View photo gallery

DANBURY, CONN. — Fine wines from around the world and a richly varied buffet of foods prepared by local chefs will usher in the season at Western Connecticut State University’s 12th Annual Holiday Wine Tasting on Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010.

The wine tasting celebration will be from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Westside Campus Center on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. The admission fee is $50, with proceeds from the benefit supporting the Caraluzzi Scholarship Endowment.

Over the past 11 years, the popular benefit has raised approximately $107,000 for the Caraluzzi Endowment, which has awarded scholarships to Western freshmen from the Greater Danbury area and continuing students in the university’s Ancell School of Business. Proceeds from the annual event and generous donations from the family of Anthony and Julia Caraluzzi have enabled the university to give scholarships to a total of 69 students since 2001.

Guests will be invited to sample an impressively diverse selection of domestic and international wines offered at more than a dozen tasting stations throughout the Ballroom. The tastings will be complemented by hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, entrees and desserts provided by La Zingara Restaurant of Bethel and Caraluzzi’s Markets. Live jazz music will be performed by students from the WCSU School of Visual and Performing Arts.

Sponsors of the event include Caraluzzi’s Markets of Bethel, Georgetown and Newtown, and Caraluzzi’s Nutmeg Discount Liquors of Bethel. Wines for the tasting will be presented by as many as 15 different distributors of Nutmeg Liquors.

“We are looking forward once again to our annual Holiday Wine Tasting,” said Jennifer Caraluzzi Dimyan, chief financial officer of Caraluzzi’s Markets. “We thank all of our many friends and customers who continue to support our event year after year. We have created a wonderful tradition, and I am very proud to be a part of it.”

The scholarship endowment was established in honor of Anthony Caraluzzi, founder of Caraluzzi’s Markets, by his son, Anthony Caraluzzi Jr., as a means to give back to the Greater Danbury community and promote business education at WCSU. Caraluzzi Jr. and his wife Roberta were honored at the 2008 University Ball for their continuing contributions to the university, including their role in organizing the Holiday Wine Tasting.

Scholarships are awarded annually to incoming WCSU freshmen who are graduates of Bethel High School or Immaculate High School in Danbury. The Caraluzzi Endowment also provides funding for scholarship awards to Western juniors and seniors enrolled in the Ancell School of Business.

Reservations for the event are limited. Advance reservations and payments may be made online at the Nutmeg Discount Liquors website at www.nutmegdiscountliquors.com, or by using the Holiday Wine Tasting link provided on the WCSU website home page at www.wcsu.edu. Reservations also will be accepted by phone by calling the WCSU Office for Institutional Advancement at (203) 837-8279.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics
of New England’s best small private universities.