mark your calendars for the Virginia Wine Expo!!

Wine and food lovers rejoice. From February 26 to 28 the Virginia Wine Expo takes over the Greater Richmond Convention Center for an amazing food and wine event that celebrates local vintages, chefs, and restaurants. As a visitor, you get a Schott Zweisel crystal wine glass, from which you can sample from more than 350 bottles of wine, crafted by the winemakers in our area, including:

Afton Mountain Vineyards
Barboursville Vineyards
Barren Ridge Vineyards
Blenheim Vineyards
Burnley Vineyards
Cardinal Point Vineyard & Winery
Delfosse Vineyards & Winery
Democracy Vineyards
First Colony Winery
Flying Fox Vineyard
Hill Top Berry Farm & Winery
Horton Vineyards
Jefferson Vineyards
Keswick Vineyards
King Family Vineyards
Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard
Pollak Vineyards
Mountfair Vineyards
Rebec Vineyards
Rockbridge Winery
Stone Mountain Vineyard
Sweely Estate Winery
Veritas Vineyard & Winery
Virginia Wineworks
Well Hung Vineyard
White Hall Vineyards
Wintergreen Winery

classes for foodies

Wish there were classes about local foods when we were in school! Ah, well, it's never too late to learn. Here, a couple of area classes for (local) foodies:

•First, frequent Edible Blue Ridge contributor Lisa Reeder is teaching "Local Food for Thought" with Carroll Ann Friedmann. The course, offered through UVA, meets on Wednesday evenings for eight weeks beginning this week and ending in March. There are still a couple of spots left.

The class is sort of a locavore spin on home ec: how to garden, preserve, buy local. Plus tips on cooking, such as how to prepare grass-fed beef versus grain-fed (the former is leaner and therefore must be cooked correctly).

For more information and to register, download forms from www.scps.virginia.edu or visit the School of Continuing & Professional Studies in person at Zehmer Hall, 104 Midmont Lane.

•Next, on February 14, there's a half-day workshop for backyard poultry production at Tuckahoe Plantation in Richmond. It's just as appropriate for the family that wants a few hens for morning eggs as it is if you want to raise the chickens for market.

The good news is that the class will equip you with the knowhow to establish your own backyard flock. The bad news is that it's sold out—but you can still contact them to be put on the waiting list. Cost is $20. www.centerforruralculture.org/events.php or email admin@centerforruralculture.org.

'tis the season for wine events

The two-foot snow is making gift shopping harder than ever this year. Which is why things like tickets to the Virginia Wine Showcase are really a great solution for any oenophile on your list.

Order here by tomorrow, and get tickets in time for Christmas—with $10 off. The event takes place February 6 and 7 at the Dulles Expo Center, just west of D.C. Your loved one can taste 300 artisan wines, meet the winemakers, and even attend culinary seminars with experts on wine, chocolate, and even kitchen design.

Some wines of note from our area you'll see there (click on any of the following to find out more info): Cross Keys Vineyards, DelFosse Vineyards & Winery, Kluge Estate Winery, Rockbridge Vineyard, Horton Vineyards, Burnley Vineyards, Sugarleaf Vineyards, and Veritas Vineyards.

vote for local food heroes!

Each year Edible Blue Ridge will honor the best of our food community with a Local Hero award. We're looking for what you think of as the best farm/farmer, best chef/restaurant, best food artisan, best beverage artisan, best nonprofit, and best food shop.

Be sure to vote here.

Winners will be announced in the spring issue of Edible Blue Ridge.

direct from VA farmer to VA student

Last week was Farm-to-School Week across Virginia. Area cafeterias served up everything from local apples and pears to cauliflower, beef, and eggs.

Some schools even had farmers come visit or hosted apple tastings for the students. "It was interesting to see the creativity and volunteer efforts that emerged to bring fresh local foods to the students across the Commonwealth," saysLeanne DuBois of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which worked with the Department of Education to bring Farm-to-School to many area classrooms.

A big part of the effort in the Charlottesville area was the Local Food Hub, which supplied 15 area schools, both public and private, with local produce, meats, and cheeses from area farms. "In addition to helping our kids understand where their food comes from, Farm-to-School Week is an opportunity to support our local farms," says Kate Collier, director of the Local Food Hub and owner of Feast. "Virginia schools spend more than $6 million annually on fresh produce. That gives us an opportunity to keep those dollars in our state."

Beyond helping the local economy for that one week, DuBois says that even just making students (and their parents) aware of all that is grown in Virginia has created a momentum to do so in the future. "And that, I would call a success," she says.

marvelous local meal at Maya

This past Monday night at Maya in Charlottesville was a locavore's dream dinner. As each of the five courses was brought out, the person whose produce or meats or wines we were enjoying spoke to us about what went into the production of each ingredient. A wonderful way to become better acquainted with the farmers and artisans who make our food.

People like Peter Hatch from Monticello Gardens, renowned winemaker Gabrielle Rausse, Rob and Megan Weary from Roundabout Farm, Richard Bean from Double H Farm, Tom Silliman from Sweet Dog Farm. Everything but three minor ingredients were sourced locally (Maya owner Peter Castiglione joked the local ingredients were so flavorful, chef Christian Kelly didn't even need salt and pepper).

Needless to say, the menu was amazing: creamy, smoky white bean soup with andouille, chicken, kale, and broccoli (paired with Gabrielle Rausse's Bianco). The second course was a salad of autumn lettuce with local smoked trout (from Rag Mountain Trout) and pecans in a sherry vinaigrette (served with Rausse's pinot grigio). Next, a to-die-for braised pork shoulder with gnocchi (merlot). Then a chicken breast rolled with smoked ham, served over an Appalachian cheese sauce (cabernet sauvignon). As a fellow diner commented, the flavor combination of the chicken, ham, and cheese was reminiscent of a perfectly prepared croque madame.

And for dessert? A local apple tart tatin—so flaky, and spiced like any perfect autumn pie should be. (Served with Rausse's dessert wine Collage.)

The best part is knowing Maya will do a local meal like this all over again in January. Or if you can't wait for that, try its $40 Thanksgiving menu. It promises to be just as stunning—and just as local.

great wine deal for the holidays!

You can now enjoy wine tastings for free at three area wineries by spending $10 on what's called a Holiday Passport. With it, you are able to visit Jefferson Vineyards, Kluge Estate Winery, and Keswick Vineyards as many times as you like during November and December—with complimentary tastings. You also get a 15 percent discount on the purchase of designated wines, such as the Kluge SP Blanc de Blanc (pictured).

We love the idea that while we're going "shopping" for bottles of local wines as holiday gifts, we're able to sample all of the possibilities. Hey, even Santa finds time to treat himself every now and again.

You can buy a Holiday Passport at any of the three wineries mentioned above. See you there!