I’m constantly on the on the lookout for wine events happening in San Diego, the home of Vintage Cellars.  But it’s not always easy to find out everything that’s going on, and I’m always disappointed when I find out I missed out on a great event.  So I was very happy when I recently ran across localwineevents.com, a website that does just what its name promises–provides an extensive list of wine events going on all over the country, with handy links to more information.  They include everything from wine tastings to classes, and from wine dinners to special events.

If you’re in San Diego,  click here to see a list of wine events going on right now.  If you’re anywhere else, click the website link above and stop missing out!

We at the Vintage Cellars blog have been bringing you lots of holiday party ideas lately.  If you missed them, make sure you scroll down to see our guide to hosting a wine and cheese party and a blind wine tasting party.  But what if the last thing you want is your house full of mess-making guests?  Especially if you have family staying with you this season, it might be time to take the party outside–out of the house, that is.

A wine bar is a great place for a casual get-together.  At a wine bar, you don’t have to worry about catering to the taste of each guest–let everyone chose their own wines.  A wine bar also takes care of snacks (some ever offer dinner) and of course, it will do the dishes for you.  A wine bar is a great place to learn about wine and enjoy some quality time with the ones you love…all while keeping your house guest- and stress-free.

If you’re a local San Diegan, you might want to check out signonsandiego’s list of choice San Diego wine bars, located here.

Have you just moved to a new city?  Have you just started to cut your palate on some good wine?  Did you just purchase a 110 bottle wine cabinet and you want to experiment on some new wines?  Get on the internet and start searching for local or regional wine events.  Here in San Diego, there is an incredible event, the San Diego Bay Wine and Food Festival.  Each November this wonderful wine event is held on the San Diego Bay and 2008 was my first year in attendance.  Let me sum this up: I already have my tickets for 2009.  The atmosphere was amazing, the food incredible and the wine poured faster then you can taste.  Hundreds of wineries and restaurants lined the park just begging for you to enjoy. 

 During my time around the wine business, I’ve also spent my fair time at local wine stores.  Many middle to high end wine shops will have weekly tasting for customers or club members.  These tasting are generally less then $20 and give you a chance to taste different blends, wine regions or varietals.  This is a great opportunity to create a relationship with a wine merchant and increase your wine tasting range. 

 Don’t miss out on local wine events in your area. Google words like wine festival (city name), local wine events (city name) or wine tasting (city name).  Enjoy the events and the entertainment to follow…