Winning wine: The Virginia Wineries Association has awarded 30 gold medals to wines across the state, including Barboursville’s 2012 Octagon, Fabbioli Cellars’ 2010 Tannat, Ingleside Vineyards’ 2014 Albariño and Virginia Wineworks Raisin d’Etre White. There were 390 entries submitted this year, and out of the 30 awarded gold medals, 12 will be chosen for the Governor’s Cup Case. Those wines and the overall winner of the Virginia Wineries Association’s 2015 Governor’s Cup will be announced Feb. 24 at the John Marshall ballrooms. vawine.org.
And more wine: The Virginia Wine Expo is upon us. From Feb. 17-22, expect a plethora of wine and food events, including the Style Weekly-sponsored Great RVA Brunch Party on Sunday, Feb. 22, starting at 10 a.m. virginiawineexpo.com.
Chef changes: Divine Restaurant in Rivers Bend Shopping Center in Chester has a new chef and menu. Look for a wide variety of cuisines and styles, including Maine scallops on barbecue duck confit and Loch Duart salmon with coconut Thai curry sauce. divine-rb.com.
Openings: The Tin Pan Restaurant and Listening Room opened Saturday, Feb. 14, at Quioccasin Station near Regency Square You can hear live music — folk, Americana, bluegrass, jazz, pop rock — along with your dinner, prepared by chef Brian Nageotte. There are appetizers, sandwiches and entrées including lobster mac ’n’ cheese, chicken pot pie and beef tournade. tinpanrva.com.
Closings: Sad news, first reported by the Times-Dispatch. Richmond’s first Thai restaurant, Beauregard’s Thai Room, which opened in 1994, closed last month. Nonetheless, Thai cuisine fans needn’t worry. Alexandria’s Sang Jun Thai Restaurant took over the space and is now open. Boka Kantina in the West End also closed. sangjunthai.com.
Happy New Year: Celebrate Chinese and Vietnamese New Year’s with chef Minh Coli on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. You’ll learn how to make Vietnamese fried shrimp and pork rolls and deep fried dumplings stuffed with mung bean paste, among other things, during her class at Southern Season. southernseason.com.
Food and brews: Belgians know beer — they practically invented it. Or at least, Belgian monks have been brewing it since the Middle Ages and that’s a long time. Enjoy a six-course, traditional Belgian dinner paired with six different varieties of Belgian beer for $55 at Brux’l Café on Tuesday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. bruxlcafe.com.
