A la carte: New Mexican cocktail lounge in Guerneville

GUERNEVILLE: New Mexican cocktail lounge El Barrio

A hot new place to check out for its drinks and decor is El Barrio, the Mexican cocktail lounge in Guerneville.

El Barrio, the brainchild of Guerneville entrepreneur Crista Luedtke, highlights the agave spirits (tequila and mescal) and bourbon, as well as intriguing items imported from Mexico.

Meaning “the neighborhood” in Spanish, El Barrio is also a play on the words “bar” and “rio” (Spanish for “river”) or “river bar.”

Luedtke imported several items from Mexico, like the Talavera tile for the bar. She also integrated a unique graffiti wall installation by Ricardo Richey, a San Francisco-based artist who has done work for the designer Louis Vuitton, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Fortune magazine. For more information about the cocktail lounge, call 604-7601. El Barrio is located at 16230 Main St.

SONOMA COUNTY: Breast cancer benefit at Evolve Winery

Sonoma County is celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness and funds for research. Here’s just one of the many events happening: The Sonoma Valley Women’s Club (574 First St. E., Sonoma) is hosting an event Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. Envolve Winery is giving 50 percent of the money generated from ticket sales to help raise money for uninsured women to get mammograms through the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation. The event will feature guests wearing pink, a live deejay, small bites, desserts and Envolve’s 2012 rosé and N.V. brut rosé. For more information, visit www.envolvewinery.com or call 939-5385.

FORESTVILLE: Shone Farm Fall Festival

Shone Farm’s Fall Festival is Saturday, offering people a glimpse of farm life.

The event, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. is a free, family-friendly affair to celebrate the farm’s 42 years of history, with activities that range from milling demonstrations to apple pressing, hayrides and tours of the Santa Rosa Junior College’s 365-acre farm.

The Russian River Valley farm has been used as a field laboratory and teaching resource for SRJC’s agriculture and natural resources students for more than four decades. It’s located at 7450 Steve Olson Lane, in Forestville, approximately 12 miles from the Santa Rosa Campus. For more information, visit www.shonefarm.com.

HEALDSBURG: Pinot on the River

If you’re a pinot noir fanatic, pen this in your calendar: Pinot on the River is Oct. 26 on the Healdsburg Plaza. The 11th annual Grand Tasting event will have 100 wineries pouring from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it will benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma County. The fee is $75 in advance and $100 at the door. For more information, visit www.pinotfestival.com or call 433-0433.

SEBASTOPOL: Dutton-Goldfield Winery anniversary party

Dutton-Goldfield Winery is celebrating 16 years of harvests with a party in its tasting room Oct. 18. The winery will feature a special flight of wines for the day, paired with treats prepared by Petaluma’s Bay Laurel Culinary. The festivities will be from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the price is $25. For more information, visit www.duttongoldfield.com or call 823-3887. The tasting room is at 3100 Gravenstein Highway N. in Sebastopol.

SONOMA: Harvest Festival at Robledo Winery

The Robledo Winery will host its yearly Harvest Festival on Oct. 25, replete with fall rituals. There will be the blessing of the grapes and olives, mariachi music, an Aztec dance performance and grape stomp competition. The event will be noon to 4 p.m., and tickets are $65. For more information, visit www.robledofamilywinery.com or call 939-6903. The winery is at 21901 Bonness Road in Sonoma.

JENNER: Get your tickets for Fort Ross-Seaview Wine Festival

Tickets are available for the Fort Ross-Seaview Wine Festival on Oct. 18 in Jenner. The tasting features some top producers including Flowers, Siduri and Williams Selyem. You’ll also enjoy the view; the festival takes place on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Festivities include a Grand Tasting ($35) and a Grand Luncheon ($125). The second annual event is at the Fort Ross State Historic Park, 19005 Coast Highway. For more information, visit www.fortross-seaview.org.