΢����Ƶ

Dateline staff

Want to know more about ΢����Ƶ Olive Oil and Olives, and Russell Ranch Dried Tomatoes? Better yet, do you want to taste them? You have two opportunities next week:

Olive oil tasting at bookstore

The Olive Center is inviting people to “bring Silo and Gunrock to the holiday table” — meaning the Silo and Gunrock olive oil blends. And don’t forget the olives! A free tasting is scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 5) at the main bookstore, .

Campus wine, campus food

We already knew the First Wednesday Wine Flight in December would be special, with the serving of wines from the university’s in the Napa Valley.

But, in a new announcement, wine flight organizers said University Dining Services will prepare the evening’s food pairings with ΢����Ƶ ingredients: olive oil from the Olive Center, meat from the , sun-dried tomatoes from the and produce from the .

The wine tasting program is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 5) at the on the south side of the .

The organizers said Mike Anderson, manager of the Oakville Experimental Winery, will talk about grape growing and research, and present a tasting program with some of the vineyard’s Oakville Station wines.

΢����Ƶ is one of only a few of the world’s universities that own vineyards in premium winegrowing regions. The Department of Viticulture and Enology uses the Oakville vineyard — 40 acres of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petite sirah, syrah and zinfandel vines — for experiments aimed at improving viticulture practices.

Much of the research at the Oakville Experimental Vineyard is designed to understand the influence and interaction of field practices on fruit composition and wine quality.

Representatives of the various campus food products are also expected to attend next week’s wine tasting, and ΢����Ƶ Olive Oil and will be available for sale, by representatives from ΢����Ƶ Stores.

The pub and University Dining Services sponsor the monthly wine tastings. The cost is $10, and no reservations are required. To reserve a table, purchase tickets in advance, or schedule a private tasting event, call the Gunrock Pub, (530) 752-6262.