March 4-7
Charleston, SC—BB&T Charleston Wine and Food Festival

Now in its fifth year, this well-received epicurean festival provides the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the country's best chefs, authors and wine professionals. Get a taste of Southern cuisine and the "Lowcountry's" unique food styles, heritage and recipes at various e vents and venues. One of the most popular and not-to-be-missed event is the Friday Culinary Village + FedEx Grand Tasting Tents, with multiple tents highlighting delectable cuisine, wine and spirits from across the country; among the tents will be the SCE&G Celebrity Kitchen Tent and a Certified Angus Beef & Piggly Wiggly Outdoor Living + Grilling area. The granddaddy of the festival's events is Food + Wine with a View: A Night with Daniel Boulud—an exclusive formal, five-course dinner prepared by the famed chef in a private penthouse—at $750 per person. The festival features a cornucopia of individually-priced events, and tickets sell out quickly. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.charlestonwineandfood.com.

March 6
Portland, OR—Classic Wines Auction

The Classic Wines Auction at the Oregon Convention Center is the largest charity auction in Oregon and features a stellar line up of guest chefs and winemakers. Each year the auction selects four honorary wine ambassadors to represent Oregon, Washington, California and an International region. This year's ambassadors are Stoller Vineyards (Oregon), Owen Roe (Washington), Pahlmeyer (Napa, CA) and, representing Germany, Dr. Loosen. The week prior to the auction features expanded winemaker dinners from March 2-4, followed by the Ambassador Dinner on March 5 at the Portland Art Museum. For more information, call 503-972-0194 or visit www.classicwinesauction.com.

March 6-7
Shell Beach, CA—Tenth Annual World of Pinot Noir

Over 100 Pinot Noir producers from around the globe will gather at The Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach for two days of education, tastings, camaraderie and even kayaking. Some of this year's participants will include Acacia Vineyard, Boedecker Cellars, Fiddlehead Cellars, ROAR Wines and Talley Vineyards. The schedule includes in-depth seminars, two grand tastings (Friday and Saturday) featuring entirely different groups of Pinot Noir producers and two Gala Pinot Noir Dinners featuring local and guest chefs. There will also be a featured tasting with a guest Burgundian producer and a Santa Barbara-style Paulée dinner. This food and wine extravaganza will be hosted by participating wineries and sommeliers from across the U.S.  For more information, visit www.worldofpinotnoir.com.

March 6-7, 13-14
Healdsburg, CA—Russian River Wine Road 32nd Annual Barrel Tasting Weekend

Sample wines right out of the barrel, visit with winemakers and peruse the cellars of your favorite wineries along the Russian River Wine Road. Purchase a tasting glass and event wristband, and let the adventure begin. Go directly into the cellars at more than 100 wineries and sample wines straight from the barrel. Many of the wineries offer "futures" to purchase, which will be ready to be picked up after the wine is bottled, about 12-18 months later. Tickets costs $20 per person if purchased by March 1 or $30 at the door. For more information, call 800-723-6336 or visit www.wineroad.com.

March 10-13
Cincinnati, OH—The 20th Annual Cincinnati International Wine Festival

The Cincinnati International Wine Festival, founded in 1991, is one of the Midwest's largest annual wine and food events. Each March in the Cincinnati Convention Center, more than 600 wines from 130 wineries are poured, accompanied by food, live music, auctions and other special events. The festival has raised millions of dollars since its beginning for charities including Cancer Family Care and the Ronald McDonald House. For more information and tickets, call 513-723-9463 or visit www.winefestival.com.

March 12-14
McMinnville, OR—17th Annual McMinnville Wine & Food Classic

This three-day event held in the heart of Oregon's wine country features over 140 booths of Oregon's best wineries, foods and arts & crafts. This year’s event will be held at the Evergreen Aviation Museum where the famous “Spruce Goose” is located. Enjoy by the taste, glass, bottle or case wines from August Cellars, Emerson Vineyards, Oak Knoll Winery and more. A variety of live music will also be featured, along with chef demonstrations. Shuttle service will be provided from participating hotels including the McMenamins Hotel Oregon. For more information, call the Wine Line at 503-472-4033 or visit www.macwfc.org.

March 19-21
Paso Robles, CA—Zinfandel Festival Paso Robles

Get acquainted with the Paso Robles wine country at the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival where over 145 area wineries will host an array of events. The event will feature a Grand Tasting of Paso Robles wine country Zinfandels. There will be a live auction followed by a silent auction and the Grand Tasting. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to causes benefiting health and education for the vineyard worker population in the local community. Special winery events will be offered throughout the weekend at Paso Robles wineries. For more information and tickets call 800-549-WINE or visit www.pasowine.com.

It's a chocolate-lover's dream come true. Experience the finest in artisan, gourmet and premium chocolate at this day-long event. The Salon will feature chocolate tastings, demonstrations, chef and author talks, wine pairings and a live chocolate body frosting demonstration. New this year will be a chocolate wedding and a chocolate art gallery. There will also be a fund-raising charity silent auction. The long list of participants includes Amano Artisan Chocolate, Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolate, Patchi Le Chocolat and Ghirardelli Chocolate. During the week leading up to this event, Bloomingdale's San Francisco will present daily chocolate recipe demonstrations in its kitchen by chocolatiers as well as by well-known chefs and cookbook authors. In addition, there will be “Chocolate Specials" on dishes, drinks, and desserts at local restaurants, bars and clubs such as Shanghai 1930. The Salon will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Fort Mason Conference Center. Adult admission is $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Catch the Early-Bird bargain until January 31 and pay only $17.95.  For more information, visit www.SFChocolateSalon.com.

March 20 & 21
Sonoma County, CA —20th Annual Savor Sonoma Valley

Enjoy the best that Sonoma Valley has to offer From 11 a.m.-4 p.m. taste fine wines from wineries throughout the valley, nibble on scrumptious food pairings prepared by local chefs and restaurants, listen to local musicians and peruse art from local artists. Over 20 area wineries are scheduled to participate, including Benziger Family Winery, Chateau St. Jean, and Kenwood Vineyards. A Weekend Pass costs $55 per person and $20 for designated drivers. For more information call 866-794-WINE, or visit www.heartofthevalley.com.

March 27-28
Hermann, MO—31st Annual Wurstfest
The "best of the wurst" is celebrated at the annual Wurstfest. Sample and purchase Old-World delights like bratwurst, leberwurst, schwartenmagen and sommer sausage. All events will be held in the Pavilion at Stone Hill Winery and at the Hermannhof Festhalle. Live German music, sausage-making contests, a brat knot-tying contest, a "whole hog sausage breakfast," crafts, wine tastings and more. For more information, call 800-932-8687 or visit www.hermannmo.info.