To the delight of local carnivores, Copia has adopted “Steaks, Chops and Cabernet” as its theme and wine-and-food-pairing focus this month.

To that end, staffers scheduled a variety of events exploring “killer cabernets,” tasting Bordeaux blends in the facility’s inviting gardens and learning from a popular local chef “how to select a great steak.”

One of the most popular events scheduled on Fridays every month is “A Taste of Copia Lunch.” As the regular Friday lunches — called “Steakhouse Classics” this month — are just about sold out, two weekend lunches have been added, on Sunday, Oct. 15, and Saturday, Oct. 21. Attendees share in cooking techniques for this lunch and dine on Caesar salad, surf and turf with creamed spinach and are treated to strawberry cheesecake ice cream for dessert. The meal also comes with a few wines, including a hearty cab.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, Director of Wine Peter Marks and Associate Director of Wine Burke Owens host “Killer Cabernets,” a tasting of “some of the best reds in the world.” Owens notes 10 wines will be tasted blind “for a thrilling smackdown to reveal the King of Cabs.” Wines sure to be tasted include Opus One, Joseph Phelps Insignia, Ornellaia, a trio of Bordeaux blends, and a cab from both Sonoma County and Washington. The tab for this event is $125, or $110 for Copia members.

Special food events — including wine pairing — see Victor Scargle, executive chef of Julia’s Kitchen, and Don Watson, owner of Napa Valley Lamb Company, exploring all aspects of raising and preparing lamb, and Greg Cole, chef/owner of Cole’s Chop House, conducting “Grass-Fed, Corn-Fed: How To Select a Great Steak.” The events are Sunday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 28, respectively. Cost is $35 per person.

This fall’s biggest wine event is “Taste of Copia — Napa,” from Saturday, Oct. 14 12:30-3 p.m., a walk-around wine tasting featuring 60 Napa Valley wineries. There’ll be more than cabs poured, as local producers offer recently released whites, rosés and sparklers to attendees. Cost of this special tasting is $45 before Oct. 13. Tickets the day of the event will be $50.

The daily lineup

“Winetasting 101” is the daily class offered by Copia staffers. Scheduled at 10:15 daily and again at 1 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, this 30-minute session is designed to teach attendees the ABCs of wine tasting.

The “Winery of the Week” program offers a complimentary wine tasting from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily with cabernets the focus during October. The winemaker from the week’s featured winery is on hand Saturdays to pour and talk about his or her wines. Featured wineries this month are Beringer Vineyards, Franciscan Oakville Estate, Louis M. Martini Winery and Beaulieu Vineyards.

Copia offers “Wine in the Cabernet Gardens” at 11:45 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. It’s here, says Owens, attendees learn the flavor profile of the cabernet sauvignon grape (such as blackberries, currants, mint and rosemary) and see the grape as it matures on Copia garden vines.

“Attendees experience the flavor of our gardens and they can actually see where the grapes are in the growing cycle. They can also taste the grapes as they taste the wine. It’s all very user friendly.”

What they won’t get to taste, however, is the wine made from these grapes. The wine team (Marks and Owens) and the garden team (Colby Eierman and Jeff Dawson) has made wine from the past several harvests. Just bottled was the 2005 Parking Lot Red that Owens says, “is not available commercially, which is probably a good thing.”

A pair of worthy “great-bang-for-the-buck” reds from Esser Vineyards is featured throughout October for the “Wine in the Cabernet Gardens” sessions. Produced by industry veteran Manfred Esser and his family, these wines source choice fruit from a number of growing regions in California.

Esser Vineyards 2005 California Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.95): Paso Robles fruit is in the forefront of this blend, with Lodi, Lake County and Sonoma County wines adding complexity to the blend. Blackberries and plums — even a hint of cherries — are pronounced, along with a spice component, in both aroma and taste. Bright fruit on the entry leads to a slightly hot finish (alcohol is 13.7 percent), and eventually a lingering, pleasant blackberry taste. Extended maceration has resulted in soft tannins, making this a wine ready to drink now. This is terrific fruit for this price point.

Esser Vineyards 2005 California Merlot ($9.95): this is blend of mostly merlot (80 percent), with cabernet sauvignon (16 percent) and syrah (4 percent), sourced from Paso Robles, Lodi and Solano counties. A soft, easy-drinking wine, this comes up a little short in comparison to Esser’s cabernet — yet it’s a nice wine for the price. The earthy nose also displays exotic spice, while black cherries and Santa Rosa plums come to mind when tasting this supple merlot.

Both of these wines will be available at Cornucopia, the retail shop at Copia.

As for the other wineries featured at Copia this month, here’s a few wines Copia-goers may well taste:

Beaulieu BV Coastal Estates 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.99): a blend of Central and North Coast fruit, this medium-bodied, easy-drinking cab has a nice floral nose, with spicy and minty notes. Plums and cherries are evident on entry through a nice finish, with just a hint of chocolate. This line of wine always provides bang for the buck.

Beringer Founders’ Estate 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon ($11): a great price for an exceptional offering from Beringer, with inviting cassis and vanilla aromas leading to a mouthful of fleshy black fruit with a nice lingering, spicy finish.

Louis M. Martini 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($25): a winery consumers can always count on, Martini (now part of the Gallo empire) produces consistently first-rate cabs vintage after vintage. The 2003 is one of the better offerings, with a blend of cabernet sauvignon (78 percent) and merlot (18 percent), with small amounts of cabernet franc, sangiovese, petit verdot, petite sirah and syrah providing requisite spice. Although the alcohol is 14.2 percent, the wine is soft and supple, with abundant cherries and blackberries quite pronounced in both nose and palate.

Franciscan Oakville Estate 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($28): aromas of cassis and coffee are apparent as you take in the nose of this attractive cab from this first-rate Oakville producer. Offering supple tannins and a lingering black fruit finish, this excellent Bordeaux blend (11 percent merlot and 1 percent petit verdot added to the supple cabernet sauvignon) is a well-structured, balanced example of how outstanding fruit is turned into exceptional wine by first-rate winemakers. This is a wine you can drink now or lay down for a couple of years. In fact, this cab lover intends to invest in a few bottles and shove ’em to the back of my so-called cellar.