Wine and Cheese Tastings at Whole Foods (Some Free!)

​Man does not live by barbecue and beer alone, even in the summer. Sometimes he needs wine and cheese. 

Man -- that would be you, bunky -- is therefore in luck, as over the next several weeks, five local Whole Foods Markets will be pouring their top ten summer wines, each paired to a different artisanal cheese. Even luckier is the price: $10 a person at three of the stores, $00 a person (that's right, free) at the two others. 

And if you taste something you like, wine and cheese prices have been reduced too, from $1 to $6 off the typical bottle cost and $1 to $4 off the usual per-pound cost of cheese. 

The participating stores and dates/times are: 

• Plantation, Friday, June 25, 7 to 8 p.m.

• Palm Beach Gardens (11701 Lake Victoria Gardens Ave., 561-691-8550), Sunday, June 27, 2 to 4 p.m., free.

• Fort Lauderdale (2000 N. Federal Highway, 954-565-5655),  Wednesday, June 30, 6 to 8 p.m.

• Coral Springs, Thursday, July 8, 6 to 8 p.m.

• Wellington (2635 State Road 7, 561-904-4000), Friday, July 23, 6 to 8 p.m, free.

To register, call your local store and look up the tasting in the calendar section. 

Now for the important stuff, the booze and food.  Presto Brut Rosé with capricho de cabra, Sokol Blosser Evolution with epoisses, Opala Vinho Verde with robiola, Low and Stars Riesling with Humboldt Fog, Pisato Pinot Grigio with sarvecchio, Pazo de Serantellos Albarino with manchego, Green Truck Chardonnay with Kilaree cheddar, Valdemar Tempranillo with gran queso, Malenchini Red Label Chianti with parmigiano-reggiano, Concannon "Conservancy" Petite Sirah with reserve gouda, and Rosenblum Vintner's Cuvee Zinfandel with buttermilk blue. 

And that should hold you for the summer.