By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Phinney Neighborhood Association members are ready for another round of drinks. Saturday, March 10, will mark the 11th annual Wine Taste at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. Mary Lee Newman, special events director at the PNA, said that event usually draws 200 to 250 people every year.

The admission fee to the event buys the purchaser 10 tickets, each for a taste of a different wine.

Newman says that those who find a favorite and want to go back for seconds should be ready to wheel and deal. The only way a taster can get a second taste of one wine is to go to the ³trading post² and convince another patron to swap tickets.

Though some might consider this tradition cumbersome, Newman says the committee has been reluctant to do away with it since it contributes to ³the party atmosphere² and helps people get acquainted.

This yearıs wine tasting will mostly focus on local wines which have been donated from the China Bend Winery at Kettle Falls, Wash., the Hoodsport Winery on the Olympic Peninsula, and Best Cellars in University Village, among others.

There will also be at least one Australian wine available for tasting, a sparkling chardonnay. Not only will some of the wine be donated this year, but former caterer Bill Drummond will donate his time to prepare hors dıoeuvres.

While Newman says the tasting is a fun event, the best place to be may be on the Wine Taste committee. Newman says the committee has to vote on at the wines they consider buying and that means sampling each one.

Tickets for the PNA Wine Taste are $15 advance for PNA members, $18 for non-members. They are $20 at the door. The Phinney Neighborhood Center is located at 6532 Phinney Ave. N. For tickets and information, call Mary Lee Newman at 783-2244.