YOU'VE HAD chianti and sangiovese before, maybe even a super Tuscan or a barbaresco if someone else was paying. But if you're like most people your experience with Italian wines doesn't go much beyond the stuff served in straw-covered bottles.

That's what makes Donato Enoteca's Enoteca 100 event on Nov. 7 such a great opportunity. The new Redwood City restaurant will host a showcase of more than 100 Italian wines matched with chef and owner Donato Scotti's top-notch food from 1 to 4pm. Regions represented include Valle D'Aosta, Piedmonte (mmm, barolo), Alto Adige, Friuli, Toscana, Sicily and Sardinia.

For the price of admission, attendees will be able to taste any of the 100-odd wines at the event and enjoy specially prepared appetizers to complement the multitude of wines including wild boar bruschetta, housemade sausage, porcetta (whole roasted pig), grilled wild prawns, and mild braised baccala (salt cod).

Tickets for the event are $70 for a VIP preview, $55 for general admission and $50 for a limited number of early bird tickets. To purchase tickets, go to donatoenoteca.com. No one is expected (or advised) to taste all 100 wines, but if you do there's a Caltrain stop across the street to get you home.

Donato Enoteca

1041 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; 650.701.1000.

http://enoteca100.eventbrite.com/

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