Editor’s note: Mukta Tripathi, a Napa resident, is writing a series of articles on cooking vegetarian Indian food for the Register, based on her memories of growing up in India.

I once spent a winter living on Plum Island Sound in Ipswich, Mass., and there made the acquaintance of the regional specialty, the clam. It’s the local fast food; cut into strips and deep fried, it’s quite tasty. My children were always persuaded they were eating caterpillars, but this only added to the appeal for the pre-school set.

A few years ago sangiovese was being hailed as the next great red wine in America. But a funny thing happened on the way to the marketplace — people weren’t buying it.

Judd’s Hill Winery begins a festive and philanthropic tradition with the Judd’s Hill Musical Bonanza April 14, noon until 4 p.m. at the winery’s new location, 2332 Silverado Trail (between Hardman & Trancas). Tickets are $85 per person for the public and $70 for Judd’s Hill Wine Club members (and you can join at www.juddshill.com).

If the rush for tickets for its relatively new community event is any indication, Auction Napa Valley 2007 should be a wall-to-wall sell-out.