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WHAT: The 13th Annual New Orleans Wine & Food Experience
WHEN: May 26-30
WHERE: Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Royal Street and other locations

For tickets and more event information, call 529-WINE (9463) or visit www.nowfe.com

Many enticing options for wine and food lovers are offered at this year's New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (NOWFE) May 26 through 30 at various locations.

Among them are nearly 40 vintner dinners, scheduled simultaneously at area restaurants and featuring four- or five-course dinners with each course matched up with a featured wine. All dinners are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 26. Some dinners are already full, but reservations are available at a number of premier restaurants. For a complete listing of vintner dinners, go to www.nowfe.com. In addition, event brochures can be picked up at Gambit Weekly, both Martin Wine Cellar locations and Dorignac's.

The reserve seminar series, held at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, begins with "All Over the World, It's Syrah," held at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 27. This seminar, $65 per person, will explore Syrah/Shiraz and its history and impact in the wine world as well as a tasting of a number of representative wines. "A Taste of Remy Martin," another reserve seminar, begins at 4:15 p.m. at the Omni. This seminar, $75 per person, offers tastings and commentary aimed at revealing the glorious pleasures of fine cognac. A third, free seminar, "Thirsty for Knowledge," which features gourmet wine consultant Michael Green, is already full.

Royal Street will be closed to vehicular traffic Thursday evening as the historic street welcomes NOWFE for the Royal Street Stroll from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Amid a backdrop of live jazz and French Quarter ambiance and architecture, guests can visit art and antique galleries for wine and nibbles. At press time, some tickets remained, but this event sells out every year. Call 529-WINE (9463) for ticket information.

A slate of seminars is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. These seminars are $35 per person.

A pair of seminars scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, May 28, presents yet another dilemma for participants. Do you go to "A Pairing of Artisinal Wine and Artisinal Cheese" or "Showtime for Santa Barbara?" Both seminars will be held at the Convention Center. The first pairs fine small-batch wines with artisinal cheeses. The second seminar showcases wines from the Santa Barbara American Viticultural Area.

"Whose Grape is it Anyway?" a Pinot Noir seminar, will be presented at 12:30 p.m. Friday; simultaneously, NOWFE offers "A Collaboration of Emeril's 'New' New Orleans Cuisine and Award-Winning Wine List."

At 2 p.m. Friday, "The Making of  a Legendary Cabernet" features third-generation winemaker Michael Martini of Louis M. Martini Winery. Martini will lead participants through a tasting of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all used in blending his award-winning Cabernets; seminar attendees will also sample a rare vertical of Cabernet Sauvignon from the famous Monte Rosso Vineyard as well as new releases. Opposite Martini's seminar, "It's All in Your Head," with Master of Wine Joel Butler, illustrates the interaction of different flavors and how wine and food are linked.

The next set of Friday seminars is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., also at the Convention Center, and pits "Grand American Cabernets," showcasing some of Napa Valley's best, against "The Rogue's Gallery," featuring rogue blends from Australia made from unusual and distinctive combinations.

"New Orleans Puts Its Stamp on Italy," scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday will be presented opposite "Bubbles? What Bubbles?" Traditional Italian cuisine prepared in New Orleans can't escape the local flavors, as local chefs will attest in the former seminar. In "Bubbles," it's all about the grapes, as a panel explores distinctive still wines made by sparkling wine producers.

Three options are available at 12:15 p.m. Saturday. A seminar designed for women, but open to all, "Take Back the Wine List" asks participants to not be intimidated by wine lists or sommeliers and to learn how to contribute to restaurant wine purchasing decisions. A second seminar "Appellations for Consideration," provides a thought-provoking look at Cabernet Sauvignons from both Napa Valley and neighboring Alexander Valley in Sonoma. And "Equal Time ... Old World Pinot," presented by Masters of Wine D. C. Flynt and Joel Butler explores the grape in all its Burgundian glory.

Also at the convention center, the Grand Tastings -- 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 28, and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 29 -- offer more than 400 world-class wines and 40 restaurant samplings from New Orleans' top chefs. Tickets are $80 each; advance purchase is recommended. A series of local chefs will conduct cooking demonstrations at each Grand Tasting, and fine wines and dining experiences are just a few of the items that will be presented for auction at Friday evening's event.

Finally, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, "Bubbles & Brunch," a Champagne and jazz brunch at the Omni Royal Orleans, offers a rousing finale to this year's wine and food experience. This event ($65 per person) always sells out, so be sure to call 529-9463 for ticket information.

Proceeds from the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience benefit the Louisiana Restaurant Association's School to Career program and Delgado Community College's Culinary Arts program.