SANTA ROSA
Artisan food, wine tasting at Artisano
Artisano, a grand tasting of local artisan food and wine, will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Vintners' Inn in Santa Rosa.
Participating in the tasting will be limited-production wineries such as Garden Creek and Prevail, craft brewers such as Bear Republic and Russian River Brewing Co., and seasonal restaurants such as Peter Lowell's in Sebastopol, Diavola in Geyserville and the Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg.
Specialty food purveyors will serve cheese, bread and preserves alongside art displays and live music. Hands-on workshops on butchering, fermenting and cheese-making will be presented by participating chefs.
Tickets are $75 in advance, or $90 at the door.
The event culminates in a family-style harvest dinner at 5 p.m. Nov. 17 at John Ash & Co. Tickets are $75, but you can purchase a package to both events for $140. Proceeds benefit the Ceres Community Project of Sebastopol.
The Vintners Inn is at 4350 Barnes Road. To reserve, go to www.artisano.org.
SANTA ROSA
Food and farming forum at SRJC
Are you interested in the future of food and farming?
Leaders in the field will hold a Late Harvest Farm Forum at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Santa Rosa Junior Culinary Center.
The forum is hosted by Marcy Smothers and Clark Wolf and includes a panel of local cheesemakers, gardeners, cooking instructors, poultry entrepreneurs, beekeepers, tourism professionals and money advisors.
There is a suggested donation of $15. The forum is part of the Food & Farming Project, a project of the Ag Innovations Network.
The SRJC Culinary Center is at 1670 Mendocinio Ave., Santa Rosa. To RSVP, send an e-mail to assistant@ clarkwolfcompany.com.
GUERNEVILLE
West county wine expert series
Big Bottom Market has teamed up with VingDirect to present a new series of events showcasing female wine industry experts from western Sonoma County.
"Women on Wine -- Unfiltered," a new discussion, networking and food and wine pairing event, will kick off at 6 p.m. Thursday with an event featuring Marimar Torres, owner and winegrower of Marimar Estate Vineyards and Winery.
Torres will discuss her journey in the winemaking industry, from her native Barcelona, Spain, and the University of Barcelona to UC Davis and the Stanford Executive Program.
Moderated by Tammy Boatright of VingDirect, the event will feature two of Marimar Estate's wines paired with small bites created by Crista Luedtke, co-founder of Big Bottom Market. Cost is $50.
The Women on Wine series will take place every other month at Big Bottom Market, 16228 Main St., Guernville. For tickets, e-mail info@bigbottommarket.com.
SONOMA
Portuguese sopas served on Sundays
LaSalette in Sonoma, a contemporary Portuguese restaurant just off the Sonoma Square, has launched its Sopas Sundays menu for the winter months.
Sopas is a classic Portuguese dish of braised beef and cabbage accompanied by crusty bread moistened with a beef-mint broth.
The family-style meal is served on Sundays only and costs $17.95. Reservations are recommended: 938-1927. 452 First St. E.
SONOMA VALLEY
Holiday open house at 26 valley wineries
The Heart of Sonoma Valley Association will hold its 29th annual Holiday Open House from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 23 and 24 at 26 wineries throughout the valley, from Sonoma to Santa Rosa.