Durham's Six Plates is changing things up this year with its annual TxakoliFest -- a celebration of a slightly sparkling dry white Spanish wine.

As usual, there will be two tasting sessions on June 1. However, this year the first tasting session will be a benefit for Housing for New Hope, a Durham nonprofit that works to prevent and end homelessness.

Tickets to the charity tasting from 1-4 p.m. cost $75. The tickets will be limited to 125 people. If weather permits and outdoor patio is available for the event, another 50 tickets will be made available. Tickets are now on sale at Six Plates or Wine Authorities.

For the charity tasting, attendees will receive a souvenir glass to take home, a chance to try seven different txakolis and food prepared by these Durham chefs: John Eisensmith of Six Plates, Billy Cotter of Toast, Charlie Deal of Dos Perros, Tim Lyons of Blu Seafood, Matt Kelly of Mateo Tapas, Chris Stinnett of Pop's, Amy Tournquist of Watts Grocery and Todd Whitney of Vin Rouge.

The general admission ticket costs $15 for the 4 p.m.-midnight session. The ticket entitles each person to a souvenir glass and the opportunity to purchase tastes of seven different txakolis. There is no wine or food included with the price of the general admission ticket.

Italian winemaker Armando Castagnedi is coming to Durham next week for a wine dinner and tasting.

Castagnedi and his three brothers produce wines at the family's well-regarded Tenuta Sant'Antonio's winery in northern Italy.

You can meet Castagnedi at a Oct. 11 dinner at L'Uva. The four-course meal with wine pairings costs $60 per person. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. with a reception featuring assorted cured meats and cheeses and glasses of Scaia Bianco, 2010.

The other courses and wine pairings include:

• White bean, pancetta and salt cod bruschetta paired with Scaia Rosso, 2010.
• Gorgonzola gnocchi with roasted cauliflower paired with Monti Garbi "Valpolicella Superiore" Ripasso, 2009.

• Filet of pork with prosciutto, arugula, roasted winter squash and fig sauce paired with Selezione "Antonio Castagnedi" Amarone, 2008)
• Almond and pear tart paired with Colori d'Autunno Passito, 2000)

For a reservation, call 919-688-8181.

The winemaker also will be leading a wine tasting from noon-3 p.m. Oct. 13 at Durham's Wine Authorities.
 

Here are a few upcoming wine and beer dinners across the Triangle:

• Hope Valley Bottle Shop has seven upcoming wine dinners, including an Italian wine dinner at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 20 at Nana's in Durham. It cost $55. To see the complete list of wine dinners, go HERE. Call 493-8545 for a reservation.
• Guglhupf in Durham is offering an Austrian wine dinner at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 21. For details and the menu, go HERE. For a reservation, call 401-2600.

• Jibarra restaurant in Raleigh is offering a four-course dinner with five Saison-style beer pairings. The dinner is 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 21. It costs $55. Go HERE for details and menu. Call 755-0556 for a reservation.
• Durham’s Vin Rouge is partnering with Wine Authorities to offer a five-course wine dinner at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 22. Winemaker Joseph Landron will be the special guest. It costs $75. Go HERE for the menu. Call 416-0466 for a reservation. (If you can’t make the dinner, you can meet Landron and taste his wines from 5-6:30 p.m. Thursday at Wine Authorities. For more information, go to http://wineauthorities.com.)
• Jujube restaurant in Chapel Hill is offering a four-course dinner with wine pairings  from the Paul Hobbs Winery. It will be 7 p.m. March 28. Go HERE for the menu. Call 960-0555 for a reservation. It costs $57.50. 
• ADDED: Weathervane, the restaurant at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, is offering a five-course dinner featuring wines from Gil Family Estates at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 28. Go HERE to read the menu. It costs $70. To make a reservation, call 929-9466.

Staff photo by John Rottet

Craig Heffley (pictured above) of Wine Authorities in Durham has been invited to pour wine at a special lunch on April 10 at the James Beard House.

Heffley was invited by a Triangle food alum Andrea Lekberg, the former baker at the old Fowler's and also used to work as a server at Magnolia Grill. Lekberg has gone on to open her own bakery in Morristown, N.J. called The Artist Baker.

Lekberg is also an accomplished artist. Her work sounds whimsical based on Heffley's description of children's dresses made with Mary Janes candy wrappers and sculptures made with cake decorating tools. One note of trivia: the portrait of Magnolia Grill's pastry chef-owner Karen Barker that hangs in the bar was done by Lekberg.

Heffley says he used to work with Lekberg at Fowler's and she had recently been back to the Triangle and visited the store. Heffley says he is very excited to share what they are trying to do Wine Authorities with the folks at the James Beard luncheon.

"I'm very excited about spreading the word and also to be a part of the traditions of the James Beard house," he says.

For more details about the lunch, go HERE.

If you feel inclined to go, the lunch costs $80 for members and $95 for the public.

The Farmhand Foods truck will be at Wine Authorities store in Durham from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. So you can get a sausage to eat while trying up to five wines for your Thanksgiving meal. One note: the free wine tasting is only from noon to 3 p.m.

Wine Authorities is located at 2501 University Dr., across from the original Q shack.

Seth Gross, a co-founder of the Wine Authorities store in Durham, is planning to open Bull City Burger and Brewery this February at 107 E. Parrish St. in downtown Durham.

It will be a farm-to-fork brewpub where Gross promises most everything will be either made from scratch or purchased locally from the beef to the buns to the ketchup and mustard. The 90-seat restaurant and brewery also will serve six beers brewed on site.

Gross is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and previously brewed beer at Goose Island brewpub in Chicago.

Wine Authorities is hosting Only Burger tomorrow night (May 26, Wednesday) for a Sliders and Wine charity event.

You pay $5 for 2 different sliders and a taste of four different wines. You will help Only Burger pick a red wine to be served in their storefront restaurant coming this summer. 

Proceeds benefit Student U. For more information, click HERE. 

The event happens from 5-7 p.m.

This note from Craig Heffley at Wine Authorities:

"I'm sure you've probably heard by now, but in case you hadn't, Guglhupf is now open for dinner featuring chef Dave Alworth, formerly chef de cuisine at Watt's Grocery and former chef of 411 West Italian Café.  Dave's menu emphasizes the use of local, seasonal and artisanal ingredients with a European twist.  It's not ethnic food, but is definitely influenced by German, Austrian and Alsatian cuisine.  Seth and I had the honor of creating the wine list for this fantastic step in the history of the legendary Durham bakery and we're very proud to be associated with owner Claudia Cooper's vision."

Check out the menus & wine list here: http://www.guglhupf.com/cafe/

Durham's Wine Authorities celebrates its second birthday tonight. 

The festivities start at 5 p.m. and include pours of free bubbly and feature samples of Artisan Cupcake, Alessandra Trompeo's cheese, Counter Culture coffe and Dolly Mama chocolates.

The OnlyBurger truck will be on hand as well. 

Get to the store at 2501 University Drive before the fun ends at 7 p.m.

Those guys at Durham's Wine Authorities amuse us to no end.

Get this: Sept. 19 is "Talk like a Pirate Day." So what does that mean?

According to their Web site: "We'll be featuring some of our favorite costumes and of course be dressed in our favorite pirate outfits. Anyone dressed like a pirate or talking like a pirate will receive a special discount. Give us a good
"Aarrrrr". So a Pirate walks into a bar...."

Go to the Web site here to see a photo of Craig dressed a pirate. 

Seth just informed me that Sept. 19th is International Talk Like a Pirate Day

My question: Does Aaargh sound the same in every language?