Wine Appreciation Through Education

May 3: New Zealand Wine Fair, Hotel Arts, 119 12 Avenue SW, Calgary, 7-9:30 p.m. Robert Ketchin 705.444.0195, rketchin@ketchin.com, www.nzwine-events.ca

May 3: Appleby College Fine Wine Auction, Appleby College, 540 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville ON. Rare wine tastings hosted by wine expert Ken Lewis. 6 p.m., Silent Auction. 7 p.m., Live Auction. Steve Poplar, 905-845-4681, Ext. 295, spoplar@appleby.on.ca, www.appleby.on.ca

May 3: The Central Toronto Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society presents TOAST, Distillery Historic District, The Stone Distillery, Fermenting Cellar (55 Mill Street Building 6 & 7), Toronto ON. Sample wine, beers and spirits; taste delicious international foods; enjoy live musical entertainment; bid at the silent auction. , 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. $60 in advance or $75 at the door. To purchase tickets please call (416) 485-0222. www.cancer.ca/toast

May 8: Australian Shiraz Tasting, Above Board Restaurant, Toronto Board of Trade, 4th Floor, 1st Canadian Place, Toronto ON. Toronto Vintners Club Inc., 416-209-1442, www.torontovintners.org

May 8-12: 9th Annual Santé: The Bloor-Yorkville Wine Festival, Toronto ON. Featuring dining, shopping, wine tastings and an impressive selection of international wineries, including many from the Cape. Sponsored by Wines of South Africa. Susan Puff, 416-928-3553, Ext. 27, spuff@sympatico.ca, www.santewinefestival.net

May 9: Wines of South Africa Consumer Tasting, The Carlu, 7th Floor, 444 Yonge Street, Toronto ON. www.santewinefesitval.com to purchase tickets. Laurel Keenan, Wines of South Africa, 416-698-8112, keenan@propellerpr.com

May 9: Ottawa Chamber Music Society's 6th Annual Wine Auction, Christ Church Cathedral, 420 Sparks Street, Ottawa ON. Auction catalogue will be available for viewing shortly prior to the event, and will be accessible through our website: www.chamberfest.com. The reception and viewing will commence at 6 p.m. followed by the auction at 7 p.m. Contact 613.234.8008 extension 244.

May 10: Grapes for Humanity Gala Fundraising Dinner, Four Seasons Hotel, 21 Avenue Road, Toronto ON. Featuring Stanislas Henriot, President and Director General of Champagne Henriot. Proceeds will help support landmine survivors with prosthetic and economic rehabilitation. Grapes for Humanity, 416-922-7776, tony.aspler@sympatico.ca, www.grapesforhumanity.com

May 10-12: The 2007 Official Kentucky Wine & Vine Fest, Nicholasville, KY. Includes a Grape Growers Bar-B-Que & Dance, a KY Wine Fest Golf Tournament, Amateur Wine Competition and KY Wine & Vine Fest Dinner & Dance, and day-long festivities with a Kentucky Wine Tent, International & Domestic Wine Tent, Cooking with Wine Demonstrations with celebrity chefs, arts and crafts, live music, a live auction, and more. Call Nicholasville NOW! at 859.881.3820 or visit www.kywineandvine.com for more information.

May 11-12: Winnipeg Wine Festival, Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg AL. Featuring more than 550 wines from more than 110 wineries representing 12 countries. Proceeds benefit Special Olympics Manitoba. Krista Robson, 204-926-8354, krobson@specialolympics.mb.ca, www.winnipegwinefestival.com

May 14-24: Tour the Loire, Cognac and Bordeaux with Tony, An 11-day wine tour with wine writer Tony Aspler. Featuring the great wines - and food! - of Bordeaux, plus the Loire Valley and Cognac. Pauwels Travel Bureau, 519-756-4900, tours@pauwelstravel.com, www.pauwelstravel.com

May 15: New Zealand Wine Fair, Marche Bonsecour, 350 St. Paul East, Montreal PQ. Robert Ketchin 705-444-0195, rketchin@ketchin.com, www.nzwine-events.ca

May 16-20: 11th Annual Nantucket Wine Festival, Nantucket Yacht Club, Nantucket. The Nantucket Wine Festival celebrates world-renowned wines perfectly paired with exquisite cuisine against the backdrop of some of the island's most beautiful and historic settings. This year the Festival's signature event, the two-day Grand Tasting, moves from its longstanding location at Jetties Beach to the historic.

May 17: New Zealand Wine Fair, Design Exchange, 234 Bay Street, Toronto ON. Robert Ketchin 705-444-0195, rketchin@ketchin.com, www.nzwine-events.ca

May 18-20: 3rd Annual Lodi ZinFest - Wine, Food, and Fun at the Lake, 12 noon - 7 p.m., Lodi, Calif. Celebrating Lodi's heritage Zinfandel grape, ZinFest will showcase the spectacular wines of California's premier wine destination, Lodi Wine Country. For more information on Lodi ZinFest or to purchase tickets visit www.zinfest.com or contact the Lodi Winegrape Commission at 209-367-4727.

May 23-26: First Annual Conference Of The American Association Of Wine Economists, Trier, Mosel (Germany). The conference will be joint with the Vineyard Data Quantification Society and the Society for Quantitative Gastronomy. The "Call for Papers", as published in the Journal of Wine Economics, is extended until March 15. See information on our website: http://www.wine-economics.org/meetings.

May 25: Aussie "Down Under" Festival, Willow Park Wines & Spirits, 10801 Bonaventure Drive SE, Calgary AL. Julie Fitzsimmons 403-296-1640, Ext. 248, julie@willowpark.net

May 31-June 1: Discover Australia Roadshow, Vancouver BC. A showcase of Australian wineries seeking agents in Canada. Marie Ross, Australian Trade Commission, 416-323-9472, marie.ross@austrade.gov.aua