Instead of attending any of the numerous wine events taking place in the Bay Area on any given Saturday, I decided to devote the entire day to a speech workshop given by Cara Hale Alter of www.speechskills.com. Unless I am forced to work, you would be hard-pressed to drag me away from wine on a Saturday. But after seeing Alter transform stuttery, muttery, and insecure speakers into poised performers who look as though they have spent their lives public speaking on stage, I had to see if she could work her magic on me. I am fine (most of the time) with a blank page and a word processor alone in my office, where I can write, rewrite, and reformulate my words again and again until they sound relatively smooth and articulate. In front of a crowd of people, however, it is a whole different story. At the start of the workshop, I found myself tripping over my tongue to get out a single, complete, coherent sentence, even when talking about my favorite subject – wine. By the end of the day, all seven workshop participants, including yours truly, I am proud to say, walked out of the Courtyard Marriott with exponentially more polished and confident speaking skills.
   

So of course afterward, I had to reward myself with some wine. I treated myself to a couple of bottles of spring nama sake (unpasteurized cold sakes, which provide maximum flavor and impact; to be enjoyed with pork, seafood, Mexican, Chinese, or chili) from True Sake, Then I wandered over to Orson, the new restaurant in SOMA opened by Chef Elizabeth Faulkner of Citizen Cake and Iron Chef America fame (as Cat Cora’s sous chef). I felt a bit old, sitting among the chic, tattooed thirty-somethings enjoying neon-colored cocktails in the black-paint-and-exposed-concrete-accented lounge, but nonetheless appreciated the modern atmosphere, and even splurged on a bottle of Jacquesson Champagne from Orson’s compact, yet potent wine list. Not surprisingly, desserts are the strong point of Orson. As for the savory plates, they seem to be evolving, like my speech skills.
   

By Sunday, I was back to the real world, but still being really hyperaware of how I enunciate every word. Check out Speechskills if you are interested in improving your presentation and public speaking skills. In the meantime, I am a firm believer that drinking wine makes everything better.
Seasons, 757 Market (at 3rd), 415-633-3838, www.baciodivino.com:
•    Bacio Divino Wine Dinner: four-course dinner including Janzen, Vagabond and Bacio Divino wines; Tuesday, April 1, 6:30 p.m.; $145/person

Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant, Ferry Building (Embarcadero at Market), 415-391-9400, www.fpwm.com:
•    Relic Winery with Mike Hirby; Wednesday, April 2, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
•    Hitching Post Wines with Gray Hartley; Wednesday, April 16, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
•    Red & White Burgundy with Paul Wasserman; Wednesday, April 30, 4:30-7:30 p.m.

K&L Wine Merchant, 638 4th St. (at Brannan), 415-896-1734, www.klwines.com:
•    Loring Wines; Thursday, April 3, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
•    Spanish Producers Tasting; Wednesday, April 9, 5-6:30 p.m.
•    Spanish Producers’ Dinner; Wednesday, April 9
•    Pezzi King; Thursday, April 10, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Officer’s Club, the Presidio, 50 Moraga (at Arguello) 925-465-1072, www.jaba.kintera.org/2008.wineauction.com
•    Junior Achievement’s 10th Annual Wine Tasting & Auction: fundraising reception including wines from 20 wineries, artisan food and restaurant samplings, cheese and chocolate tasting, live jazz, cooking demonstrations, silent and live auctions; Saturday, April 5, 3-6 p.m.; $75/person

Carnelian Room, 555 California St. (at Montgomery), 52nd floor, 415-381-4467, www.vintnersclub.org:
•    Tasting of Premium Central Coast Pinot Noirs with Gary Pisoni featuring wines from Alma Rosa, Belle Glos, Byron Vineyards, Capiaux Cellars, Miner Family, Pisoni Vineyards, ROAR, Sonnett Wine Cellars, Tamayo Family Vineyards, Testarossa Vineyards, and Windward Vineyard; Monday, April 7, 6:30 p.m.; $120/person

