Food Notes

Ash Lawn prepares for 14th annual WineFest

Ash Lawn-Highland’s 14th annual WineFest will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

White Fences Winery will join the lineup of vintners this year, offering complimentary samples and selling wines by the bottle.

Spry’s will offer hearty fried fish and Carolina barbecue.

New in the WineFest market area this year will be the Farm at Red Hill, which will have fresh, homemade salsa, pesto, hummus, dips and jams; and Gunther’s Gourmet Groceries, which specializes in uniquely flavored marinades and vinaigrette.

There will be music by Beleza Brasil. There will be artisans and food crafters, a house tour and other activities.

Admission is $17, $15 in advance through Friday and $7 for children younger than 12. For reservations, call 293-9539 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Richmond expo shows off the best of the state

Great Taste 2008, the Virginia Food and Beverage Expo, will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today in Exhibit Hall C at the Greater Richmond Convention Center at 300 N. Fifth St. in Richmond.

More than 100 exhibiting companies will participate in the event, which takes place every other year. It’s an opportunity to see available Virginia products, including meats, candy, desserts, drinks, snacks, baking mixes, cheeses, soups, sauces, seafood, jams, jellies, wine, nuts, dips and condiments.

It is open to specialty food and beverage retailers, gourmet retailers, supermarkets, gift and museum shops, gift-basket and mail-order companies, bed-and-breakfast inns, resorts, corporate and institutional food service, food and beverage brokers, distributors, wholesalers to retailers, chefs and caterers. The free event is open to trade buyers only — no consumers. For information, visit http://www.vaexpo.com or call (804) 786-4278.

It’s a high time for derby tea at South River

South River Restaurant and Wine Shop will have its Kentucky Derby high tea at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

The restaurant also plans an Italian wine dinner at 7 p.m. May 22 featuring Giuseppe from Bravo Wines in Italy.

A new event, Monday Blues, will kick off from 6 to 9 p.m. May 26 on the patio. There will be live entertainment, a menu of Cajun specials cooked outdoors on the grill and homemade ice cream. South River is at 23 Windgrove Road in Waynesboro. For details, call (540) 942-5567.

Orzo donates proceeds to Second Street

This month, Orzo Kitchen and Wine Bar will donate 10 percent of its Tuesday profits to Second Street Gallery.

Proceeds will help the nonprofit organization’s mission to promote contemporary art in the community through exhibition and numerous outreach programs.

Orzo is at 416 W. Main St. in the Main Street Market. For details, visit http://www.secondstreetgallery.org or call 977-7284.

New local winery is open for Sunday tastings

Mountfair Vineyards is opening its doors to the public, offering tasting hours from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Mountfair crafts small-batch, blended red wines using classic grapes of Bordeaux — merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot and malbec — and focusing on sustainable business practices.

Complimentary tastings are available on Sundays or by appointment. To schedule a visit, call 823-7605.

The tasting room is on Fox Mountain Road, just off Brown’s Gap Turnpike and four miles north of White Hall. Learn more at http://www.mountfair.com.

Harvest Festival benefits from Whole Foods

Whole Foods Market will donate 5 percent of its sales today to support fundraising efforts for the 2008 Heritage Harvest Festival, which will take place Sept. 6 at the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants at Tufton Farm at Monticello.

There will be a Master Gardener Help Desk in the store all day, staffed by volunteers from the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants and other festival supporters. They will offer presentations on heirloom vegetables, organic gardening, cooking with the seasons, fermented foods, saving seeds and preserving harvests.

Presenters will include Peggy Cornett from the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, Ira Wallace from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and Marty Neff-Smith from VCE Master Gardeners, among other guests.

Whole Foods also will have samplings of local Virginia products available in the store. For information, call 872-4580.

Cardinal Point strikes up the band for school

North Branch School will present BandFair from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Cardinal Point Vineyard and Winery in Afton.

Andy Waldeck is headlining the event, and Pinching Cindys and other bands will perform.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children and $30 for a family of four or more, and they’re available at the door, as well as in advance at the winery, the school and Wintergreen Hardware. For information, call (540) 456-8450.

Wine tasting on tap at Carafe shop this evening

Carafe Wine Makers will have a wine tasting with appetizers tonight from 5:30 to 7:30.

Carafe is a microwinery that helps customers bottle and label their own custom wines. It is in the Forest Lakes Shops at 1770 Timberwood Blvd, No. 104, near Riverside North. For information, call 245-9463.

From staff reports