Beer and wine lovers unite, for an evening of tastings from local breweries at the 3rd annual Wine, Stein and Dine event on Oct. 21.

Junior Chambers International (JCI) Kootenay is hosting the event that will offer guests a chance to taste some great local brews and vintages with a delectable food pairing prepared by the Cranbrook Golf Club.

The 19-and-over event will kick off at the Cranbrook Golf Club starting at 6:30 p.m., when the doors will open. At 7 p.m. the first tasting will be poured. The wineries attending this year will be Skimmerhorn Winery, Columbia Gardens Winery and the Baillie-Grohman Winery. The Fernie Brewery and the Nelson Brewery will be pouring the suds for the beer lovers of the crowd.

The last two editions featured two wineries and one brewery, but this year both numbers have been bumped up, says JCI chair of the event, James Farnan. Last year the event was held on a Saturday, but this year JCI is testing the waters on a Friday evening. The Cranbrook Golf Club was brought on to cater and host the event.

"We've really tried to expand it this year," Farnan said. That expansion includes welcoming local hosts sponsors, breweries and wineries to the mix.

Farnan said the tasting is a great opportunity for wine and beer lovers to try out some great local vineyards and breweries they may never have heard of or tried before.

Two of the wineries, Skimmerhorn and Baillie-Grohman, will have wine reps on hand to talk about the wine. Farnan expects some colourful commentary from the newly-launched Baillie-Grohman group.

Each beverage will be paired with an appetizer, which Farnan says is different from other tastings. The event will serve as a great introduction to the JCI organization, he adds.

"It's also an event to really show people what we are about as an organization," Farnan said.

Prizes for the evening include tickets to the Canada Cup, and contributions from the wineries and breweries. The early bird deadline for tickets is this Friday, Oct. 14; until then, the tickets will be $45. After that deadline, the tickets will go up to $55. They can be picked up at the East Kootenay Community Credit Union, the Bedroom Furniture Gallery, or by calling Farnan at (250) 464-1888. The tickets are capped at 120 this year, and Farnan says that two thirds of them have already been sold.

The money raised will go towards the JCI's Moir Park playground project.