With a Taste of Place

North Carolina Sips | Winston-Salem, Elkin and Clemmons, N.C.

Taste the best of North Carolina wines at these three events. Salute, sponsored by the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, is a street festival where 32 North Carolina wineries pour wines (salutencwine.com). There will be music, activities for kids, a grape stomp, food and 28 wineries from the Yadkin Valley AVA pouring wines at the Yadkin Valley Wine Festival (yvwf.com). The North Carolina Wine Festival, now in its ninth year, brings together 37 wineries from North Carolina for a day of tasting, music, arts and crafts (ncwinefestival.com).

WHEN Salute, May 9, noon to 6 p.m.; Yadkin, May 16, 11 to 6 p.m.; NCWF, May 30, Noon to 6 p.m.
WHERE Salute, 4th and Spruce streets, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Yadkin, Elkin Municipal Park, 399 Highway 268 W., Elkin, N.C.; NCWF, Tanglewood Park, 4061 Clemmons Rd., Clemmons, N.C.
HOW MUCH Buy tickets online. Salute, $20, $25 at door; Yadkin, $16, $20 at door; NCWF, $20, $25 at door

Paso Robles Wine Festival | Paso Robles, Calif.
There will be a golf tournament, a weekend of special winery events and a large Saturday tasting (90 wineries) at the 27th annual Paso Robles Wine Festival. For insider access, buy the "Reserve" pass and attend the Friday tasting where 50 area wineries will pour their best paired with wine country fare. Tickets at pasowinefest.com.

WHEN May 15-17
WHERE Downtown City Park, Park and 11th streets, Paso Robles, Calif.
HOW MUCH $55; $75, premium; $125, reserve; $45, locals

Southern New Mexico | Las Cruces, N.M.
About 100 wines from 15 New Mexico wineries will be poured at the Southern New Mexico Wine Festival. For the serious wine drinkers there are classes on topics like "If tannins cure leather, what are they doing in my wine?" Everyone will enjoy the live music, dancing and Mexican food. Tickets at snmwinefestival.com.

WHEN May 23-25, Noon to 6 p.m.
WHERE Southern New Mexico State Fairgrounds, 12125 Robert Larson Blvd., Las Cruces, N.M. HOW MUCH $13

Zinfest | Lodi, Calif.
The big event during the fifth annual Zinfest is the Saturday festival that attracts about 7,000 people and 43 wineries pouring 200 wines (Zinfandel and other varieties). There will also be entertainment, cooking and wine seminars, arts and crafts. Zinfandel enthusiasts should go to the Friday night "Vintners' Grille at the Lake," which is a much smaller event where a dozen Lodi Zinfandels are served with dinner. On Sunday, wineries will host special events and tastings. Tickets at zinfest.com.

WHEN May 15-17
WHERE Lodi Lake, 1301 W. Turner Rd., Lodi, Calif.
HOW MUCH Vintners' Grille, $75; festival, $35, $45 at door

Music & Wine | Austin, Texas
The Austin Wine Festival attracts about 7,000 people and combines Texas wine with Austin's vibrant music scene. There will be 36 Texas wineries pouring tastes and a dozen bands performing during the three days. The festival attracts a younger crowd, but Monday is a good day for families and wine enthusiasts looking to stock the cellar with cases. Your pass gets you 10 tastes of wine (additional tastes are $1); austinwinefestival.com.

WHEN May 23-25
WHERE The Domain, corner of Burnett Road and Esperanza Crossing, Austin, Texas
HOW MUCH $20, $23.09 at door for one-day pass; $55, for three-day pass

Vintage Virginia | Centreville, Va.
Fifty wineries will pour more than 300 wines at the 28th annual Vintage Virginia festival. Between sips, there are concessions and crafts, live music and dancing. Plenty of stuff for kids, too, including magic, juggling and "The Monkey Man" with his monkey sidekick. Tickets at vintagevirginia.com.

WHEN May 30-31, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
WHERE The Bull Run Regional Park, 14925 Compton Rd., Centreville, Va.
HOW MUCH $25, $30 at door

Weinfestival | Baden, Austria
The town of Baden, about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) south of Vienna, will host the Thermenregion wine area's seventh annual Weinfestival. The Thermenregion is best known for its white varieties Zierfandler and Rotgipfler and its reds, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir. The festival has two major events. On Friday night, 17 award-winning wines from the region will be served by the winemakers at the Schloss Weikersdorf hotel. On Saturday, in the Rosarium at Doblhoff-Park, 60 wineries will pour 300 wines. There will also be traditional Austrian foods and a parade of vintage cars that will roll through the festival at 4:30 p.m. Go to weinfestival.at for details.

WHEN May 15, 6 to 10 p.m.; May 16, 2 to 10 p.m.
WHERE Friday, Hotel Schloss Weikersdorf, Schlossgasse 9-11, Baden, Austria; Saturday, Rosarium, Doblhoff-Park, Baden, Austria
HOW MUCH Friday, €15 ($20.06), €18 at door; Saturday , €18; both events , €22 , €25 at door