Reason to cheer for cheeseheads

SHELBURNE FARMS, VT.

Vermont Cheesemakers Festival: Fifty cheesemakers will offer their best creations, 20 wineries and breweries will conduct tastings, and 15 artisan food producers will display wares at this festival. Participants include Eric Warnstedt, chef and co-owner of Hen of the Wood, Waterbury, Vt.; Matt Jennings, owner of the Farmstead, Providence; Laura Werlin, author and cheese specialist; and Liz Thorpe, author and vice president of Murray’s Cheese, New York. Festivalgoers will be treated to cheese tastings and cheese-making demonstrations. Cost is $20, with a $45 fee for some demonstrations and tastings. On Aug. 22, cheesemakers, vineyards, and breweries will host open studios across Vermont with tours and tastings. A map is at the website. www.vtcheesefest.com, 800-884-6287.

AUG. 8

AUSTIN, TEXAS

American Cheese Society Festival of Cheese: This annual conference and competition, dubbed this year “Cheese in the Heart of Texas,’’ opens to the public for just one day. An extravaganza of 1,000 cheeses entered in the year’s contests to judge the best in the country allows visitors to sample cheese, wine, and beer, and meet the cheesemakers. On Aug. 9, there will be a sale of many of the cheeses, also open to the public. Cost for the three-hour festival is $75. www.cheesesociety.org, 502-574-9950.

JULY-AUGUST MIAMI

Miami Spice: If you’re a fan of Restaurant Week in Boston or New York, and if you love Miami, head to Florida for this city’s two months of dining deals. Restaurants in South Beach, North Beach, and other locations are offering lunch for $22 and dinner for $35. Participating restaurants include Blade at the Fontainebleau, China Grill SoBe, La Marea, Lido at the Standard, Cofraida Ceviche Bar, Chef Allen’s Modern Sea Grill, and Cascata Grill. www.ilovemiamispice.com, 800-933-8448.

SEPT. 4-6

SONOMA COUNTY, CALIF.

Sonoma Wine Country Weekend: Some of the country’s finest vineyards will participate in this Labor Day weekend event. Winemaker lunches and specialty dinners will be set in vineyards and will focus on varietals such as cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, and zinfandel. A gala wine auction at Cline Cellars in Sonoma will cap the weekend. Many of the lunches and dinners are sold out, but seats are available at events at such wineries as Francis Ford Coppola, Rodney Strong, Lambert Bridge, and Hop Kiln Winery. Prices range from $75 for lunches and $160 for dinners to $500 for the all-day wine auction. www.sonomawinecountryweekend.com, 800-939-7666.

SEPT. 15-20

BARDSTOWN, KY.

Kentucky Bourbon Festival: Events in this six-day festival range from seminars on the ancient craft of barrel making, to cooking demonstrations using bourbon, to a golf tournament, horseshoe contests, historical tours, and plenty of activities for children. Nine bourbon makers from Jim Beam to Maker’s Mark to Heaven Hill Distilleries are participating, and some are featuring tours during the festival. The main events range from “Boots and Bourbon’’ with plenty of country music, food, and bourbon to a Great Kentucky Bourbon Tasting & Gala. Costs range widely, from free to $140 each for the gala; proceeds benefit Bardstown area charities. www.kybourbonfestival.com, 800-638-4877.

PLAN AHEAD

OCT. 4

REDWOOD CITY, CALIF.

Arts & Olive Festival: Cañada College combines arts with olives on a campus with more than 350 olive trees. The festival, which costs only a suggested $5 donation, is low-key with a seminar on home-curing olives, vendors selling olives, olive products, and other foods. Art displays and many activities for children round out the one-day affair. www.olivefest.com, 650-306-3428.

ALISON ARNETT

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