iSante Magazine Calendar of Industry Events

Auction of Private Collections

Produced by Hart Davis Hart Wine Co., this auction will feature 1,477 lots from a number of remarkable collections valued at $3-$4.5 million. Reservations for lunch at Tru during the auction ($75) should be made by calling Hart Davis Hart at 312-482-9996 or by e-mailing Maria Elgass (melgass@hdhwine.com). Auction catalogs are available through the Web site or by calling 312-482-9996. The expanded site allows bidders to view and search the auction catalog and place absentee bids online.

Lodi ZinFest

Lodi ZinFest is a celebration of Lodi’s heritage Zinfandel grape. Events include Vintners’ Grille at the Lake, ZinFest Wine Festival, Winery Open Houses, and more.

Seattle Cheese Festival

Taste more than 200 cheeses from local and international producers, view cooking and cheese-making demonstrations, wander the Wine Garden, take part in educational seminars, and more. Visit seattlecheesefestival.com for more information.

Third Annual Uncorked! Wine Festival

The Third Annual Uncorked! Wine Festival will showcase more than 40 top-tier wineries from California’s premium winemaking regions, along with an opulent array of gourmet culinary offerings. General wine-tasting tickets include wine tastings and a souvenir glass, and can be purchased in advance for $40 online at ghirardellisq.com or at the festival for $45. For more information, contact Ghirardelli Square at 415-775-5500.

NRA Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show

The 2008 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show will include educational sessions, an exhibit space including special pavilions, the Kitchen Innovations Awards, book signings, and the innagural International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event.

New Orleans Wine and Food Experience

A world-renowned event, the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience features vintner dinners, a Royal Street Stroll, grand tastings, Bubbles & Brunch, and more. New in 2008, Grand Tastings will be held at the Louisiana Superdome, where more than 3,500 corks will be popped on the "dome floor."

Sonoma in the City

Sonoma in the City is a full-day Sonoma County wine symposium for the media and trade. The event will feature the first-ever comprehensive 13-AVA panel discussion and more than 125 Sonoma County wineries offering attendees an in-depth exploration of the county’s wines and wineries. The afternoon will bring a Grand Tasting featuring more than 125 wineries pouring their latest releases for an invite-only trade audience. Short breakout sessions focused on the Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley, and Sonoma Valley will be held throughout the tasting. For a complete list of participating wineries and seminar descriptions, visit sonomawine.com.

Frutta Prima Dessert Composition Road Show

Discover how to create and rate successful desserts with a greater understanding of the human sensory perception system. This new Albert Uster Imports class is the next in the continuing education series, including such tutorials as the Des Alpes Methodology booklet and road show. Understand the intricacies of composition theory, profiling and threshold perception, all applied to proper dessert architecture from the inside out! Earn two continuing educational points from this ACF certified tutorial. For more information, visit auiswiss.com.

Third Annual Carneros Heritage Fest

The Carneros Wine Alliance will host this celebration of the wines, heritage, and distinctive qualities of the Carneros region’s products, culture, and character. The event will feature the Carneros Lamb BBQ, tastings of Carneros Wine Alliance Premium and Ultra Premium Wines, a young chef competition, musical entertainment, vineyard tours, environmental and sustainable agriculture exhibits, and more. For more information, visit carnerosheritagefest.com.

Third Annual Carneros Heritage Fest

The Third Annual Carneros Heritage Fest: Wines, Vines, Woolies & Wetlands partners the Carneros Wine Alliance with the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, the American Lamb Board, the Napa Farm Bureau, and the California Department of Fish and Game. Proceeds will benefit the Carneros Land Stewardship Foundation, dedicated to the conservation and preservation of habitat in the San Pablo Bay wetlands adjacent to the Carneros region.

2008 Santé Restaurant Symposium

The 2008 Santé Restaurant Symposium will feature: seminars covering vital food, wine, spirits, and management topics; an exhibition area presenting products and services in a milieu of educational and entertaining events and activities; full-service, guest-chef dinners with prominent keynote speakers; receptions and cocktail parties; hospitality suites; The Iron Bar Chef Competition; and more! Click here to find out more!

Vino in Villa 2008

The consortium of producers from Conegliano-Valdobbiadene near Venice, the main DOC production zone for Prosecco, is presenting this walk-around tasting of wines from 25 leading producers, which will be paired with traditional and eclectic fare. Vino in Villa is exclusive to the on- and off-premise wine trade and the food and wine media. To register for either event, vist prosecco.it; for additional information, contact Beth Snow, at 212-924-5555 (New York), or 707-545-3280 (San Francisco).

