Food Notes

Bring on the French wines for Bastille Day
DelFosse Vineyards and Winery in Faber will present its three-day Bastille Day Extravaganza from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and then until 9 p.m. Monday with Wintergreen Performing Arts.
On Saturday and Sunday, the wine festival will include French wines from four major regions paired with DelFosse wines to compare the styles of French and Virginia wines.
The menu for the French Gourmet Wine Dinner on Saturday will be by Eric Stamer of Eric Stamer Catering.
DelFosse wines will be served, as well as wines from the Loire region, Provence, Bordeaux and Burgundy. There will be a 10 percent discount on wines purchased at the events, plus a complimentary wine glass.
Reservations are required. For details, call 263-6100.

Get schooled in the basics of cooking Thai food
Charlottesville Cooking School will present “Basics of Thai Cooking I’’ with Ashley Clarke from 7 to 10 tonight.
Students will learn to make Thai curry paste, hot and sour prawn soup, green mango salad, green curry with chicken, tropical fruit skewers and chili sugar.
The class is $65 per person.
Another class is on tap 5 p.m. Tuesday. The “Parent-Child Pizza Class’’ will teach children ages 9 and older and their parents how to make pizza dough and tomato sauce and then use various toppings to create pizzas.
The class is $90 per parent-child team.
To sign up, call 963-COOK.

Learn a new trade and help bottle some wine
Jefferson Vineyards needs people to help bottle its wines starting 9 a.m. today and Thursday.
Helpers will be paid in wine.
For directions, visit http://www.jeffersonvineyards.com. If you’re interested in helping, send e-mail to Andy Reagan at wine
or call 977-3042 or (800) 272-3042.

Don’t forget to stick around for a little Fete
Jefferson Vineyards will offer Fete de la Bastille on Saturday.
Guests will dine on five courses and enjoy seven wines.
The event is $100 per person, all inclusive. Space is limited and the evening always sells out, so make reservations soon. For times and reservations, call (800) 272-3042.

Get ready to sing the blues at the Chateau
Chateau Morrisette will feature Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin and Scott Perry in its Outdoor Blues Festival, which will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Gates will open at 10 a.m.
Restaurant and festival foods will be available for purchase. The event continues rain or shine.
Tickets for Saturday’s blues fest are $20, $15 in advance. Admission prices include a complimentary winery tour, wine tasting, souvenir wine glass and a chance to win prizes. Order tickets ahead of time by visiting http://www.thedogs.com or calling (540) 593-2865.

Abbey Road helps out Veritas with Beatles tunes
Abbey Road will perform Beatles music during Starry Nights from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Veritas Vineyard and Winery.
There will be wine and food under the stars.
Tables already are sold out, so bring a blanket, lawn chairs or folding tables to get comfortable.
Admission is $10 and includes a Veritas glass. Bring a picnic, or purchase dinner for an additional $15. Dinner must be reserved ahead of time.
Making reservations online saves time waiting in the general-admission line. For reservations, directions and details, visit http://www.veritaswines.com/events.htm or call (540) 456-8000, Ext. 108.

Check out what’s in with the exports from Spain
Jim Winecoff, owner and chef of Mona Lisa Pasta, and Terre Sisson of Charlottesville Wine and Culinary will continue their Summer Cooking Classes series with “Paella Espanole’’ at 7 tonight.
The participation-style class will use some of Spain’s best exports — paella, almonds and oranges — to create “home-smoked fish’’ salad, Spanish-style paella and almond flan with orange supremes.
The class is $55. A light meal and complimentary beverage are included. To reserve your space, call 295-2494.

Music Festival will serve up classic wine and food
This year, the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival is offering a variety of activities for food and wine enthusiasts.
Cooking classes are scheduled to tie in with the festival’s theme, “Old World, New World: Spain, France, Italy and the Americas.’’
Coming up will be French cooking classes with Mark Gresge, owner and chef of L’etoile Restaurant, at 2 p.m. Tuesday and July 17, at the home of Pat and Stu Harvey on Wintergreen Mountain.
An American cooking classes with Ian Boden, owner ands chef of Staunton Grocery, will meet at 2 p.m. July 31 at the home of Angela and Bob Lindquist in Stoney Creek.
Each cooking class is $25, and the courses are filling quickly. The festival’s Spanish and Italian cooking classes and another American cooking class already have sold out. Call soon for reservations. Themed wine tastings have been scheduled for the Festival Performance Center, featuring Spanish wines from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Saturday, French wines from 3:30 to 5 p.m. July 19, Italian wines from 3:30 to 5 p.m. July 26 and wines from the Americas from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Aug. 2.
Each wine tasting is $10 and includes five tastes, plus cheese and crackers. Guests must be 21 or older.
Families and children can take part in “Making Musical Ice Cream’’ at 3 p.m. Saturday and July 19 and 26 and Aug. 2. A staff member will provide ice cream toppings.
Learn more, make reservations and buy tickets by visiting http://www.wintergreenperformingarts.org or calling 325-8292.

Gray Ghost will toast its 14th anniversary
Gray Ghost’s 14th Anniversary Celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
There will be tastings of award-winning wines, winery and vineyard tours and a Civil War campsite display. The Seth Kibel Jazz Trio will provide the live music.
The event is $10 and includes a Gray Ghost logo glass and all festivities.
A barbecue lunch will be available for $10, with all lunch proceeds benefiting the Culpeper Food Closet. Call for lunch reservations, or feel free to bring a picnic.
Gray Ghost Winery is at 14706 Lee Highway in Amissville. The tasting room is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. For information, call (540) 937-4869.

From staff reports