On the Plate: Upcoming Food and Wine Events

August 4: Winemaking Demo - Bottling
Learn about the wine bottling process as students bottle, cork, capsule and label their 2006 and 2005 California wine in this final step. Stop by for a free demo and tour of the Piazza Brothers School of Winemaking, and taste the 2006 wines. 10:00 - 3:00, 690 Gulf Avenue, Staten Island, 732-299-8812.

August 6: Regional Mexican Dinner at Mercadito
Mercadito brings back their four-course regional Mexican dinners every Monday night. We went to a few of them last summer and highly recommend them. This week, $30 per person buys you a taste of the Costa Del Pacifico (Pacific Coast), including Ceviche Estilo Acapulco (Lime marinated red snapper, orange-pico de gallo, and tomato-guajillo broth), Tacos Estilo Baja California (Lemon poached lobster, chipotle-garlic mojo, sliced avocado) and Pollo Estilo Nayarit (Adobo marinated whole chicken, roasted zucchini casserole, bay leaf-corn salsa), plus dessert. Mercadito East Village, 179 Avenue B between 11th and 12th Streets, 212-529-6490.

August 8: Mountain Cheeses
That fresh mountain air does wonders for cheese, especially after a year of aging. Join world traveler and food writer Nathalie Jordi, formerly of England's famed fromagerie Neal's Yard Dairy, for a tasting of these Alpine greats and learn about how although mountain cheesemaking began for practical reasons, it has evolved into much more. 6:30 - 8:00 PM, $50.00, tickets available online. Murray's, 254 Bleecker Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.