Drink up

A couple of wine dinners coming up:

Gallagher’s Steakhouse hosts its "Ultra Premium Wine Dinner & Silent Auction" on Friday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m. Penfolds wines are featured in a five-course meal, with Penfolds’ global wine educator, Matthew Lane, on hand to answer questions and explicate the pairings. In addition, a silent auction will include several hard-to-find back vintages of Grange, RWT, Bin 60A, Block 42 and Yattarna Chardonnay. the dinner has an intimidating price tag, $300 per person, served in the restaurant's private dining area. Gallagher’s Steakhouse is located at 615 Channelside Drive, #203, in Channelside Bay Plaza, Tampa. Call Lisa at (813) 229-8637 for reservations.

For something a little less spendy, Toasted Pheasant (14445 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, 813/265-6700) hosts a wine dinner Friday, July 25 at 7 p.m. The five-course meal costs $54.95 per person and includes these pairings:  a cheese plate paired with Hogue Fruit Forward Gewurztraminer, Columbia Valley; jumbo lump crab cake with lemon saffron remoulade served with Toasted Head Russian River Chardonnay; duck rillette with mixed field greens served with Toasted Head Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast ; braised beef short rib simmered in a merlot stock served with Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Merlot; and chocolate mousse served with berry coulis and paired with a Ravenswood Belloni Zinfandel, Russian River.