Weekly gastronomy agenda: En Primeur 2009 Bordeaux, Salon du Chocolat Cairo

En Primeur 2009 Bordeaux begins on March 30 and on March 31 the 2010 Amateur Sommelier of the Year competition closes. In April, those with a sweet tooth can celebrate chocolate in Cairo and literary foodies can marvel at edible book creations.

Voting open for Saveur's 1st Annual Food Blog Awards
March
worldwide

Saveur, an international gourmet food, wine and travel magazine, has launched the first award for food blogs by nominating the web's worthiest blog candidates in nine "Best" categories, including baking and desserts, wine, food photography, regional cuisine, special interest, culinary travel, individual post, innovative video content, and kitchen tools and hardware coverage. Cast your vote here: http://www.saveur.com/contest_bow.jsp?ID=1000011135&main=yes

En Primeur 2009 Bordeaux
March 30-April 1
Various châteaux, Bordeaux, France

En Primeur, also known as wine futures, is an annual event where the trade (wine investors and the press) comes together to taste the previous year's vintage while still in barrels to determine the wine rating, investment potential and price. Wines are tasted up to 18 months before bottled and the press generated from this highly anticipated event can set the tone for the wine market.
http://www.ugcb.net/index.php?page=events&ppage=primeurs2010&lang=en

Amateur Sommelier of the Year 2010 competition closes
March 31
Online

The Amateur Sommelier of the Year competition sponsored by the Academy of Food and Wine (AFW), official organization of sommeliers in the United Kingdom, in association with decanter.com, a renowned wine site, welcomes anyone to enter the competition. The laureate will receive a trophy and dinner for two at a Michelin-star London restaurant. The competition is twofold, first correctly answer questions online, be one of three selected out of a hat and win the final round by pairing wines for a virtual dinner party. Winners will be announced at the UK Sommelier of the Year Competition on April 28 in London.
http://www.decanter.com/competition/?id=6256

The International Edible Book Festival
April 1
worldwide

International Edible Book Day has been held every year since 2000 on or around April 1, coinciding with April Fools' Day. Creators Judith A. Hoffberg and Béatrice Coron invite people from all over the word to submit edible creations in the shape of books or in any way "bookish." Groups from Australia, Brazil, India, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Russia, and Hong Kong have taken part in the event, holding small events at which they display their edible creations, take pictures, and submit them to the Edible Book Day website. All are welcome to participate; for more information, visit:
http://www.books2eat.com

April Food Day
April 1
Online

April Food Day began last year and united over 200 bloggers to write and post information on April Food Day to fight hunger in America. April 1 is not just about pranks, but also hunger awareness campaigns and donating to charities that work to alleviate hunger in their communities. Given the nature of the campaign, bloggers all over the world can participate by uploading the April Food Day button on their blogs, posting more information and finding ways to help their communities combat hunger. For more info: http://aprilfoodday.blogspot.com/

Salon du Chocolat Cairo
April 1-4
Cairo, Egypt

This outrageous 15th annual traveling event devoted to the art and trade of chocolate will make its debut stop in Cairo and then head to other world cities including Paris, New York, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow and Madrid throughout 2010. Cairo is expecting to host over 80,000 chocolate lovers of all ages, fashion designers and representatives of the chocolate trade from four continents. Similar to past salons, the hosting nation will highlight local talent with chocolate demonstrations and a choctabulous fashion show. Egypt has enlisted its top five-star hotel chefs and the leading fashion designers will show four dresses made of chocolate; not to mention the Chocolate Academy for children and chocolate business sessions for trade and manufacturing. Day tickets are £E30-35 (€4-4.67).
http://www.salonduchocolategypte.com/en/


