A la carte: Holiday fun ranges from olive oil tours and tasting events to DIY gift classes

North County

Taste Destination 128 ?for a fire benefit

Celebrate the holidays while raising money in support of Kincade fire survivors from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday during a Taste Destination 128 tasting event at eight Alexander Valley wineries.

Each winery will offer a holiday wine special and some holiday food bites. Participating wineries include Alexander Valley Vineyards, deLorimier, Hanna, Hawkes, Simi, Soda Rock, Trentadue and Zialena.

Tickets are $50, with 50% of sales donated to United Way of the Wine Country. To reserve: tastedestination128.com.

healdsburg

West Wines celebrates ?a Scandinavian Christmas

West Wines will throw a Scandinavian Christmas party - complete with glögg, cookies and Swedish Christmas decorations - from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the tasting room.

Glögg is a hot mulled wine made with cinnamon, cloves, ginger and raisins and served in Sweden during the four weeks leading up to Christmas.

There will also be gifts for the holidays, including an array of Swedish Christmas “tomte” (gnomes), wine and wine accessories.

Entry is included with the $15 tasting fee. 1000 Dry Creek Road. westwines.com.

PETALUMA

Olio Nuovo experience ?with McEvoy Ranch

Pull on your boots and get ready to experience the olive oil harvest at McEvoy Ranch from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Petaluma olive orchard.

Olive tree expert Samantha Dorsey will lead the harvest tour with baskets and harvesting combs. After collecting the fresh olives, the tour group will proceed to the frantoio to watch the milling of the olives.

The event concludes with a guided olive oil tasting flight, followed by a three-course lunch featuring freshly pressed Olio Nuovo paired with McEvoy wines.

Tickets are $125. To reserve: mcevoyranch.com. 5935 Red Hill Road.

NORTH BAY

Finalists for Good Food Awards named

The Good Food Awards announced its 2020 finalists, with 403 products representing 42 states selected among a total of 1,835 entries.

Here are some of the North Bay producers recognized as finalists in the 16 categories:

Cheese: Bellwether Farms of Petaluma for San Andreas; Cowgirl Creamery of Petaluma for Hop Along; Laura Chenel of Sonoma for Crottin and Ash Rind Bucherette; Pennyroyal Farm of Boonville for Reserve Boont Corners and Laychee; Point Reyes Farmstead for Toma.

Cider: Goat Rock Cider Co. of Healdsburg for Rosé Cider; Gowan’s Heirloom Ciders of Philo for Macintosh Applewine Cider and Gravenstein Cider.

Coffee: Equator Coffees of San Rafael for Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Gesha.

Confections: FARM Chocolate of Petaluma for Orange Walnut Toffee.

Elixirs: Little Apple Treats of Sebastopol for Strawberry and Pink Peppercorn Shrub; Preserve Farm Kitchens of Petaluma for Gravenstein Apple Syrup.

Fish: Patagonia Provisions of Sausalito for Wild Sockeye Salmon - Lemon Pepper, Wild Sockeye Salmon, and Wild Pink Salmon - Black Pepper.

Grains: Wine Forest of Napa for Forest Farro.

Pickles: Wild West Ferments of Point Reyes Station for El Curtido.

Snacks: Rustic Bakery of Larkspur for Everything Spice Flatbread Bites; La Saison of Napa for Olive Oil Roasted Almonds.

Spirits: Spirit Works Distillery of Sebastopol for Sloe Gin.

The 2020 winners will be announced Jan. 17 in San Francisco. For more information, visit goodfoodfdn.org.

HEALDSBURG

Engage your creativity with some DIY edible gifts at Relish

Relish owner Donna del Rey will lead a DIY class on Edible Gifts from the Kitchen at 1 p.m. Dec. 8 at Relish Culinary Center.

Guests will not only make each item but also learn how to get creative with all kinds of packaging. Gifts include Porcini Salt, Earl Grey Tea Quick Bread, Pistachio & Tart Cherry Chocolate Bark, a Ginger-Rosemary Shrub and Orange-Thyme Olives.

Cost is $110 and includes one glass of wine. To reserve: relishculinary.com. 14 Matheson St.

SONOMA COUNTY

Dining Out for Life ?benefits Food for Thought

Food for Thought will host the 18th annual Dining Out for Life on Dec. 5 at 75 restaurants and cafes in Sonoma County.

Diners can enjoy everything from fast-casual lunches to farm-to-table dinners at eateries from Bodega Bay and Forestville to Healdsburg and Petaluma.

To participate, make a reservation at one of the restaurants. Restaurants will donate from 25% to 100% of the day’s sales to the nonprofit Food for Thought, which provides healing food and nutrition to more than 850 people living with HIV and other serious illnesses.

For a complete list of participating restaurants: FFTfoodbank.org/dofl-restaurants.

PENNGROVE

Sharing secrets for healthy holiday with herbal potions

Colleen Bingham Solis of Poppy Botanicals will lead an Herbal Holiday Gift Making class at 6 p.m. Dec. 10 at Wind & Rye Kitchen.

Solis will share the secrets of handmade skin and body care, and students will create a handcrafted sugar scrub, herbal mist, bath salt and lip balm to take home in eco-friendly, reusable containers.

Cost is $150, including a meal with beverages at the end of the class. To reserve: windandrye.com.

HEALDSBURG

Healdsburg Shed studio?holds Holiday Open House

Healdsburg Shed will hold a Holiday Open House from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at its studio at 105A West North St.

The retail store carries all kinds of high-end kitchen tools and is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can also shop online at healdsburgshed.com.

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