Wineries

In Santa Barbara, the soon-to-open Caveau Wine Bar & Merchant is hosting a tasting of local wines from the 2012 vintage with more than 50 wineries taking part, including the Ojai Vineyard , Brewer-Clifton , Sandhi and Au Bon Climat . The beauty is that it's a futures tasting and wines will be offered at 20% off retail if purchased before they are released, i.e., in the future. This is the same event Doug Margerum (now making wine under the Margerum Wine Company label)

Kansas Joins Wine States: Kansas, for the first time, is included in the country's chief directory of wineries. A record 1,304 wineries are in the new edition. The latest entry--Fields of Fair of Manhattan, Kan.--brings to 44 the number of states that produce wine commercially out of bonded premises, according to the trade publication Wines & Vines. The directory lists 669 wineries in California, which produces 90% of U.S. wine, 92 in New York, 75 in Washington, 73 in Oregon, 50 in Ohio, 45 in Pennsylvania and 41 in Virginia.

A Madera winemaker and his son have been sentenced to federal prison terms for using inexpensive grapes instead of the more costly varieties they promised to wineries. Angelo Papagni and his son, Demetrio Papagni, had pleaded guilty to misrepresenting the variety in nearly 500,000 gallons of wine they sold to well-known wineries such as Sutter Home, Glen Ellen and David Bynum. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger sentenced Angelo Papagni to 18 months in prison.

Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino will host the second annual "Wines of America" festival featuring more than 35 premier California, Washington and Oregon wineries March 22-24. Wine enthusiasts will attend wine tastings, seminars, panel discussions led by top wine makers in the United States and gourmet meals highlighted by Champagnes and wines.

Samplings from 40 wineries will be offered at the first Downtown Wine & Food Festival May 31 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the garden level of the Union Bank Building, 445 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. All proceeds will go to the Los Angeles Central Library--"Save The Books" fund. Participating wineries include Jordan, Acacia, Clos du Val, William Hill, Beaulieu Vineyard, Cain Cellars and Firestone.

Why drive when you can tour wineries in a limo? And get lunch and a hotel room in Southern California too. The deal: The Chauffeured Wine Country Getaway Package costs $299 weeknights (Sundays-Thursdays) and $379 weekends. The price includes a guest room with two queen beds or one king with a fairway view; winery tour in a chauffeured limousine (shared with others), with tastings at three wineries; made-to-order picnic lunch; and bottle of wine on arrival. Good through Dec. 30, subject to availability.

New talks that will include a federal mediator were scheduled for Friday as the harvest-time strike against some of California's largest wineries entered its fifth week. "We are guardedly optimistic," attorney Robert Lieber, negotiator for the 12-member Winery Employers Assn., said while announcing the development in San Francisco. The wineries are locked in a contract stalemate with the Winery, Distillery and Allied Workers Union locals 45 and 186.

Marimar Torres of Marimar Torres Estate not only runs her winery in the Russian River Valley, but also loves to cook and entertain at her house in Sausalito. Some years ago she wrote " The Catalan Country Kitchen: Food and Wine From the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean Seacoast of Barcelona ," a book that I helped edit. When I asked Torres what wine she'd had recently that stuck in her memory, she told me it was the Graham's 1994 vintage Port. "We are part of a group of wineries in Europe called Primum Familiae Vini made up of wineries that are both prestigious and family-owned (and also non-competitive)

Saturday's first ever the Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure in Solvang featuring the wines of small "garagiste" producers from the Santa Ynez Valley was a sold-out event. Held at the Mission-style Veteran's Memorial Building in Solvang, it was exuberant, crowded - and fun. The 32 vintners pouring their wines were arranged along the two long sides of the hall. Winemakers didn't have much elbow room, but everyone was cheerful and voluble, relishing the chance to introduce their latest vintages to a wine-loving public.

Château Brinon is a wonderful B&B in a grand hunting lodge on 500 wooded acres in France's Loire Valley. Michael and Irene Schnaer are the owners and hosts. Michael is American; Irene is French and a fabulous cook. They offer three beautifully decorated rooms; home-cooked breakfasts and dinners; and tours of local landmarks, wineries and châteaux. Château Brinon, 10 Route d'Isdes, Brinon sur Sauldre; 011-2-48-58-54-45, http://www.chateaubrinon.com . Rooms from about $120.