Cabo Wine Festival

Funny how a little bit of freezing rain, sleet, frigid temperatures, high winds, downed power lines and flooding highways can get me thinking about Cabo San Lucas, at the southern tip of Baja California. I mean, one minute I'm not thinking about Cabo at all, and then I see the weather report and all I can think about is Cabo.

I mention this in passing because next month will witness the first-ever Cabo Wine Festival, a venture sponsored by the Wine Country Network and Wine Country International magazine that will take place over four days, beginning January 16th. Held at the Pueblo Bonito resorts, there will be tastings from producers that include Louis Latour from France, Chateau St. Michelle in Washington state, Penfolds from Australia and Castillo Banfi from Italy, among many others. Also vintners' dinners and other tasting events, including one on Mexican wines. And if you've never tasted Mexican wines, well, join the club.

Not to mention a tequila tasting party one night and a bourbon tasting party the next. The cost for the event is $275, not including optional dinners, which I'm told will feature celebrity guest chefs and a surprise or two.

Did I mention that I have every good reason right now to go to Cabo? I'll see you there; I'll be the guy wearing the extra-large sombrero and holding a glass of fine wine in one hand and a bottle of Don Julio's finest in the other and shouting, "Now where's the bourbon tasting being held?" These warm-weather wine festivals can have a real way of growing on you.