The Napa Valley Grapegrowers will bestow its prestigious Grower of the Year Award on longtime Rutherford grower Davie Piña at the organization’s dinner on June 1 at Paraduxx Winery in Yountville.

“Davie’s contributions to Napa are unparalleled” said Jennifer Kopp, executive director of the Grapegrowers. “Davie has been instrumental in leading the Rutherford Dust River Restoration Team to enhance and restore the river along 4.5 miles of the Napa River and its neighboring habitat.

He has been assistant chief of the Rutherford Fire Department for 18 years and in that capacity, spearheaded the project to build the new and much-needed firehouse on the Rutherford section of Silverado Trail.

And as if that weren’t enough for a man with two full-time jobs, Piña’s work in organizing farm managers to legalize farm management operations in the unincorporated area of Napa County was a big step forward towards protecting the integrity and quality of farming in Napa.”

Congressman Mike Thompson, Assemblywoman Noreen Evans and State Senator Pat Wiggins will give Piña official proclamations at the dinner.

To attend the dinner contact the Napa Valley Grapegrowers office at 944-8311 or info@napagrowers.org.

Copia has joined with Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco to sponsor Uncorked!, the Ghirardelli Square Wine Festival, on Saturday. The event, 1-6 p.m., will showcase award-winning wines and will also feature food and chefs’ demonstrations.

It’s free, but in order to purchase wine, you must buy a ticket, which costs $40. Tickets will be available at Ghirardelli Square on the day of the event or online at www.ghirardellisq.com

State Senator Patricia Wiggins, D-Santa Rosa, conducts an informational hearing on direct wine sales at 1:30 p.m. May 31 in room 3191 at the Capitol in Sacramento.

The hearing will be under the auspices of the Select Committee on California’s Wine Industry, and will involve “Granholm v Heald and Beyond: Retailer Direct-to-Consumer Shipping.”

O’Brien Cellars has launched Wine for Hope, an online wine retail store which will raise funds for Academy of Friends, an organization that grants funds for HIV/AIDS direct care and prevention education agencies in the Bay Area.

Bart O’Brien said that Wine for Hope will donate 20 percent of all wine sales to Academy of Friends. He said he plans to invite other Napa Valley wineries to participate.

Info, www.wineforhope.com.

SoloRosa, a Napa Valley vintner specializing in rosé wine, has released three new wines: 2006 Russian River Valley syrah rosé, 2006 Russian River Valley pinot noir rosé, and 2006 California rosé, a 50-50 blend of Atlas Peak Vineyard sangiovese and Lodi merlot.

The Carneros Heritage Fest is June 1-2 at the Donum Estate ranch and vineyard, 24500 Ramal Road, in Sonoma and will showcase the Carneros region’s wines, cuisine and history.

One of the features will be the Taste of Carneros lamb cook-off with 12 local area chefs competing to create the “most tantalizing lamb dishes.” Also on the agenda will be the Carneros Lamb BBQ by Marc Rasic, a Google executive chef.

A series of dinners will be held on June 1 involving Carneros wineries, hotels and restaurants. Tickets are $75 per person. Info, www.carneros.com

Judd Finkelstein, of Judd’s Hill Winery, leads his group, the Makai Gents Featuring the Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa, at a concert at Copia at 8 p.m. on May 31. Finkelstein is an accomplished ukulele player and his group has entertained at events nationwide. A complimentary tasting of Judd’s Hill wine precedes the concert beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20, $18 for Copia members. For information, go to www.mkgents.com or www.copia.org

Roots of Peace has presented its first Global Citizens Awards to Mike Grgich of Grgich Hills Cellar and to Queen Noor of Jordan for assisting in Roots of Peace’s efforts to eradicate landmines. The presentation took place on the Queen Mary 2 while it was docked in New York recently.

Grgich visited his native Croatia with Roots of Peace in 2000, and was inspired to raise funds for removal of landmines during a charity fundraiser celebrating the 25th anniversary of the famed Paris Tasting, in which a Grgich-made chardonnay beat French Burgundies. Since then he has continued to raise funds for Roots of Peace, which has completed projects in six cities in Croatia.

David Green has been appointed general manager of Joel Gott Wines and will be responsible for the daily operations and strategic growth of the Napa Valley-based vintner.

Green has 12 years of wine industry experience with Chalone Wine Group and Turnbull Wine Cellars in Napa Valley and Lancaster Estate in Alexander Valley, and most recently was president of Dana Estates in Rutherford.

Intertia Beverage Group has added three wine industry leaders to its advisory board, it was announced by CEO Paul Maybray. Vic Motto of Global Wine Partnmers LLC, Tom Shelton of Joseph Phelps Winery and Mary Ann Tsai of Luna Vineyards all joined the board, with Tsai serving as chair.

Pink Out! SF 2007, a tasting of rosé wines produced by 45 vintners, takes place Monday at Butterfly restaurant on Pier 33 on San Francisco’s Embarcadero. The event is sponsored by Rosé Avengers and Producers and will feature both still and sparkling rosés. The trade and media portion is 4:30-6 p.m., with consumers admitted 6:30-8:30 p.m. Consumer tickets are $25 in advance and are available at www.rapwine.com.

Robert Craig introduces its 2004 Mt. Veeder cabernet sauvignon with wine and food pairings, music and barrel tastings at the Napa tasting room Saturday , 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15/person credited toward purchase (no charge for Cabernet Club members).

The Mt. Veeder cabernet comes from a single vineyard, at 1,800 feet. The winery, in the Howell Mountain appellation, is not open to the public. The Napa tasting room at 880 Vallejo St. offers tastings by appointment, Monday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Robert Craig was recently named one of Napa Valley’s top 50 cabernet sauvignon producers for the past 15 years by the Wine Spectator. Info, www.robertcraigwine.com, or 252-2250, ext. 1.

Charles Krug hosts tastings of four limited release wines, produced only during optimal vintages and in small case quantities, May 25-27, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tasting fee is $10, complimentary to Wine Club members. Winemaker Adolfo Alarcon will be on hand on May 25, 1- 5 p.m. to answer questions. Reservations are not required. Info, (800) 682-5784.