It's Pittsburgh Wine Festival time. The festival, now in its eight year, will be held next Thursday, May 6, in the East and West Club wings of Heinz Field. Although the number of wines presented at the festival has grown from 120 in 2003 to 526 this year, the price of tickets thankfully hasn't changed.

There are two levels of admission. The VIP tasting, from 5 to 7 p.m., is limited to 700 tickets for $250 per person. VIP tasters are presented with premium wines not available to the general admission ticket holders and they can continue tasting until 9 p.m., which more than justifies the higher ticket price. General admission, $125 per person, is from 7 to 9 p.m. Proceeds from the silent auction of 50 large-format bottles of wine will benefit research at UPMC.

It is unfortunate that unlike most American wine festivals, Pittsburgh offers no winemaker seminars. Ed Harrell, the festival organizer, has been planning for some time to add them. Hopefully next year he will fill that big gap.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will operate a retail shop on the premises. One will be able to purchase any of the event wines that are in the PLCB inventory at that store during the four-hour tasting period. For wines presented at the festival but not in the current inventory, attendees can order them and pick them up later at their local PLCB store.

Because tasting a wide variety of wines is essential to developing a good palate and to increasing one's wine knowledge, the festival is an indispensable tool for wine lovers. With 526 bottles offered for tasting, it is almost impossible to cover the entire range. I suggest that you develop a tasting plan that will help assure that you taste as many wines as time allows. Last year, I was intent on getting you to taste unusual grape varieties. (You can find that column online by searching "Pittsburgh Wine Festival".

This year, I have divided the wines along geographic lines. Keep in mind that geography also influences the grape variety. For example, when you taste Greek wines you will likely be trying varieties not grown elsewhere in the wine world. If you choose a few wines from each region and some grape varieties that are unfamiliar, I promise you will have an educational tasting.

I always advise that you write down a few words about each wine you taste to jog your memory later so it is a good idea to bring a small notebook and pen. I like to wear something with deep pockets to hold car keys and a credit card so that I can leave my wallet and purse at home to lessen the load. I also put the notebook and pen in the pocket. It's hard to juggle all that with a glass and other paraphernalia but it will make the tasting more useful when you are later thinking of purchasing some of the wines.

Tables 1 through 66 are in the East Club and 67 through 151 are in the West Club.

Having studied wine at the University of Bordeaux and lived for 15 years in Beaune, the heart of Burgundy, I have a special fondness for French wines. Fortunately, many of France's regions are represented at this year's festival. They offer tastes of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, gamay, syrah, grenache, mourvedre, pinot noir, chardonnay, gewurztraminer, riesling and viognier grapes.

Alsace, table 109. Riesling and gewurztraminer grapes.

Beaujolais, table 102. Gamay grapes.

Bordeaux, table 99 and 109. Bordeaux blends of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot grapes.

Burgundy (Cotes d'Or, Chalonnais and Maconnais), tables 93, 98, 100, 105, 106. Chardonnay and pinot noir grapes.

Chablis, table 113. Unoaked chardonnay.

Champagne, tables 92 and 94. Champagne's traditional blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier grapes.

Loire Valley, table 98, sauvignon blanc.

Rhone Valley, tables 97, 101, 103, 104, 107 and 108. There are 13 grape varieties allowed in Chateauneuf du Pape but the majority of all Rhone varieties are syrah, grenache and mourvedre. Table 104 will offer viognier.

Southwestern France, table 111. Syrah, cabernet and grenache grapes.

For rieslings and gewurztaminers, tables 90 and 91.

Unusual grapes are found at table 88 and 89. Agiorghitiko (St. George), xinomavro (reds), moscofilero and assyrtiko (white) grapes.

Italy is a treasure house of grape varieties almost too numerous to name and all very much worth trying. The regions represented are:

Fruili-Venezia, tables 122, 131. Primarily white wines. Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, picolit and tokai fruilano grapes.

Piedmont, tables 80, 125, 132, 135, 136. Nebbiolo (red) and arneis (white) grapes.

Sicily, table 133, burdese, moscato and nero d'Avola grapes.

Tuscany, tables 79, 119, 121, 124, 127, 130, 131, 139, 141. Sangiovese, canaiolo, malvasia bianca and pinot bianco grapes.

Umbria, table 120. Sagrantino grapes.

Veronese/Veneto, table 123, 128, corvina, rondinella, molinara, pinot grigio and gargenega grapes.

To taste Iberian peninsula varieties albarino, viura, verdejo, monastrell, granacha and tempranillo, plus fortified sherries and ports, proceed to tables 111, 116, 141, 147, 148, 149, 150 and 151.

Folio Wine Partners at table 115 will present wines from Spain, Italy and Austria (Gruner Veltliner grapes).

Barsotti Wines at table 114 will present Italian, Chilean and California wines.

Some very fine examples of wines from Down Under will be poured at tables 79 through 85. Prevalent grape varieties are sauvignon blanc, riesling, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot noir.

Wines from these regions cover all the classic grape varieties.

California wines begin at table 1 and continue through table 60. You will also find them at tables 92, 138 and 139.

Domaine Drouhin in Oregon is at table 57.

Washington state's wines are at tables 58 and 59.

Argentina, 68 through 73, 76, 145, 146. The usual grapes plus malbec, bonarda (reds) and torrontes (white).

Chile, tables 63, 74, 75, 96, 131, 141, 143, 144. The usual red and white grapes plus carmenere (red).

Brazil, table 145. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir and chardonnay.

Uruguay, table 110. Tannat grape from Madiran region of southwest France produces a friendlier version in this sunny clime.

Tables 77 and 78. Pinotage, cabernet sauvignon, merlot shiraz, sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and chardonnay.

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