Wine and Dine on VinVillageRadio

The Collavini winery has announced a 50 cent donation to Operation Heroes & Hounds program in January, 2010 for every bottle sold in the US through the end of the year. Collavini, the family-owned and operated Friulian winery known for the award winning wine Broy (a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Friulano) has a history of supporting animal shelters and foundations in Italy. Heroes & Hounds is a 10-week program which offers injured members of the United States armed forces the opportunity to coach and live with shelter dogs. Operation Heroes and Hounds provides injured soldiers with a purposeful job which promotes the practice of smiling, loving, and being a benevolent leader. Today, Eugenio Collavini Viticultori is run by patriarch Manlio Collavini, his wife Anna and their two sons, Luigi and Giovanni.... all dog lovers.
http://www.collavini.it/azienda_eng.htm

Luigi Collavini's house pets are cats, but clearly, the family's identify is focused around canines. Look no further than Eugenio Collavini wine labels that proudly pay tribute to Ribolla, patriarch Manlio Collavini's dearest dachshund, the first in in a lifetime of 12. Begin your Collavini journey with a bottle of Pinot Grigio Villa Canlungo Collio Black Label DOC: clean, refreshing, Old World style made with New World innovation for under $20. Collavini recently introduced an organic Pinot Grigio IGT that retails for around $14. Collavini's dry Friulano DOC, known as Tocai elsewhere, is most representative of this ancient Italian northeastern white wine powerhouse winegrape growing region that borders Slovenia where a risotto infused with the tips only of white asparagus is a perfect match. The famous Collavini Broy Bianco DOC smells of ripe tropical fruit and honey but deceptively ends dry with more weight on the tongue. I can't wait to try Collavini Ribolla Gialla Brut Millesime DOC made from the indigenous name-sake grape which sell for around $59 USD.
http://www.collavini.it/index.htm

Brix restaurant's Executive Chef Anne Gingrass-Paik and long-time friend, Caterer/Chef Ray Tang have teamed up for a new series of three events celebrating the best in international street food from India, Thailand, and Italy showcasing their passion for exotic foods. Brix Gardens will be transformed into vibrant global street scenes on Thursday, August 20th featuring Mumbai Fare, Bollywood Flair; on September 17th featuring One Night in Bankok; and on October 15th with the culinary theme Street Feasts of Sicily. Tickets can be purchased online in advance for $35 allowing visitors to visit each of the seven food stalls per night. Beer, wine and specialty cocktails will be available for an additional $5 each.
http://www.brix.com/

Richard Hart. What can I say. He probably can't say much either because he is a former spy for the Clandestine Service, or Directorate of Operations for the CIA (not the culinary one). Long before we meet him here, he contemplated one of two career paths: becoming a priest or a Classics professor. Hart's first wine love was France---well, he lived around the world! And we are lead to believe that he has a good nose, good taste, and 'wacky ideas' about winemaking. He must be on to something because his 2006 Ricardus Corculum ClandestZin Russion River Valley Zinfandel first release, 2007 Ricardus Corculum ClandestZin Dry Creek Valley, Grist Vineyard, Zinfandel (a cabernet lovers zin), and 2005 Ricardus Corculum Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon are all medal winners! Learn more here.
http://ricarduscorculum.com/