Ordinarily I cover wine events in the U.S. but this event n London caught my eye. Estates & Wines, the Moët Hennessy Wine Division (part of the LVMH) will be hosting a new wine event to showcase their collection of "New World" wines. The inaugural 'Discover the Flavours of the World' will take place in London on May 14, 2008 at Il Bottaccio, Grosvenor Place, Belgravia, London, UK . It will feature LVMH brands including Cloudy Bay from New Zealand and its sister winery Cape Mentelle in Australia; Australian sparkling wine Green Point; Terrazas de los Andes from Argentina which plants specific plants at the optimal altitude; Cheval des Andes also in Argentina; and Napa Valley's Newton winery which is a new addition to the LVMH portfolio. I had no idea LVMH had so many New World labels.

A limited number of free tickets are available, and can be reserved when ordering a special case of Moët Hennessy wines (£60 for a case of six bottles, plus p&p in the UK) of either Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Malbec 2006 or Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Chardonnay 2006. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased for £60. For further information, to purchase a case and ticket, please contact Rosalyn.LANE@mhuk.co.uk.

On February 8th at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco one can partake in the loverly Dark & Delicious event. Organized by PS, I Love You (an association of Petite Syrah producers) the name alone qualifies it for a Valentine's-esque evening out with your honey. Boasting thirty-six wine companies and twenty food vendors for only $50 a ticket it makes me want to jump to the opposite coast just for the weekend! And if you aren't already familiar with Petite Syrah you need to be introduced...it's fantastic.

The Rutherford appellation in Napa Valley is looking for a little respect. In an effort to help educate consumers about the region the Rutherford Appellation Wineries have created their first Passport weekend on December 1-2. A $50 passport gets you access to 13 participating wineries which will offer special pourings, tastings and entertainment. The list of destinations includes the Swanson Salon, Peju, Beaulieu and Grgich Hills. Each winery is organizing unique offerings such as Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s at Beaulieu Vineyard, exclusive access to Alpha Omega's state-of-the-art tank room and artisan cheese and antipasto with your wine at Honig Vineyard & Winery. Profits from the event got to the Rutherford Dust Restoration Team, a group of vintners and growers working to improve the health of the Napa River as it passes through the Rutherford AVA.

Who doesn't like their wine experience with a side order of gorgeous scenery? Monterey Wine Country's 11th Annual Great Wine Escape Weekend on November 9-11 offers a wide variety of wine adventures including wine and food integration seminars, open houses at the wineries, guided wine country tours, winemaker dinners and the Grand Finale at Quail Lodge. There are over 20 winemaker dinners which offer a chance to meet the faces behind the labels and taste vintages paired with food by local chefs. The winemaker dinners are $95. There is also a shuttled dinner in Carmel that starts at the Cima Collina tasting room, in Carmel then heads to Grasing's Coastal Cuisine for appetizers, salad and wines from Michaud Vineyard followed by a main course and dessert at the Carmel Chop House paired with wines from Pessagno Winery. The dinner is on Nov 9 and costs $165. The Wine Enthusiast's Signature Dinner is on Nov 10 and takes place in the Marinus Restaurant at Bernardus Lodge. Chefs Cal Stamenov of Marinus Restaurant and Annie Somerville of Greens Restaurant. The dinner will be accompanied by Monterey Country wines which are all rated 90+ points by Wine Enthusiast's Magazine) Monterey County wines. This dinner costs $250. The Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa offers a package that includes three nights accommodations (double occupancy) in an Ocean View Room, plus Palate Pleasers, Winemaker Dinner on Friday or Saturday, Monterey Wine Country Tour with Boutique and Hidden Gems Wine Tasting and the Grand Finale for $1,556.

[via Avenue Vine]

It may not be ski season but it's still gorgeous in Telluride, Colorado. The  25th Annual Telluride Wine Festival gives you chance to check out this ridiculously picturesque town in the month of June. The festival, which runs from June 22-25 includes winemaker's luncheons, a grand tasting held in Town Park, cooking demonstrations, the Toast of Telluride & Mountain Village, a Scotch and cigar tasting, and the Sunday brunch which is the festival finale. The guest chefs include Vitaly Paley, the owner of Paley's Place in Portland Oregon, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson co-owner with Bobby Stucky of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado and Ana Sortun of Oleana in Boston. The Patron Package sells for $850 and includes priority seating at all festival events. Individual events are priced from $40 to $125.

Sonoma County Vintners has announced that the 26th annual Sonoma County Showcase of Wine and Food will be held July 13 through 15. The three-day event features a variety of wine and food events that explore the diversity of Sonoma County. Events include winery lunches and dinners, a Taste of Sonoma County sampling event and the Ultimate Winemaker Dinner and Barrel Auction which takes place on July 14 at Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards.  Plan now for an ideal summer weekend.

