Wine region weekends heating up

After a long cold winter, warmer weather has finally arrived.

Now is the perfect time to get out of the house and take in a wine trail event.

There are three to choose from happening on the next two weekends. Seneca Lake Wine Trail is hosting its annual Spring Wine and Cheese Weekend on April 24 and 25.

The Heluva Good Cheese Company of Sodus, N.Y., is again providing all of the different cheese varieties offered by the 24 participating wineries. Recipe books are included in the weekend package price, so you may re-create your favorite cheese dish from the event.

In addition to dozens of cheese dishes to taste, there will be lots of other activities going on at many of the wineries. Some will offer barrel samples of not-yet-released wines.

Others will pour their most recent vintages of pinot noir, Riesling, baco noir or Traminette. One winery will even be serving cabernet and chardonnay ports. Tickets are $25 per person (good for both days), tax included. Call 877/536-2717 to make reservations.

The Cayuga Lake Wine Trail is hosting its Wine and Herb Festival on the weekends of April 24 and 25 and May 1 and 2. Participants get to sample treats prepared with herbs at 14 wineries.

At 11 of the trail's wineries, you will be given a different herb to take home and grow for yourself.

The other three wineries will offer either an eggplant, grape tomato or pepper plant to take home.

"A lot of the time we do sell out," says Cathy Millspaugh, executive director of the wine trail. You may register online at Cayugawine.com or by calling 800/684-5217. Tickets are $20 per person and $35 per couple, plus tax in advance. Tickets are $5 more on the days of the events. Again, tickets are good for both days of the weekend for which they were purchased.

The Keuka Lake Wine Trail is featuring a Food Tour of Italy on May 1 and 2. Nine wineries are participating; each will serve a different dish associated with a region of Italy.

All of the dishes will be paired with just the right Finger Lakes wine. "It's going to be busy; the food is awesome," says trail representative Donna Hourihan. Tickets are $16 each, tax included. They may be ordered by calling 800/440-4898.

If these three events don't quite fill your weekends, there is always Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards' seventh annual I'd Rather Be Sailing Days on May 1. It will feature several heats around the island in its pond.

What's a little different this year is that there will be a charity hole-in-one competition to benefit the Valois-Logan- Hector Fire Department.

I'm extending an offer to anyone in the media to join me in one of the heats run by 2:30 p.m. that day. (I hope they suspend the hole-in-one event during my heat, as the cup is going to be on the island!) You can contact me through the phone number or e-mail at the end of this column.

If you capsize during the race, as I did a year ago, don't worry. CNY Hot Tubs will have heated tubs on display to warm you up. There is even talk about people bringing bathing suits to jump right in.

Buford & Dave will provide blues and rock 1'n' roll later in the afternoon. Happy trails.

Jeff Richards' wine column appears Saturdays. For comments or questions, he can be reached at 607/271-8279 or 800/836-8970, ext. 279, or e-mail: jrichards@stargazette.com