Summer Wine Fest

The Summer Wine Fest will include vintners dinners, nightly wine flights, Champagne brunches, a Riedel Glass Demonstration, and more.

Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

This popular event includes exhibits and seminars as well as the American Express Restaurant Trade Program, which will offer insights from some of the sharpest minds inside and outside of the business. For more information and to register, visit foodandwine.com.

FCSI Super Regional

The theme of the Fort Worth, Providence, and Toronto Super Regionals is Sustainability in Foodservice: Creating a Greener Feature; this interactive, education program will feature four industry experts sharing their knowledge about trends in food systems, trends in green building design, and trends in agriculture. Attendees will learn more about what it means to be LEED certified, establishing and maintaining relationships with local farm producers, recycling and sustainable waste handling, and managing energy consumption. The theme for the Seattle Super Regional is Waste Management: From Operations to Disposal; a panel of waste management experts, representing key areas of this multifaceted topic, will discuss the Three R’s and One C of waste management: reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost. For more information about each Super Regional, visit fcsi.org.

Tenth Annual Stowe Wine & Food Classic

The Stowe Wine & Food Classic will feature a Gala Dinner and Live Auction, a Grand Tasting and Silent Auction, various wine seminars, and more.

The Bar Show

The Bar Show features exhibits by vendors offering the latest products, services, ideas, and innovations available in the industry. Also included is the seminar series “For Professionals Only," with leaders in the industry sharing their expertise. The Big Apple Showdown, a flairtending competition, takes center stage at the event.

Twenty Sixth Annual RAMMY Restaurant Awards Gala

Presented by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), this event features the area’s finest restaurants and culinary stars, honoring the region’s top chefs and restaurateurs. Ticket and sponsorship information is available by contacting RAMW at 202-331-5990 or by visiting ramw.org.

WSET Spanish-Language Intermediate Certificate

This Wine & Spirit Education Trust course includes eight sessions (June 30, July 7, July 14, July 21, July 28, August 4, August 11, August 18) and a final exam (August 25). All sessions are conducted in Spanish and include a tasting. For more information, contact the International Wine Center at 212-239-3055.

Sixth Annual Tales of the Cocktail Festival

This annual culinary and cocktail festival celebrates the history and culture of cocktails and food in New Orleans. Tales of the Cocktail hosts mixologists, authors, chefs, bartenders, designers, and cocktail gurus from around the world to assist in presenting seminars, tastings, and professional series for amateurs and experts. In 2008, new events will include a cocktail market; cocktail cinema; and seminars on subjects including eggs in cocktails, absinthe in the modern era, beer cocktails, molecular mixology, and the first-ever International Symposium of Cocktail Shaker Collectors. For more information, visit talesofthecocktail.com.

Seventh Annual Killington Wine Festival

The Seventh Annual Killington Wine Festival will feature over 250 wines during the Grand Tasting event, and will also include amazing wine tasting dinners at area restaurants, an exclusive Estate Tasting, and a Bubble Brunch on Sunday morning.

Oregon Brewers Festival

Seventy-two craft breweries from 18 different states will each send one product to serve at this event, which will also feature industry exhibits by hop growers, homebrewers, breweriana collectors, and national beer writers. For more information about the Oregon Brewers Festival, visit oregonbrewfest.com or call 503-778-5917.

Twenty-Fifth Annual Conference and Cheese Competition

Cheese aficionados will have an opportunity to savor, sample, and purchase some of the best cheeses in the world when the American Cheese Society (ACS) hosts its Twenty-Fifth Annual Conference and Cheese Competition, with approximately 1,200 cheeses available for judging during a national competition. While much of the conference is designed for members only, the public can participate in two stellar cheese events: the Festival of Cheese (July 26) and a Cheese Sale (July 27). To purchase tickets call the ACS headquarters at 502-583-3783 or visit cheesesociety.org.

Sixteenth Annual Winemakers' Celebration

Celebrate Monterey’s Wine Country; taste world-class wines from over 45 Monterey County wineries and enjoy music of a local band as well as educational wine seminars, an extraordinary wine auction, and local restaurant delicacies. To request a brochure call 831-375-9400 or e-mail events@montereywines.org. For more information visit the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association’s Web site.

CHART - Hospitality Training Conference

The Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers' (CHART) Seventy-Sixth Semi Annual Hospitality Training conference will feature the latest training practices, innovations, and solutions through a mix of general and keynote speaker sessions, interactive educational breakouts, and member-sharing workshops. Further information, including a full agenda, is available online at http://chart.org.

IFE Americas – Eleventh Americas Food & Beverage Show

This event will feature chef competitions, key note speakers, an exhibit hall, educational seminars, and more. Learn more and register online at americasfoodandbeverage.com.