I’m pretty sure the very first article I wrote for Eve’s Wine 101 was about attending the Santa Clarita Valley Wine Classic held annually at California Institute of the Arts [Cal Arts]. My wife Karen and I had attended this event previously, but this was the first time I was going with a goal of writing about it.

We met some great people that evening, such as Nate Hasper and Steve Lemley – owners of Pulchella Winery [I think it was then still called Dragonfly], and Steve Elzer, who was generously pouring from his own cellar such gems as Turley Aida Zinfandel and Scholium Project.  The great wines, delicious food, terrific entertainment and the opportunity to share such a memorable evening with my fellow Santa Clarita Valley residents definitely made it all very special.

The funny thing is, I had not yet met Eve in person and had been looking forward to connecting with her at the event. For whatever reason, that did not happen that night. 

Of course, we met in person shortly after that, and I’m proud to have been able to have had her as a boss, fellow wine writer, and friend as we have expanded the boundaries of what Eve’s Wine 101 is all about.  (In fact, most recently I went with Eve to a video shoot of the new event – in an advisory capacity alone as I’m more of a behind the scenes guy – and here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5O0rAZnUXU)

Sadly, the SCV Wine Classic was not to be so fortunate, as I think that was the last time the 20-year-old event, which raised funds for the SCV Student Orchestra, was held.

Fast forward to 2013. Circle of Hope, which is dedicated to assisting breast cancer patients in the Santa Clarita Valley, is bringing their 12-year-old Vine 2 Wine Classic to Cal Arts! Once again, wineries and distributors will be pouring their wines alongside generous members of our community who will be sharing wines from their own cellars.

I’m looking forward to trying old favorites like Gagnon Cellars, Stanger, Reyes, Pulchella, and Vines on the Marycrest, while also exploring what other wineries have brought. And I’m really excited to taste what our local wine connoisseurs are going to be surprising us with. Along with great food from local restaurants, including some of my favorites like Marston’s and Cheers @ All Corked Up, entertainment by Jimmy Carnelli, a silent auction and other surprises, this is sure to be a phenomenal evening, all for a very worthy cause.

Tickets can be purchased online for $75 at http://www.circleofhopeinc.org/events/vine2wineclassic  or $95 at the door, if not sold out, of course, so don’t wait for that.

Hope to see you there.  Look for Eve and her husband Eddie, and my wife Karen and me – we all know each other very well now but I would bet you won’t see us together as there is far too much ground we must cover!