Next to the Mama’s Kitchen fund-raiser held every May at the Hyatt La Jolla Aventine, the upcoming San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival ranks among San Diego’s premier culinary events, attracting dozens of top-notch restaurants and more than 150 wineries showing off their latest and greatest varietals.

Now in its fourth year, the event spans from Nov. 14-18, beginning with a “Bling and Bubbly” party at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Nov. 14) at the Ivy Hotel. The evening will feature free-flowing champagne and fashion models flaunting $200,000 worth of diamonds by The Diamond Boutique. Admission is $150 per person, with part of the proceeds benefiting Becky’s House, a shelter for women who are victims of domestic violence.

The event progresses throughout the week with cooking and wine tasting classes conducted by top regional chefs and winemakers, held at Macy’s School of Cooking and the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center. They include “Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres to Die For” by openly-gay chef and cookbook author Dave Lawrence, plus a “spice mixology” class by Bernard Guillas, executive chef of the Marine Room, and a culinary battle by reality television show chefs Frank Terzoli, Brian Malarkey and Brian Hill. Other demos focus on everything from champagne and wine ratings to fall recipes and cheese.

The big bonanza, however, is the Grand Tasting from noon to 4 p.m., Nov. 17, when hundreds of chefs and winemakers blanket the Embarcadero Park North Downtown and dole out samples of haute cuisine and fine wines from around the world. The cost is $100 in advance and $125 at the festival.

“We’re already topping 60 participating restaurants and over 160 wineries,” said Michelle Metter, who started producing the event four years ago with Ken Loyst through their company, World of Wine Events. Attendance at the Grand Tasting has jumped from 800 to more than 4,000 since it began.

“There is so much food and wine going around this year,” she adds.

The restaurants include Pacifica Del Mar, The Guild, Baleen, Quarter Kitchen, JRDN, Molly’s Restaurant and Bar, Red Pearl Kitchen, Terra, Blanca, Chive and more.

Wines will be poured in abundance, which along with generous food samples, are included in the admission price. The wineries originate from throughout California (many from Paso Robles and Napa), as well as Oregon, France, New Zealand, Australia, Temecula and San Diego County.

Additionally, wine-and-chocolate pairing demonstrations will be conducted every 15 minutes from the main stage by Giradelli Chocolates, and Cost Plus will host an entertainment pavilion, offering wine and food samples from their retail inventories. Also, representatives of the California Olive Oil Council will tote in more than 50 oils for tasting.

New to the program this year is the “Chef to the Fest” contest that affords the winning chef to take home more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. A panel of 20 judges will determine at the end of the day the chef who created the “best dish” for the Grand Tasting event.

“With the number of participating restaurants growing each year, we wanted to give them something back,” said Metter.

For ticket information and a complete schedule of festival events, call (619) 342-7337 or visit www.worldofwineevents.com.