Small brewers have long boasted that their beer can stand up to the finest wine. Their new strategy: Make beer that tastes like wine.

Korbel Champagne Cellars has sold its Russian River Brewing label to the head beer-maker, who hopes to open a new production facility and brewpub in Santa Rosa next spring.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Russian River Brewing Company's Head Brewer Vinnie Cilurzo and Cathedral Hill Hotel's Executive Chef Bruce Paton combined their considerable talents on June 21, 2002, to create an awesome dinner, pairing beer and food. This was Chef Paton's 18th such event. A passionate, exciting chef committed to expanding beer cuisine, Paton is a regular at local beer events. Equally as passionate about his art, Cilurzo shared many of his special brewing techniques with the capacity crowd of beer enthusiasts.

DENVER -- The last Great American Beer Festival of the 20th century opened its doors on Thursday, October 7, 1999, and closed at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 9. In the short space of three days, record crowds totaling 38,000 beer lovers packed Currigan Hall in downtown Denver, giving the 400 breweries pouring over 1,700 different beers a definite workout! Speculation was high concerning the future of the event, given the uncertain fate of Currigan Hall. A bond issue will decide its future, but no contracts have been signed for GABF 2000 at this writing.

GUERNEVILLE, Calif. -- Vinnie Cilurzo loves to brew beer. He was born and raised in a winemaking family in Temecula, Calif., and it was always assumed that Vinnie would take over the winemaking chores at the family vineyard. Vinnie's homebrewing hobby got out of hand, however, and the rest is brewing history. As a brewer/partner at Temecula's Blind Pig Brewery, Vinnie set new standards for uncompromising beer-making in Southern California. His Blind Pig IPA was and is legendary.

Standing at the phone in the exhaust-filled loading area of the arrivals level at the San Francisco Airport, dialing the Celebrator offices in order to find out whether Celebrator publisher Tom Dalldorf had yet left to pick me up, I spied the familiar white vehicle as it cruised blissfully by with Tom sitting contentedly at the wheel. Not knowing where, or if, he might stop, I grabbed my suitcase and took off down the platform after the well-marked van, eventually catching up with Tom at a crosswalk and piling breathlessly into the passenger's seat almost before he realized that I was there.