Here are some activities that we recommend for this weekend and beyond:

• California (Calistoga)
  • Vincent Arroyo Barrel Tasting Event: February 23, 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at Vincent Arroyo Winery; no tasting fee.  This is the annual barrel tasting event at Vincent Arroyo Winery, which we reviewed in our February 4th posting, and it occurs on the last Saturday of each February.  Aside from the fact that it’s free and that snacks are being provided, this event is unique because it’s a golden opportunity to sample Vincent Arroyo’s 2006 wines straight from the barrel.  As we’ve mentioned before, this winery’s Cabernet Sauvignons and Petite Syrahs are sold as futures and have a cult following, so you’ll probably have a hard time getting your hands on a bottle of either by the time they’re released in the summer.  This is truly an event not to miss if there ever were one.
• Washington, D.C.
  • Wines of Argentina at the Argentine Embassy: (Thursday) February 28, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. at the Argentine Embassy; entry fee is $59 for the time being, but will increase to $79 as the event gets closer.  Reminder!  As we reported in our “Don’t Miss” posting last week, and to the best of our knowledge, tickets are still $59.  If we were in D.C., you can bet that we’d be there.
• New York City
  • Thanks to those of you from New York that provided feedback on last week’s “Don’t Miss” posting.  There’s a lot going on out there in the way of wine events, and although we try, we know that we’re not likely to find all of them.  If you’ve got information on any wine events occuring in New York, any other major metropolitan area, or any other wine region in the near future that you think we’ve overlooked, please know that we’re always interested to hear about it.  Last week, I was particularly intrigued by the comment about the 3rd Annual Golden Nose Award event occurring on May 31, 2008 — it’s a little ways off in the future, but it’s definitely the type of event that we’d recommend.  See the comment by Paul Thomas, Executive Director of Seneca Lake Wine Trail, to last week’s posting by clicking here.  If you’d like to learn more information, visit the event’s Web site at www.GoldenNose.com.