From white truffle caviar and vintage olive oils to collectible posters with epicurean themes and hard-to-find wines from all over the world, the Sonoma-based Web site, www.rarewineco.com, offers a plethora of tasty imports that trump the inventories of today’s gourmet stores. For instance, the authentic grandeur of Madeira is duly represented with Portuguese vintages dating back to the 1800s, not to mention scores of other coveted wines ranging from $20 to $6,000 a bottle. The site also carries tea products from France, such as Green Soleil Vert wrapped in foil sachets, 40-year-old balsamics from Italy, first-edition wine tomes, art posters, decanters and more.

As a modern-day gastronomy debate continues over which pairs better with fine cuisine (beer or wine?), Chef de Cuisine Gavin Gaysen will let diners decide at a six-course supper that ushers in wines selected by Sommelier Barry Wiss and beers presented by Stone Brewing Company. The dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m., Sept. 27, at El Bizcocho at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. Participants will state their preferences on note cards, which will be tabulated and announced at the end of the meal. The cost is $125 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. For reservations, call (858) 675-8550.

Forget those petits fours and chocolate truffles you’re sometimes given at the end of a fancy meal. Chef William Bradley and his pastry team at Addison have tapped in to the new cupcake craze for concluding meals with “flights” of bite-sized cupcakes wrapped in gold-foiled cups and served on Bernardaud china. The current lineup features champagne cake and frosting, Meyer lemon cake with vanilla bean topping, brown-buttered cake and peanut butter frosting, and chocolate with chocolate. Bradley plans to change the flavors monthly, depending on what’s in season. Addison is located in The Grand Del Mar resort, 5200 Grand Del Mar Way. Call (858) 314-1900 for more information.

Tickets are now available for the fourth annual San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, which has grown to include more than 160 wineries and 65 fine-dining restaurants and gourmet food vendors. The event will be held from noon to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 17, at Embarcadero Park North, downtown. Other individual events, such as cooking and wine tasting classes, wine dinners and a silent auction benefiting the American Institute of Wine & Food, will be held starting Nov. 14 and continue through Nov. 18, For more information, call (619) 342-7337 or visit www.worldofwineevents.com.

Arturo Kassel of Fresh[er] in La Jolla, and Executive Chef Ryan Johnston, will transition the popular restaurant this December into Whisknladle (pronounced (wisk-en-lay-del). The new concept, a back-to-basics approach, will feature contemporary “comfort food” through a tapas-style menu with lots of home-style cooking based on seasonal, fresh ingredients. Johnston will stick to his commitment for making in-house such items as fresh breads, cured and aged meats, churned ice cream, various pasta and made-from-scratch ketchup and mustard. The address will remain the same, at 1044 Wall Street. For more information, call (858) 551-7575.

Chef Susan Sbicca and her husband Dan have introduced a second Sbicca Bistro in Encinitas in a re-branding effort that replaces Meritage and builds name recognition to their gay-friendly bistro in Del Mar, where same-sex couples have been known to drop in to celebrate their anniversaries. Chef Sbicca will continue offering innovative, seasonal menus boasting fresh regional ingredients, as well as herbs and spices from her own garden. The Encinitas bistro is located at 897 South Coast Highway 101. For more information, call (760) 634-3350.