Two wine events this weekend will offer distinctly different opportunities.

For Virginia wine lovers -- and that number is growing if attendance at wine festivals is any indication -- the 17th annual James River Wine Festival will be Saturday and Sunday at Innsbrook Pavilion.

A festival record 25 state wineries will be pouring more than 125 wines, many of which are their high-end wines.

For California wine lovers, the Ladybug Winetasting and Silent Auction takes place Saturday at Plant Zero and will feature 52 of that state's top wines, including reserves from wineries such as Beringer, Rodney Strong and Clos du Bois.

Virginia is quickly becoming adept at producing top-tier wines, but some wineries continue to pursue across-the-board excellence. Still, the James River Festival offers the chance to taste many of the state's fine wines.

Among the standouts not to miss is Horton Vineyard's 2006 Viognier.

The winery calls this white a bold, spicy, aromatic wine with an intense peach flavor with a hint of vanilla, and a recent tasting proved the description accurate.

After tasting the Horton Viognier, try Chateau Morrisette's highly acclaimed version and compare.

You'll find a wine with strong apricot aromas with nice peach flavors. Some spice pokes through. It's similar to Horton's, but distinctive in its own right.

Then try other Viogniers, and you'll discover why this is one of Virginia's top varietals.

With Barboursville, Amrhein, Chateau Morrisette, Cooper, Grayhaven, James River, Lake Anna and Prince Michel among those represented, crowds of more than last year's 5,400 (over two days) are expected.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the gate, and the hours are noon to 7 Saturday and noon to 6 Sunday.

The Ladybug wine tasting will run from 5-8 p.m. Saturday with an advance ticket price of $75, $85 at the door. Proceeds go to the Greater Richmond ARC to help children with developmental disabilities.

Thom Horsey, mid-Atlantic district manager for Rodney Strong Vineyards, selected the wines for this all-California event.

"In the past I have used wines from all over the world," he said. "This year, I decided to focus on California-only since I have access to so many of the top flight wines from California from my colleagues.

"Also, since there are so many events in the general area that feature Virginia wines only, I did not want to compete or duplicate these events."

How do Virginia wines compare with California and other wines?

"The progress the Virginia wineries have made is phenomenal," said Horsey, a Virginia Tech graduate who worked for Robert Mondovi for 18 years before moving to Rodney Strong a year ago.

"It's a long-term business, and you just don't start out and make great wines in a few years. Clearly, Virginia is making wines that show it is a world-class area."

Horsey is the ARC Board of Directors' chairman and, along with his wife, Karen, co-founder of the Ladybug Winetasting and Silent Auction.

"The title I prefer," Horsey said, "is a parent who has seen the great work these folks do for the kids."
"Vines & Wines" appears alternate weeks in the Food section. Contact Jack Berninger at jberninger@timesdispatch.com.