01:00 AM EST on Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The Sun Winefest at Mohegan Sun offers many opportunities to learn from the world's leading wine experts on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 21 and 22. Master sommelier Fred Dame, who will lecture at noon on Sunday. Samples of 10 Pinot Noir wines from around the world will be sampled to illustrate the delicate and often dramatic differences created by soil and climate. Learn the art of pairing various foods with wines, including oysters and champagne, wine and cheese, and spicy foods and wines.

Other seminars include:

Saturday, Jan. 21:

10 a.m. Pairing Wine and Cheese in New Ways, with Jann Cotter of Kendall Jackson and Ihsan Gurdal of Formaggio Kitchen.

11 a.m. Treasure of Northern Italy: The Veneto, with Leonardo LoCascio, Winebow.

Noon S.A. Prum -- The Mosel: A vertical comparison of multiple vintages of Riesling Spatlese and Auslese.

1 p.m.

What's Up Down Under, a history of Penfolds Winery, with Australian sommelier Trent Fraser of Penfolds.

Bottega del Vino Crystal wine tasting.

2 p.m. Southern Italy: The trendsetting soul of Italy, with Leonardo LoCascio, Winebow.

3 p.m. Monterey Wine Country.

4 p.m.

Cabernet & Chocolate, with Michael Martini of Louis M. Martini Winery.

Reidel Glass Wine Tasting with Doug Cohn.

5 p.m. Understanding Champagne, a flight through the styles of Heidsieck Monopole Champagne; Thomas Lambert Laurent.

Sunday, Jan. 22:

11 a.m.

Pairing domestic and imported cheeses with local Connecticut wines.

Champagne & Oysters: A pairing of various styles with the champagnes of Duval-Leroy.

2 p.m.

A Vertical Tasting of Sangiovese from Villa Cafaggio.

Fearless Food and Wine Pairing.

3 p.m. Pairing Spicy Foods with Wine; Chris Schlesinger of East Coast Grill and Jimmy Burke of Riva Restaurant.

4 p.m. Explore the Wines from the Central Coast of California, with an emphasis on the Arroyo Seco and Paso Robles appellations from J Lohr Vineyards.

Seminar seats may be purchased through Marketing Resource Consultants at (860) 728-5700 or by visiting sunwinefest.com.

The main event at Sun Winefest is the Grand Tasting, which will be held in the Uncas Ballroom from noon to 5 p.m. each day. More than 1,000 wines provided by international wineries, tastings from restaurants, and exhibitors showcasing related services such as wine storage, culinary accessories and specialty foods will be featured. Tickets are $55 for a one-day pass and $85 for a weekend pass. Purchase online at ticketmaster.com, over the phone at (860) 886-0070, or in person at the Mohegan Sun Box Office.

For details about other events over the weekend, visit www.sunwinefest.com.