Watkins Glen, New York, July 20-22: The party kicks off with an evening of fireworks, togas and New York state wines from local wineries like Willow Creek and Hickory Hollow Wine Cellars. The weekend continues with seminars, culinary demonstrations and a tasters’ banquet.
 
Swiss Wine Festival, Vevay, Indiana, August 23-26: Celebrate Switzerland County’s cultural heritage at this family-friendly festival that includes a wine pavilion featuring local wineries, a grand parade and a grape-stomping competition.

Apparently, the folks at Redwood Creek Wines agree with me. The California-based winery, whose vineyards are located in the Central Valley between the Pacific coast and the Sierra Mountains, claims that their bottles are better suited for a mountaintop than a tabletop.
 
And so, they’ve issued a challenge: From now until May 15, you can enter the Redwood Creek Campfire Classic cookout contest. Just log on to RedwoodCreek.com and enter your unique campfire recipe, paired with one of the Redwood Creek wines. On June 21, five finalists will be brought to New York City to prepare their gourmet recipes for a chance to win the $10,000 grand prize plus a $5,000 donation to their favorite national park. The public will also be invited to cast their votes online for the winner of the $1,000 People’s Choice Award.
 
In the meantime, Redwood Creek’s website offers some inspirational recipes from chef Bob Blumer (a.k.a. the Surreal Gourmet). And if you must have hot dogs, may I suggest a glass of Pinot Noir to go with that?

When traveling with a group—either for business or pleasure—dining together is inevitable. Because I’m known as “the one who likes wine,” the wine menu often winds up in my hands. This can be tricky. Usually I’m expected to decide before we’ve even seen the menu, so guessing what everyone will order becomes part of the equation. Even if I do know what everyone is getting, chances are it will all taste very different. So I’ve come up with a few rules for mass-wine pairings.
 
1. If the group is large enough, order two bottles—one red, one white. The old rule that you should only drink red wine with red meat and white wine with fish and poultry doesn’t really hold true, but your some of your dinner companions probably still believe in it. And even if they are open-minded enough to try a red with their snapper, some people prefer one color to the other.
 
2. “When you don’t know, order Pinot.” Pinot Noir is light, crisp, and pretty much universally liked. It’s also one of those wines that goes with everything, so you're safe if somebody at the table orders the curried lobster while someone else gets steak topped with garlic butter.
 
3. Highly flavored ethnic foods tend to go well with certain types of wine. For instance, I like to order Riesling with Chinese—the subtly sweet wine stands up to the bit of sweetness in most Chinese dishes while it cools the spice. Riesling also works well with Indian and Thai coconut curry dishes for the same reasons. If the cuisine tends to be more spicy/herby, like Jamaican, I tend to go with an oaky Chardonnay. Keep in mind that lighter wines work better with spicy food—spicy wines usually clash with it.
 
4. Finally, don’t panic if you can’t figure out the perfect match. No meal has ever been ruined because the wine didn’t match the food. No matter what you choose, food always tastes better with wine and vice versa, so just order, smile, and enjoy the fact that your travel companions are bound to think you know more than they do, even if you don’t.

have to pour a glass for someone else, the more friendly and polite you have the opportunity to be. If you find yourself low on sake, simply lift your glass to allow someone else to pour for you.

will explain the history of Napa Valley wines while leading you through the grounds. Then you’ll go inside to see how the grapes are made into wine, stored, and bottled. Afterward, it’s on to the tasting room to try and compare favorites like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot. You may also try a blend, like their Rubaiyat, made from Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Zinfandel—a juicy, slightly spicy wine with notes of cherries and vanilla.
 
Tastings, 10 am to 4 pm, daily. $10. This is the abbreviated version—a great way to try their wines and learn a bit about the family’s vineyards when you’ve got a lot of places to visit and not too much time.
 
Food and wine pairing, 11 am, Thursdays and Fridays. $20. The name may be purely coincidental, but Cakebread wines are known throughout the restaurant industry as being terrific with food. (One reason you’ll see Cakebread more on wine lists than in stores.) You’ll get a quick tour of the winery, then sit down to enjoy seasonal foods made with fresh ingredients from the Cakebread garden and learn some helpful tricks for pairing food with wine.
 
Sensory evaluation experience, 10 am, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. $20. Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or totally clueless, everyone can learn something from this 90-minute tasting, designed to teach visitors about how to sniff, taste and evaluate wines.

telling that “wine” comes before “food” in the title--indeed, while amazing food will be a big part of the experience, it’s the wines that take center stage. The activities kick off Friday night with the Grand Cru Wine Lounge Opening Night and Party, where munchies made by top local chefs will be paired with great vintages, and prominent wine experts will be on hand to explain what you’re drinking. ($150 in advance, $180 after March 2.)

Grand tastings will be held Saturday from 3 pm to 7 pm and Sunday from 2 pm to 6 pm, where more than 280 wineries from around the world will pour samples of over 1,100 wines. If there’s a style you’ve always wanted to try, chances are you’ll find it here. More delectable nibbles will be served. ($65 for a one-day pass in advance, $80 after March 2. Or $85 for a two-day pass in advance, $100 after March 2.)

Want to gain more in-depth knowledge? Guided tastings and seminars will take place all weekend. For example, you can learn about Petite Sirahs with PS I Love You (the advocacy group for varietal), discover the changing face of Champagne with Suzanne McGrath of WineReviewOnline.com, explore varietal ports like “Zinful Delight” paired with chocolate and cheese with David Hunt of Hunt Cellars, or brush up on your basics with a crash course in wine appreciation hosted by wine columnist Leslie Sbrocco. (Prices vary.)

Got more than a weekend to spend? On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before the big event, top local restaurants will participate in International Wine and Food Festival Week, so you can see Washington, D.C., during the day and enjoy a series of wine dinners at night.

When it comes to wine lists, it’s nice to have choices other than “Merlot or Chardonnay?” So I was thrilled when I made the trip to Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, Florida. Its wine collection is the largest of any restaurant in the world, with 6,900 labels to choose from, 200 of which are available by the glass. As soon as we were seated, I knew I had a tough decision to make. The wine list had the heft of a hardback novel. I might have read it all night—it’s interesting enough—if not for the helpful staff, who excel at finding a wine to match your palate as well as your plate. (But be sure to tell them you’re serious about your vino—when I asked for “something I haven’t tried before,” our waiter’s first suggestion was a red zinfandel.) In the end, the four of us at our table each chose a different wine by the glass to sip and share, allowing for far more tasting opportunities than a single bottle. The wine-loving food was simple and exquisite, focusing classic preparations of steak and seafood, with seasonal vegetables grown on their own organic farm and sprouts grown right in their kitchen. I ordered the Chateaubriand topped with garlic butter, and I wasn’t disappointed. After dinner, guests are offered a tour of the kitchen and on-site wine cellar. (A much larger storage facility across the street holds most of their collection). Don’t miss it. I almost regretted my steak when I saw just how fresh the fish were—any that weren’t under the broiler were still swimming in a gigantic tank. Ah, well. Next time, I thought. Then it was upstairs to the dessert room, with its cozy private booths and impossible-to-resist dessert menu, complete with another book of dessert wines and specialty drinks you won’t want to miss. A full stomach meant splitting the luscious chocolate soufflé and a glass of port with my husband. With so many choices and only so much one can eat and drink in an evening, I know I’ll be back for more.