The great legacy of fine cuisine in New Orleans continues with the 15th annual New Orleans Wine and Food Experience. The event will be held in New Orleans on Memorial Day Weekend May 24 – 28, 2006 and is a five-day event, featuring culinary seminars, demonstrations, vintner dinners, and wine tastings. There will be a champagne brunch, and seminars including an interactive wine tasting musical that includes samples for the audience and a celebration of the famous muffaletta sandwich. The full package which includes six seminars, Friday and Saturday Grand Tastings, Royal Street Stroll and Bubbles and Brunch sells for $450.

Frommers has a piece on the Nantucket Wine Festival, another chance to drink wine in an impossibly gorgeous location. The festival which takes place during the weekend of May 17 through 21 has a wide variety of East Coast luminaries and wineries from around the world converging on the small island which is a puddle-jumper flight away from Boston. The Grand Tasting is the festival's must-do event which and is held in four sessions on May 20 and 21. A  two-hour session costs $65.  Many of the pricer events include the $990 Showstopper dinner are sold out but most of the seminars, which usually cost $50 to $100 are still available. The comprehensive list of seminars range from cooking demonstrations to pairing seminars to tastings like an in-depth look at the much-discussed 2005 Bordeaux vintage. The Grand Cru package costs $425 and includes a laminated pass with your name, access to all four Grand Tastings, access to Saturday morning Early-Admission VIP Reception at the Grand Tasting, access to the Meet the Winemakers Reception, tickets to one of the Winemaker Symposia, tickets to two additional Wine and Food Seminars, a 2006 Nantucket Wine Festival poster signed by artist Kerry Hallam and an NWF hat. Frommers has more info on accommodations and places to dine when you aren't spending time with a wine glass in your hand.

Fans of  Hungarian Tokaji wine will have a rare opportunity on May 21. Royal Tokaji Wine Company will hold its first-ever vintner dinner in the U.S. on May 21, 2006, at  the Pebble Beach Resort. The dinner will take place at the Casa Palmero Resort and will be attended by Royal Tokaji Wine Company's founding partner, Ben Howkins of the United Kingdom. The seven-course meal by Club XIX Chef de Cuisine Lisa Nakamura will be paired with six wines from Royal Tokaji but the real treat comes when each guest is served  spoonful of the Royal Tokaji Essencia 1999, which sells for $500 per 500ml bottle. Beginning with the 1999 vintage, each bottle of Royal Tokaji Essencia has come with one crystal sipping spoon which bestows a neat 33 sips from the dessert wine. The wine has been described as being so different from other wines that it is like seeing a new primary color. Guests on May 21 will be given an engraved sipping spoon as a keepsake. The meal is limited to 35 guests and costs $195 per person.  Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis by calling Stefanie Brand at (831) 622-8761.

In our never-ending quest to find you beautiful places to drink wine and eat delicious foods, we bring you the Third Annual Southern Breeze Coastal Wine Tour which will be held May 19-21 in Orange Beach, Alabama. The multi-day event includes winemaker dinners, a wine tasting and seminars from Michael Bryan of the Atlanta Wine School on deciphering the language of wine. Chefs Philippe Parola and Tim Creehan will create original food demonstrations. On Sunday, the Walkabout Brunch is a chance to roam around from station to station, sipping champagne and sparkling white wines and loading up on seafood and regional favorite. Tickets for the Winemaker Dinners are $125 per person, The Grand Wine Tasting tickets are $45 in advance, $55 the day of and the Walkabout Brunch tickets are $35 in advance, $45 the day of. A Connoisseur package costs $225.

Another great wine-themed event is taking place in February. This one is the 23rd annual fundraiser for The Montessori Family Center in St. Helena, Callifornia. Shanghai Nights will take place on February 4, 2006, at The Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena. The fundraiser includes a “What Makes Sparking Wine Great” seminar and tasting conducted by wine book author Karen MacNeil, a sparkling wine reception, silent auction and seated dinner including an all-chocolate course by Woodhouse Chocolates. The auction includes wine lots and a ‘treasure chest’ containing a trip to China and a collection of wines from all of the families whose children attend the school. Guests will purchase a $50 key hoping it’s the one which will open the chest. The keys can be bought online and you don't have to be present to win.Tickets for the complete package are $400 each.

The eleven wineries along Highway 46 East  in  the Paso Robles area of California are holding their Esprit du Vin event this weekend, January 13 -15.  The Esprit du Vin grand event is held on Saturday night at the Robert Hall Winery and includes  a wine sensory tour, gourmet food, live music by the Big Daddy’s Blues Band and award-winning wines from the wineries of Highway 46 East and costs $60.