California Modern Art Gallery, 1035 Market St. (at 6th), 925-945-8340, www.winesocials.com:
•    Art & Wine Social for Single Professionals; Saturday, April 12, 7:30-9:30 p.m.; $20/person in advance, $30/person at the door
Campton Place Restaurant, 340 Stockton St. (at Sutter), 415-955-5555, www.tajhotels.com:
•    Jordan Vineyards Wine Tasting and Dinner: four-course dinner by Chef Srijith Gopinathan; Tuesday, April 15, 7-10:30 p.m.; $160/person
•    Hanzell Vineyard’s Rare Library Tasting Seminar and Dinner: four-course dinner by Chef Srijith Gopinathan; Tuesday, April 29, 7-10:30 p.m.; $200/person

L’Auberge Carmel, Monte Verde (at Ocean), Carmel By  The Sea, 831-624-8578, www.
laubergecarmel.com:
•    Peay Vineyards Winemaker Dinner pouring library wines and new releases; Friday, April 18; www.peayvineyards.com California Wine Hikes, 408-306-2848, www.californiawinehikes.com:

•    Wildflower Wonderland Hike & Winery Picnic: one-day moderate level hike and wine tasting tour; Saturday, April 19; $105/person
•    Sonoma Wine Trails and the Valley of the Moon: one-day easy level hike and wine tasting tour; Saturday, April 26; $105/person

Ottimista Enoteca - Café,
1838 Union (at Octavia), 415-674-8400, www.
ottimistasf.com:
•    Piemonte Wine Tasting & Seminar; Sunday, April 20, 3-5 p.m.; $55/person

Ferry Building Marketplace, 1 Ferry Building (at 11th St.), 913-385-7376, www.masters_of_wine.org:
•    Master of Wine Annual Austrian Wine Tasting; Monday, April 21, 5-8 p.m.; $30/person

Presidio Golf Clubhouse, 8 Presidio Terrace (at Arguello), 415-346-1325, www.dandm.com:
•    Tattinger Champagne Tasting; Wednesday, April 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; $75/person

Officer’s Mansion, 1 Fort Mason (at Bay), www.uncorkedevents.com:
•    Napa Valley With Altitude featuring over 100 wines from Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain and Diamond Mountain; Wednesday, April 23, 6-9:30 p.m.; $75/person in advance, $100/person at the door

California Culinary Academy, 625 Polk (at Turk), 800-231-9463, www.wineliteraryaward.com:
•    2008 Wine Literary Award Banquet featuring selection of 1,000 American wines plus a banquet prepared by San Francisco chefs; Friday, April 25, 6-11 p.m.; $195/person

Viognier, 222 East 4th Ave. (at B St.) San Mateo, 650-685-3727, www.viognierrestaurant.com:
•    Ridge Five-Course Wine Dinner featuring the 2004 Monte Bello Chardonnay and 1995 Monte Bello among the wines to be poured; Friday, April 25, 6:30 p.m.; $145/person

Westin St. Francis Grand Ballroom, 335 Powell (at Post), 415-856-0939, www.sfwineauction.org:
•    32nd Annual San Francisco Wine Auction featuring wines from Long Meadow Ranch, Faust, BOND, Peay Vineyards, Maybach, Ken Wright Cellars, and Jones Family, live entertainment, dancing, and dinner prepared by Chef Michael Mina; Saturday, April 26, 6 p.m.-midnight; $275/person in advance, $300/person at the door (event proceeds support The Guardsmen General Fund for indoor and outdoor educational programs for at-risk youth)

Judd’s Hill Musical Bonanza, 2332 Silverado Trail (at Trancas), Napa, 707-255-2332, www.juddshill.com:
•    2nd Annual Wine Tasting & Barbecue featuring music by The Rhythm Cats, specialty barbecue by National Champion Barbecuer Pat Burke, and tastes of three new releases as well as Judd’s Hill library wines; Saturday, April 26, 12-4 p.m.; $55 per person

Cellar360, 900 North Point (at Larkin), 415-440-0772, www.
cellar360.com:
•    Food & Wine Pairing Class by COPIA; Saturday, April 26, 2:30-4 p.m.; $45/person

San Francisco Wine Center, 757 Bryant (at 6th St.), 415-814-2908, www.hiptastes.com:
•    Hip Tastes Saturday School: Golden State Greats; Saturday, April 26, 3-5 p.m.; $60/person