Vote for the 2010 People's Choice Cookbook Award
by April 5
online

For the first time the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Annual Cookbook Awards will include an award for "People's Choice" open to members and the public via e-voting. IACP judges have selected 47 finalists according to recipe testing and IACP strict criteria ranking. The finalists make up a global gastronomical and culinary smorgasbord with titles including Asian Dumplings, The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, Go Fish and World Whiskey. Winners will be announced on April 22 during the IACP's annual conference at the Awards Gala in Portland, Oregon. IACP not only invites the public to vote but also has a bookstore with all of the finalists.
http://www.iacp.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=889

2nd Annual Wine & Gourmet JAPAN
April 7-9
Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan

In partnership and co-located with The World Food and Beverage Great Expo (FABEX), Dessert, Sweet & Drink Festival and Japan Meat Industry Fair, Tokyo expects to welcome over 60,000 wine, food and hospitality trade participants. Representatives from 12 countries will take part in the fair in six dedicated pavilions put up by Spain, Europe, Germany, Korea, USA and France. Wine & Gourmet JAPAN will be 30 percent larger this year with over 500 exhibitors introducing the latest products in Wine & Spirits, Fine Food & Beverage, Confectionery, Food Catering, Foodservice Equipment & Supplies.
http://www.wineandgourmetjapan.com/

44th Annual Vinitaly
April 8-12
Veronafiere Fairground, Verona, Italy

Vinitaly is the largest five-day event devoted to international wines and spirits, winemaking and wine business. Each day offers a series of technical tastings, food & wine pairings, haute cuisine and much more with 4,200 exhibitors ranging from Champagne to Grappa. Over 150,000 participants including producers, importers, distributors, caterers, technicians, journalists and opinion leaders come together to celebrate wine and food with 'Taste of Italy' an opportunity to experience Italian products from cereals to truffles and the world of olive oil; the annual International Wine Competition and various business workshops. Tickets are available online, daily entry: € 35.
http://www.vinitaly.com/visitatori_en.asp

The 14th Annual World Beer Cup Gala and Awards Dinner
April 10
Chicago, Illinois, USA

Brewers Association, US-based association of brewers, began the World Beer Cup International Competition in 1996 to celebrate "the art and science of brewing." This event is often referred to as "The Olympics of Beer Competitions" because it awards gold, silver and bronze medals to the award-winning beers in 90 international styles, such as fruit and vegetable, experimental, coffee-flavored and Baltic-style Porter. It takes place every two years, and beers are judged by a panel of internationally recognized brewers, consultants, industry suppliers and writers. World Beer Cup European Awards Ceremony will take place May 5 in Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany. http://www.worldbeercup.org/

Jelly Bean Day
April 22
Worldwide

April 22 is a great excuse to keep eating jelly beans long after Easter this year. Many educators use this day to engage children with math, art and writing projects. Jelly Belly, a jelly bean company, has loads of ideas with their art rooms where jelly beans are the medium to create pictures of icons from Margaret Thatcher to Minnie Mouse; not to mention the unlimited flavor choice.
http://www.jellybelly.com/Art_Gallery/bean_art_gallery.aspx



Wine China Exhibition
April 23-25
National Agriculture Exhibition Center, Beijing, China

Wine China Exhibition is the 2010 China International Wine & Spirits event that will focus this year on wine culture, wine industry training and wine marketing. Beijing will host importers, wholesalers, dealers, agents and consumers from all over the world to expand brand promotion and education within China's rapid growing wine market. Exhibitors from wine producing countries range from Algeria to Paraguay. http://www.winechinaexhibition.com/en/index.html


2010 Grand Tour
April 24
The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Renowned wine publication and guide Wine Spectator hosts this annual best wines tour in the United States which begins on April 24 in Las Vegas and then travels to Washington DC on the 30th and makes its final stop in New York City on May 4. Over 200 world-renowned wineries including Château Lafite Rothschild, Miguel Torres and Schramsberg, will pour their one best wine during the three-hour public wine tastings. Tickets are $200 (€146). For a complete list of the wineries and more info, go to: http://www.winespectator.com/micro/show/id/grandtour2010-intro