With lifted glass and purple feet

Grape stomping, hot air balloon rides, tastings, food, and music are on the menu during Virginia Wine Month. More than 130 wineries are taking part.

OCTOBER

VIRGINIA

Virginia Wine Month, 20th Anniversary: More than 130 wineries in this state will be offering tastings and other celebratory events this month. Try Virginia's famous Norton grape at Chrysalis Vineyard's Norton Wine and Bluegrass Festival Oct. 4-5 and hear local bluegrass music. Admission is $20. On Oct. 18-19, hot air balloons will float over the historic Long Branch plantation in Millwood, where 17 wineries will offer tastes. Children's activities, live music, and other festivities will also be part of the Hot Air Balloon and Wine Festival. Admission is $10. Throughout October, the Tides Inn in Irvington is offering a two-night Women Wild About Wine package deal that includes tours of six wineries, special accommodations along scenic Chesapeake Bay, and spa services such manicures and pedicures. Cost of the package is $335; tidesinn.com. The Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville is offering a package that provides unlimited access to the wineries and vineyards along the Monticello Wine Trail, a three-course dinner for two, daily breakfast, and two bottles of wine. Cost is $571 for a double room with a two-night minimum stay; boarsheadinn.com. virginia.org/wine.

OCT. 17-19

EDGARTOWN

Martha's Vineyard Food & Wine Festival: Stay close to home and enjoy this second annual event. It celebrates the sea, the farm, and the vine with celebrity guests, representatives from international wineries, and island farms and seafood. Some of the events include barbecuing with Andy Husbands of Tremont 647 and Sister Sorel in Boston, and Dante deMagistris of Dante in Cambridge; a discussion of chocolate and dessert wines by chocolate specialist Lee Napoli, and a dinner at a private home with Peter Davis of Henrietta's Table in Cambridge. Events range from free to $500. seafarmvine.org.

OCT. 18-19

HALF MOON BAY, CALIF.

Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival: Get geared up for Halloween at a festival celebrating all things pumpkin. Carvers will sculpt a pumpkin weighing more than 1,000 pounds; homestyle pumpkin treats will be served; and a pumpkin parade will march along Main Street. There will be daily pancake breakfasts, pumpkin-eating contests, and pumpkin weigh-ins. Admission is free. 650-726-9652, miramarevents.com.

OCT. 16-18

CALGARY, ALBERTA

Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival: Selections of wine, scotch, port, beer, spirits, and liqueurs will be quaffed at 170 exhibitor booths at this festival in the Calgary Grand Tasting Hall. Area restaurants will offer small plates of their specialties, and cheese seminars given by the Dairy Farmers of Canada will explain Canadian cheeses, offer tastings, and explain how to pair wines with cheeses. Tickets $15-$25, rockymountainwine.com.

PLAN AHEAD DEC. 7-28

CHARLESTON, S.C.

Chocolate Seductions Tours: It's a dream for chocoholics. Participants on these small tours will sample decadent chocolate desserts as they visit three Charleston restaurants. Along the way, guests will learn about the city's history and significance in the culinary world. Pastry chefs from the restaurants Charleston Grill in the Charleston Place Hotel, Cypress, and McCrady's will give demonstrations on how to use chocolate. Cost is $60 each. 843-723-3366, charleston.com.

ALISON ARNETT

Events are sometimes canceled, rescheduled, or sold out; call or check online to confirm. Alison Arnett can be reached at alacarte59@aol.com.