Local food and wine aficionados will uncork the ninth annual CORK Wine Festival on April 5 in Festival Plaza.

The event is a fundraiser for the Red River Revel Arts Festival and the presenting sponsor will be a Eldorado Resort Casino Shreveport.

If you waited to buy tickets, it’s too late. Only 1,600 were offered, and according to Revel Executive Director Kevin Stone, they are all sold out. At press time, the organizers had 100 wines on the menu for connoisseurs to sample at the Saturday headline event.

Thirteen local restaurants will also offer some of their signature dishes for the crowd. As attendees sip wine and sample the cuisine, there will also be live “CORK appropriate” music, according to Stone.

Raffle drawings will be held for various prizes, including a reserved table for 10 at next year’s tenth annual event.

Those who managed to snag one of the limited number of tickets will also receive a signature CORK wine glass and other items to help them enjoy an afternoon of wine tasting.

To add another educational element, experts from the wine regions represented will offer advice, answer questions and discuss wines.

Before the main event, April 3, CORK will present its Premier Wine Dinner at Eldorado Resort Casino Shreveport. At that dinner, premier wines are paired with a special meal prepared for the black-tie optional event by Eldorado’s own Executive Chef Eric Szczepanski. Entertainment begins at 6 p.m. with champagne and hors d’oeuvres at the Allure Ultra Lounge followed by dinner at 7 p.m. in The Vintage gourmet steakhouse on the property.

A silent auction during the dinner will feature the original CORK IX art signed by artist Lorrie Drennan; a Premier Wines poured at the dinner; a silver ice bucket and tongs donated by Stephen Miller Fine Jewelry; and a wine lot of 90 plus-rated bottles donated by the 2014 CORK DORKS.

Once again this year, the Riedel Glassware Seminar will be a part of CORK.

It will be held at RiverView Hall at 12:30 p.m. April 5. This seminar will focus on tasting medal-winning wines from four different Riedel Vinum glasses and discussion of how the correct glassware affects wine’s bouquet and flavor.

Ticket-holders will also get a set of four Riedel glasses and a bonus glass from Glazer’s of Shreveport.

Other sponsors for this year’s event include Bella Fresca Bistro, Brookshire’s Groceries, Buttercups Cupcakes, Clarkes Jewelers, Herbert’s Town and Country, Lewis’ Gifts, Morgan Automotive, Painting with a Twist, Progressive Bank, The Radio Group Shreveport, Ristorante Giuseppe, Townsquare Media Shreveport-Bossier City, Thrifty Discount Liquor and Wine, Twine, and Zocolo Neighborhood Eatery & Drinkery.

Chris Jay, the public relations and social media manager for the Shreveport- Bossier Convention & Tourist Bureau, said CORK is an important part of the local area’s attraction. “This event [sells out fast].

“I feel like some of our East Texas regulars, people who make frequent trips to the Shreveport-Bossier City area, absolutely do have CORK on their radar, and are excited about it. Some of those markets are becoming more sophisticated. They’re looking for fine dining; they’re looking for an afternoon wine festival. A lot of those places are our ‘drive markets’ and we do see a lot of, especially, east Texas visitors.”

Stone said people look forward to CORK all winter long. “It’s a great, all-around, spring atmosphere, really. It brings the spring into everybody’s consciousness when CORK rolls around.”