What a Girl Wants

Wine, women and shoes: What other combo could raise nearly a million dollars per year for women and children's charities across the nation?

There is one way such a mix could be even better, and YWCA Tulsa brings the missing ingredient starting this Thursday: that capital of Green Country, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Its Wine, Women & Shoes event is a three-day celebration of women designed to benefit the programs at YWCA while educating patrons about wine and having fun with friends.

Wine, Women & Shoes is, sensibly, split into three parts:

Wine 101: Art and fashion meet the vine in this speed-tasting-style event at Pearl Gallery this Thursday, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Vintners compare shoes and wine (Do you know what wine pairs best with your favorite stilettos?) while guests taste and learn about a variety of wines, enjoy light nibbles and art. Tickets are $40.

A Taste of Wine Country: On June 12 from 7-9 p.m., listen in on wine presentations and nosh on yummies by some of Tulsa's greatest chefs, all within the walls of three of Tulsa's fanciest homes. A live auction at each of the homes will include wine trips and magnums from participating wineries and retail partners. Sponsorships are available, or individual reservations are $150.

Luncheon, Fashion Show and Marketplace: Belly up to the Renaissance Tulsa this Saturday from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. to get your fill of ten Napa Valley vintners pouring their wines, a fashion show featuring the latest in shoes and a retail marketplace. With 20 percent of the proceeds from the marketplace going to YWCA Tulsa, this shopping opportunity is good for the sole (Ha! Get it? You know you laughed). Reservations are $75.

Be advised, wine lovers, that this event is right up your alley. The vintners whose wine is featured at the Wine, Women & Shoes event fly in from California to present their wines in person. The selections sound exceptional, and the one-on-one experience should be rather entertaining.

Anyone, man or woman, who appreciates good design won't have a problem getting excited about the shoes aspect of this event. An Italian shoe designer who flies his line, Angeleigh Anastasio, will be at the event all the way from, you guessed it, Italy.

Drooling yet, ladies and gents? Head on over to the YWCA Tulsa site and get tickets to your favorite event before it's too late.

Or, try your luck with me, because I have a little somethin' somethin' to make this fantasy of an event a complimentary reality for one lucky reader.

Up for grabs are two (2) tickets to either Wine 101 ($80 value) or the Luncheon, Fashion Show & Marketplace ($120 value). How to enter? You have two options.

Option 1: How many people participated in YWCA programs last year? The correct answer in the form of a comment on this post earns one entry.

Option 2: As a comment on this post, list the last tweet from YWCA Tulsa. I realize this answer will vary depending on when each individual who chooses this option enters. Each answer earns one entry (yes, you can enter multiple times using option 2 - this is, if YWCA Tulsa tweets more than once during this contest).

Again, part of the proceeds of the wine and goods sales of the event goes back to YWCA Tulsa, as well as ticket and sponsorship revenue. YWCA means to bring huge, wonderful things for the Tulsa area, including high-quality, affordable child care for working families, health and wellness education and services to help foreign-born people acclimate to the T-Town community. The YWCA organization has been making a difference in the fight to empower women and eliminate racism in this city for nearly a century, and getting in on the Wine, Women & Shoes event is just one way to get involved in this take-charge organization.

Enter at will! I'll select a winner after 5 p.m. tomorrow.

For good luck, give yourself a pedicure. You'd be braver than I'll ever be to show up at this event - where all eyes will be on your feet at some or more points - with less-than-perfect tootsies.