A la carte: October brings lots of harvest fun, food and refreshment

SANTA ROSA

Pinot on the Square

The 16th annual Pinot on the River will be held from 11 a.m. to ?3 p.m. Saturday at Old Courthouse Square.

The event features limited production West Coast pinot noirs from more than 40 wineries and is produced and founded by Roadhouse Winery & Co.

Tickets are $50-$65, to benefit Sonoma County Pride. To reserve: pinotfestival.com

SEBASTOPOL

Grapes you need to know

Catherine Fallis, author of “Ten Grapes to Know,” will talk about her book and conduct a wine tasting at 5 p.m. Oct. 10 at Dutton Goldfield Winery.

Tickets are $28, including a copy of her book and a flight of wine. To reserve: duttongoldfield.com. ?3100 Gravenstein Highway North.

HEALDSBURG

Farm-to-table luncheon

Alexander Valley Vineyards will hold its annual Fall Estate Garden Luncheon at noon Oct. 12 at the winery located in the heart of the Alexander Valley.

Family member Katie Wetzel Murphy will give a tour of the winery, followed by a family-style luncheon with wine overlooking the garden where much of the produce was grown.

The menu includes starters such as Estate Corn Chowder with wine barrel bacon and Late Harvest Heirloom Tomato Salad, entrees like Cavatappi Garden Pasta with cremini mushrooms and Wild Rock Cod with arugula pesto and for dessert, Volo Chocolate Bread Pudding with creme anglaise.

Tickets are $40 to $55. To reserve: avvwine.com. 8644 Highway 128.

HEALDSBURG

Dinner at Preston

Fern Bar of Sebastopol will serve a special Farm Dinner at 5 p.m. Oct. 26 at Preston Farm and Winery’s rustic estate.

The meal paired with wine will include various small plates from Fern Bar Chef Joe Zobel, who cooks with local ingredients and flavors inspired by his global tastes and upbringing in the Southwest.

Tickets are $125. To reserve: prestonfarmandwinery.com. 9282 W. Dry Creek Road.

sANTA ROSA

Big sale at BevMo

BevMo has begun its semi-annual “Five-Cent Event,” now in its 12th year, allowing shoppers to purchase select bottles of wines and spirits at full price and receive a second bottle of the same or lesser value for just a nickel when using their ClubBev card.

This year, customers can now select either a spirit or a wine as their second bottle. There are a number of top brands that have been added, including Woodbridge, Santa Margherita, Absolut Vodka and Malibu Rum.

The popular sale will run through Oct. 21 for a total of 35 days. For more information: bevmo.com

SONOMA COUNTY

Farm Trails weekend

The Sonoma County Farm Trails will holds its annual harvest event, Weekend Along the ?Farm Trails, on Oct. 12 and 13 at various member farms.

Shone Farm will offer U-pick pumpkins, compost lessons and kids’ activities; Icssoma Farm (Well Trained Horses) will give demonstrations on horse handling and riding; and Muelrath Pumpkin Patch will offer a Saturday night Campfire in the Corral with a late-night hayride and roasted hot dogs, marshmallows and hot cider. ($12 with RSVP required.)

Guests must register for free to receive the list of participating destinations. Most of the stops are free. Bring a cooler to keep purchases fresh. For details, go to farmtrails.org.

SEBASTOPOL

Nancy Drew tea

Muir’s Tea Room and Cave will offer a special Nancy Drew Spooky ?Mystery Tea Party at ?1 p.m. on Oct. 12 and 13 at the downtown Sebastopol tearoom.

The tea service features a culinary tour through some of the most beloved Nancy Drew mysteries, special guests and games.

To reserve a seat: muirstearoomandcafe.com/reservations. ?330 South Main St.

ROHNERT PARK

Freshtival beer fest

More than 50 breweries will be pouring from ?1:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 12 during The Freshtival, a celebration of freshly brewed beer at SOMO Village.

The festival put on by HenHouse Brewing Co. in collaboration with the Bay Area Brewers Guild will serve 100 different beers, all less than seven days old.

There will also be live music, food and a gallery of beer industry art. Tickets are $55, $20 for nondrinkers.

To reserve: somoconcerts.com. 1100 Valley House Dr.

SANTA ROSA

Norwegian fest

Freya Lodge, Sons of Norway will present the 32nd annual Vikingfest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Norway Hall.

Festivities include a delicious smørbrød of open-faced sandwiches, homemade Norwegian meatball and gravy on a bun and Norwegian waffles with sour cream and strawberry jam.

Homemade cookies and other baked goods will be for sale. Live music, Scandinavian vendors, a Viking photo booth and live Viking reenactments round out the festival.

Admission is free. ?617 West 9th St.

penngrove

Danish breakfast

A breakfast of Danish aebleskivers - round, browned pancake balls topped with jam and powdered sugar - plus sausage, orange juice and coffee will be served from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Penngrove Community Church.

The event harkens back to the origins of the church in 1897, when revival meetings were first held in a tent. The breakfast is a benefit for the restoration of Fellowship Hall. Admission is by donation. 9970 Oak St.

Staff Writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 707-521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@dianepete56.