Wine lovers will be sad and glad to know that the famed Chateau Montelena winery in Calistoga is being sold to the house of Cos d’Estournel in the Saint-Estèphe area of Bordeaux.

Over at The Shores Restaurant and sister to the well-known Marine Room, Lisa Redwine is the new General Manager. Many may know her from Molly’s where she was the GM as well as the hotel wine director. Bernard Guillas is the executive chef for The Shores as well as the Marine Room. Both properties are part of the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.

EXY, the downtown chic Greek restaurant and lounge is now open for lunch with items such as chicken pita sandwich, swell hamburgers, salads and other dishes from their dinner menu–sized for lunch–and priced between $5 and $9. Open Tuesday through Friday for lunch and though Saturday for dinner. Also available for private functions on Sunday and Monday. Located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and F Street; phone: 619-238-0412.

The Saturday Little Italy Mercato grows weekly with new vendors that include rotisserie chickens from Grill Master, lots of seasonal and produce for locovores and bakery items too…I hope to get there this weekend. Located between Date Street and Kettner to Union and open from 9am to 1:30pm.

Regardless of price, it seems that high-end wine dinners are all the rage. Even if $200 per person for a Rhone wine dinner seems steep, wine geeks will love this lineup at Winesellar & Brasserie‘s June 5th event. Four courses and six spectacular wines that include 2006 Yves Cuilleron, Les Chaillets, Condrieu, 1996 Chapoutier, Le Pavillon, Ermitage and many others. For reservations and information call 858-450-9557.

And by the way, another well attended $200 dinner took place at Blanca where Caymus wines were paired with seven courses from chef Wade Hageman.  Buzz heard about this dinner from an attendee who raved about it….

Rather spend your money for a good cause? Then check out the Wine & Roses charity event on Sunday, June 8 at the Westgate Hotel. $65 per ticket before June 5 and $75 at the door. It’s a terrific outdoor event (Buzz has been to a couple) with food and wine from many of San Diego’s best restaurants and wine purveyors.

Encinitas wine lovers now have Ed Moore’s second The 3rd Corner location in the Lumberyard shopping center. Buzz loves the original spot in Ocean Beach–great wine selection with an educated staff to help you choose your favorites. 897 South Coast Highway, Encinitas, 760-942-2104.

Taste tequila from Herradura at The Palm restaurant on June 12. The dinner is $95 plus tax and tip. For reservations: Cathy DeLeon, 619-702-6500.

Ibis Food Mart in Mission Hills is a neighborhood market with homemade hummus laced with sesame seeds. The lunch crowd gets sandwiches or my favorite, a garlic-laden tabbouleh. I found their baba ganoosh a thicker version with lots of tahini. The store also stocks ingredients for Middle Eastern cuisine. 1112 Fort Stockton Drive, 298-5081. Open daily from 9 a.m.