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The fifth annual Pittsburgh Wine Festival will begin Saturday with former White House chef Walter Scheib preparing a gourmet meal at The Carlton Restaurant, Downtown, and will wrap up with an informative cocktail buffet in Lawrenceville on April 27, sponsored by Slow Food Pittsburgh.

The festival is presented by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and Comcast. Proceeds benefit the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

• Seats still are available for The Carlton's kickoff five-course wine dinner at 6:30 p.m Saturday, featuring Scheib and wine selections by restaurateur Kevin Joyce and William Kohl. A live wine auction is featured. The cost is $189 per person, excluding gratuity. Details: 412-391-4152

• Wine expert Marnie Old will host two seminars Monday at the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel, Downtown. "The Up and Coming Wines of Spain" is at noon, followed by "Sommelier's Secrets of Wine & Food Pairing" at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for each program. Details: www.pittsburghwinefestival.com.

• Wine dinners in six private homes are scheduled for Tuesday and April 25. Hosts include Pittsburgh celebrities, prominent businesspeople and doctors. Costs vary for the tickets. Details: Jennifer Zgurich, 412-623-4709.

• On Tuesday, Pete Hanowich will offer a seminar on "Summer Wines," with a focus on entertaining, at noon at the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel, Downtown. Tickets are $35 each. Details: www.pittsburghwinefestival.com.

• Area restaurants are sponsoring wine dinners on April 25, including Bistro 19 in Mt. Lebanon (Alexander Valley Vineyards), 412-306-1919; The Carlton, Downtown (Ferrari-Carano), 412-391-4152; Common Plea Restaurant (Pio Cesare Winery), 412-397-3100; and the Tuscan Inn, Hampton (Montes Wines), 412-486-7696. Ticket prices vary.

• The signature wine-tasting event is April 26 at Heinz Field, held in the East and West Club Lounges. There are two: the VIP Tasting, which costs $250, begins at 5 p.m.; the Grand Tasting, $125, follows from 6:30-9 p.m. Nearly 120 wine producers have signed up to pour one or more of their vintages. The VIP tasting is nearly sold out. Details: www.pittsburghwinefestival.com.

• American small-scale wineries are the focus of the final event, "The Taste of the Place -- A Toast to the New American Terroir," presented from 6:30-9 p.m. April 27 at the Duane Rieder Photography Studio, 3339 Penn Ave., Lawrenceville. The informal cocktail buffet will feature wines from Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia and Long Island, N.Y. The cost is $45. Details: E-mail reservations specifying the number in your party to Jack Neemes, neemes@aol.com, then mail a check to him at 265 Morrison Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15216. Details: www.slowfoodpgh.com.

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