‘Savor the Central Coast’: cooking, cocktails, galas, gardening

Sunset magazine’s “Savor the Central Coast” will kick off its second annual four-day showcase of wine and artisanal foods with a VIP reception and opening night event Sept. 29 at Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

The next day’s diversions include tours on land (milking a goat, making your own wine, hiking) and water (kayaking around the Morro Bay estuary), among other things, and are capped by the Western Wine Award, a gala beginning at 6 p.m. on the Pismo Beach pier.

Scores of local wineries and others from Washington state will gather at Santa Margarita Ranch, about 10 miles north of San Luis Obispo, for the main weekend event. Chef Cat Cora (of “Iron Chef America” fame) is to headline the cooking seminars, while docents share kitchen, garden and backyard farm tips. Meeting halfway between their respective homes, mixologists from San Francisco and Los Angeles will square off in a cocktail smackdown on Sunday.

Several hotel properties throughout the region are offering packages that include tickets to the main event, priced individually at $85 (one day) and $150 (two days). Demonstrations, seminars, adventure tours, special events and winemaker dinners range from $20 to $125.

Info: Savor the Central Coast, (800) 634-1414