Check this out: As you know, the 21st Annual Napa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival is rolling through the Valley this month. It will hit American Canyon’s Cartlidge & Browne Winery July 19 to 22 for a host of activities. In case you’re not familiar, that’s the winery with the big “Stick Your Nose In Our Business” sign you see on Hwy. 29.

On July 21 there will be a showing of “Maroa” as a benefit for Aldea Children & Family Services, an organization which supports children and families with behavior, mental and social health problems in Napa and Solano Counties. I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard “Maroa” is a film based on the real life stories of Venezuelan children who have been rescued from the barrios and transformed by the power of classical music.

If you’re interested, it will be shown at 8:45 p.m. on July 21 in the outdoor venue at the winery; tickets cost $15.00. Here’s the cool part: the winery’s founder and president, Tony Cartlidge, will prepare a paella dinner on preceding the showing of the film from 5 to 8 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at 707-935-3456 or the Wine Country Film Festival Web site. They can also be purchased at the door.

Bonus, for skateboarders and skateboard enthusiasts: Also on July 21 at Cartlidge &
Browne: an enormous skateboarding ramp will be built for a demo from 1 to 4 p.m. This follows the 11 a.m. showing of “Rising Sun: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi,” a film
chronicling the rise, fall and rebirth of the skateboard superstar, including interviews with friends like Tony Hawk.

For details on Cartlidge & Browne Winery, visit their Web site.

Wine enthusiast does not live on drink alone. I try to keep my eyes open for wine-related art exhibits, like the amazing collection of wine labels at the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco. This time, it’s a collection of 1,500 corkscrews at UC Berkeley’s Hearst Museum. The corkscrews, some of which are topped by Scottie dogs and a devil’s scull, may be used in an airport exhibit
on Bay Area wine culture. We should check them out before they are. Check out a slideshow of the collection at: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/multimedia/2006/08/slideshow_pt1.html