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Sarasota News Leader November 16, 2012 PLANS ANNOUNCED FOR 6TH ANNUAL FORKS & CORKS Tickets are on sale for the sixth annual Forks & Corks Food & Wine Festival, which will be held Jan. 25-28. Presented by The Saraso- ta-Manatee Originals (SMO), the four-day cu- linary festival brings together regional chefs and world-renowned vintners and brewmas- ters. The anchor event, the Grand Tasting, will be held Jan. 27 in the courtyard of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Forks & Corks University's seminars on food and wine will be held Jan. 26 in Michael's Wine Cellar and Ballroom, and various winemaker events will be featured at area restaurants Jan. 25-26. "As Southwest Florida's premier wine and food festival, Forks & Corks is attracting peo- ple from around the country," says Kate Atkin, executive director of SMO, in a news release. "We recommend that people buy their tickets early because we sold out a week after tickets went on sale last year. We predict we'll sell even faster this year — in the first three days." The Grand Tasting features signature dishes from the area's top chefs, along with a vast array of wines and beers presented by guest vintners and breweries. "More than 100 win- eries — and about 75 individual winemakers — are participating this year," says Michael Klauber, chairman of the event, in the news release. "We're thrilled with the response from the international and national winemaking industry. This has become a major showcase event for them." Page 98 Forks and Corks University is a popular event during the annual food and wine festival. Photo by Peter Acker