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ASHLAND -- If you don't know your Pinot Noir from your Sauvignon Blanc (or even if you do), Friday's event at the Paramount Arts Center is for you.

"Grape Expectations," now in its fifth year of introducing unique and varied wines to the taste buds of the Tri-State and raising more than $10,000 for the theater, is presented onstage at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Paramount.

Admission is $25 and includes wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres from Chef Chris Ross and the Bellefonte Country Club. The event is co-sponsored by Bridges Magazine and Carter Avenue Beverage Center.

"It's our fifth year, and with the people at the Paramount, the volunteers, the country club and the work they do, this is a pleasure to put on," said Ross, owner of the Carter Avenue Beverage Center. "It makes my job easy because they do such fabulous work."

The goal of the event is not to present a "stuffy" wine tasting but to offer a laid-back atmosphere of socializing and spirits.

"What we try to do is get new wines out there -- either new offerings from older companies or new companies altogether, maybe something that pushes the envelope with different blends or something that is really hot at the moment -- and put those out there for people to try. A lot of people don't try new things because they don't know if they'll like it or not," Ross explained.

Some of this year's choices include the Italian sparkling wine Prosecco, Moscato D'Asti and the Spanish wine Grenache.

"It's never the same wines from year to year; generally, it's new entries, smaller boutique wines that aren't readily available in this area. For example, we just recently put in the store Gann Family Cellars. They only make a sauvignon blanc and a chardonnay and only 300 cases of each for the entire world. That's not very much production, but it's still relatively economical and happens to be the very best blanc I've ever tried. That's the type of thing you'll find at 'Grape Expectations.'"

The evening also features a live auction of specialty wines and high-end wine accessories and products.

For more information or tickets, call the Paramount at 606-324-3175.

The Herald-Dispatch

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The Herald-Dispatch

Chef Chris Ross of the Bellefonte Country Club

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The Herald-Dispatch

The annual Grape Expectations wine-tasting event will take place Friday, Nov. 7 at the Paramount Arts Center. The event is a fundraiser for the historic facility.

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