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Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin

Taste of Honolulu
offers fine foods
and wines

Hawaii's Kitchen: A taste from Easter Seals

Star-Bulletin staff

Yes, this weekend's Taste of Honolulu is about food, lots of food, oceans of food. But it's also about wine. Sips and glasses and bottles of wine.

The R. Field Wine Centre is offering 150 new-release Cabernet Sauvingnons and Chardonnays for tasting, but the spotlight will be on "Wines of Oz," the fine wines of Australia.

The wine industry Down Under is thriving, says R. Field owner Richard Field, and better bottles are selling in growing numbers in Hawaii and throughout the United States.

Australian Shiraz is of especially high quality, Field says, far above that of U.S. wineries. "It rivals some of the best of France."

Admission to the Wine Centre is $15, with an additional $5 admission required to enter the Oz area. Free wine seminars will be offered throughout the event.

A session on wine blending will be hosted by Melissa Bates, winemaker for Talus and Farallon. Bates will offer barrel samples of Chardonnays from several California regions and several participants will be invited to blend their own cuvèe, at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Other special events at Taste of Honolulu:

Tony Roma's Rib Cook Off: Judging of finalists' entries, 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Fried Rice Competition: Chef Glen Chu of Indigo Eurasian Cuisine hosts the cookoff, 5:30 p.m. Saturday

Beatles Tribute Band: The touring group Yesterday performs at 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday

Ready, Set, Cook Competition: Barbara Stange of Alan Wong's restaurant is paired with "Pacific Blue" star Mario Lopez against Kelvin Ro of the Culinary Institute of the Pacific and his partner, model Kona Carmack. The cooking starts at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Taste of Honolulu hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $2, with scrip sold for food. Call 536-1015. The event is a benefit for Easter Seals Hawaii.

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