Calling all oenophiles and amateurs for a weeklong celebration of good food and wine! Touted as one of the “One of the Top-10 Wine Festivals in the Country,” the Pittsburgh Wine Festival is usually a sell out event every year. This year, the festival which is being presented by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and Comcast is scheduled to be held from Saturday the 3rd of May to Thursday the 8th of May. The festival brings together some of the world's best winemakers, wine aficionados and chefs for a celebration of fine wine and food.

The festival kicks off with a dinner and live auction which is to be held at the Carlton Restaurant located in downtown Pittsburg on the first day of the festival and the festivities wind down on the last day with a grand wrap party in the form of the VIP and Grand Tasting event, which is to be held at Heinz field. This year the festival has celebrated chef, restaurateur, author and public television series celebrity Lidia Bastianich and former White house chef Walter Scheib as a featured guests at the week long  gastronomic extravaganza.

The main events at this year's Pittsburg wine festival includes:

The Opening Dinner and Live Auction   at the Carlton Restaurant on May the 3rd

Kevin Joyce, the owner of the Carlton Restaurant located in downtown Pittsburg has traditionally hosted this kick-off event of the Pittsburg Wine Festival. The event this year promises to another grand evening of delectable food and fine wine and will include the Pittsburgh Wine Festival Live Auction which is held to benefit the University of Pittsburg Cancer Institute(UPCI). Reservations to this special Pre-Festival event can be secured by calling The Carlton at 412-391-4099.This year the festival aims to raise four million dollars to further fund cancer research at the University of Pittsburg Cancer Institute.

Launch of year long wine seminars at the Pittsburgh Wine Festival

The festival organizers have joined together with Pete Hanowich of the Chaine des Rotisseurs Bailliage de Pittsburgh to create a program of unique and informative seminars which are to be held all through out the  year. These seminars are bound to appeal to every level of wine enthusiast. This program will be launched during the wine festival itself. Tickets for the various seminars to be held during the festival are priced at $50 per head and are available online at the website of the festival or by calling 412-281-2681.

Indulge in fine dining at local area restaurants during the week of the Pittsburgh Wine Festival

Several restaurants in the Pittsburgh area will participate in the Pittsburgh Wine Festival by hosting wine luncheons, wine dinners, and wine pairings and will also offer special by the glass offers for the duration of the festival. For a list of participating restaurants and menus do visit the website of the Pittsburgh Wine Festival.

Private Home Dinners

The festival will also include a series of private home dinners which will be held in landmark homes around the Pittsburgh region. Famous Chefs and vintners will be paired together to ensure that the guests have a wonderful experience at these private home dinners. The Private Home dinners and silent auctions held during last year's festival raised more than $1.238 million for UPCI. The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Western Pennsylvania which serves a population of more than 6 million people and this year the organizers hope to raise more than $3 million through these private home dinners. More information about the 2008 Pittsburgh Wine Festival Private Home Dinners can be attained by calling Jennifer Zgurich at 412 623 4709.

VIP and Grand Tasting event at Heinz Field

The wrap up event of the 2008 Pittsburg Wine Festival will be held on the 8^th of May from 5pm to 6.30 pm at the beautiful Heinz Field East and West Club Lounges on Pittsburgh's North Shore. Tickets to this VIP event including the grand tasting are priced at $250 per head and are available online and on the phone.

Representatives of more than 100 of the world's finest wineries will be present at the event to pour more than 300 varieties of their most famous wines. The list of participating wineries is also available on the website of the festival.

This event will be immediately followed by the Grand Tasting event. The tickets for the Grand Tasting event are priced at $150 per head. The Grand Tasting will also feature more than 150 world renowned wineries and will provide a fitting end to week long wine fueled festivities.

Images of Pittsburg originally posted on http://www.flickr.com by jimmywayne22 and Jak szie masz.