By Carolyn Keister Baker -- Daily Staff Writer

WOODSTOCK — A feast of food featuring exceptional wines from small wineries around the world is an irresistible attraction for Michael Gwyn.

"We have a standing order for tickets," says Gwyn, of Woodstock, who with family and friends takes up a table for 12 at the Woodstock Cafe & Shoppes every time a wine tasting dinner is hosted at the cafe on Main Street.

"I don't think we have missed one," says Gwyn. "Everyone in the family looks forward to it."

So it isn't surprising that Gwyn and his family and their friends will be back when the cafe hosts yet another pair of wine tasting dinners this weekend. This time, the dinners, held Friday and Saturday, will showcase a new selection of carefully picked wines from Australia presented with a menu of favorite regional dishes.

"Australian wines are famous all over the world," says Coe Sherrard, who with his wife, Jean, owns the Woodstock Cafe & Shoppes.

Patrons will be treated to a tempting array of tastes.

Following a welcome wine of Evil Cabernet Sauvignon, there will be an appetizer of mussels and wild limes in ginger and oz lemon broth paired with McClean's Riesling and Trevor Jones Grenache. A salad of radicchio, asparagus and fried tofu with lemon aspen juice, garlic and balsamic butter will follow complemented with a Digger's Bluff red blend and a Paringa white blend.

Australia, the fourth largest exporter of wine, is best known for a red wine called Shiraz. So, during the three main courses, it's fitting that two will be served, a Leng & Cooter Shiraz called The Victor and an R Wines Shiraz called First Class. The wine will complement wildfire crusted lamb cutlets with macadamia oil and chili noodles; double cooked pork ribs with a sauce of Davidson plum, fruit spice, soy and hoisin; and a wild herb marinated capsicum and fetta.

Australian Shiraz is "bigger, bolder and fruitier than its French counterpart," Sherrard says.

For dessert, patrons will be treated to a wild lime curd tart with oz lemon, toasted macadamia nuts and whipped cream served with a dessert wine, Lilly Pilly Late Harvest Muscat.

John Amoroso of The Grateful Palate, a premier importer of Australian wines, will attend the event as guest sommelier to share his knowledge of wines and food pairings.

Gwyn says he looks forward to tasting this new grouping of Australian wines.

"It's real clear. There is a lot of prep work that goes into it."

Patrons can order wines they like following the dinners. Popular wines from the evening will be added to the cafe's extensive wine shop.

The Woodstock Cafe & Shoppes has hosted wine tasting dinners since September 2005. On each occasion, the cafe has joined with Paje Cross, owner of CrossRoads Catering.

Gourmet dishes are prepared by Cross and are presented in four or more courses, matched with wines selected by Sherrard, Cross and a wine distributor.

The dinners require considerable preparation.

Ellen Hewit, a wine specialist from The Henry Wine Group, a distributor in Chantilly, was on hand for a recent Monday afternoon sampling of Australian wines with Cross and Sherrard. They selected the wines to be served at the wine tasting.

The trio swirled, sipped and swallowed a variety of wines before deciding on which ones to feature.

Instead of a vertical wine tasting, when wines of the same variety and of the same winery but of different vintages are compared, the Sherrards prefer to offer wines from the same region of the world for tasting.

Each guest receives a small sampling of each wine, which amounts to about two and half glasses of wine by evening's end.

These events generally sell out quickly, Sherrard says. By Monday, only 15 tickets for Friday's wine tasting dinner were available. Saturday's seating is sold out. The cost is $42 a person.

Part of the fun for the guests is that among the selection of wines during the night is a high-dollar wine, Sherrard says. At first the price of the wines are not revealed, allowing patrons to vote for their favorites without being influenced by cost.

Gwyn has been fooled. "Many times our favorite is not the most expensive," Gwyn says.

Future wine tastings are planned for the end of February and March. The Feb. 29-March 1 wine-tasting weekend will feature Italian wines. The event is sold out, but a waiting list is available. The March 28-29 wine tasting weekend will feature California wines. The events begin each night at 7. Those wanting to reserve tickets for wine tasting dinners may contact the Woodstock Cafe & Shoppes at 459-8888.