[Columbia, SC] - For the third year, Riverbanks Botanical Garden will be opening its gates after hours, beckoning in over 700 wine enthusiasts, and uncorking more than 100 different wines courtesy of Morganelli's.

"The response this year has been overwhelming," said Satch Krantz, executive director of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. "It's looking like this year's Wine Tasting will be a sell-out. We hate to turn people away, but at a certain point we'll have to close ticket sales to maintain the event's intimacy."

Guests who do make it in the Garden gates will be wowed by the huge selection of wines, but most of all by the setting. A stroll across Riverbanks' treetops bridge opens up into the Old Rose Garden and a terraced view leading up to the Botanical Garden's Visitor Center. Tucked among the roses and scattered on the various terraces, distributor tables are lit by twinkling white lights with plenty of professionals standing by to put even the greenest of wine novices at ease.

Guests who fall in love with a particular label can take it home by the box full. Guests who place discounted orders with Morganelli's that evening will be able to pick up their wines the following Wednesday at Morganelli's on Forest Drive.

Another way to take home boxes full of wine will come at the end of the evening when one wine lover will walk away with a complete set of over 100 different bottles of wine – one representing each of the labels tasted at the event – auctioned off to benefit Riverbanks Society.

Riverbanks is also continuing to develop South Carolina's sister-state relationship with Queensland, Australia by offering the "Susan Gilmore" label by Ballandean Estate, a new label that the Australians just began distributing to South Carolina in January and that is only available locally at Morganelli's. This is the first commercial agreement to result directly from the sister-state relationship and the distributor and Morganelli's will be donating 50 cents from the sale of each bottle back to Riverbanks Society. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden first partnered with Queensland in 2002 when the Australian government gave the Zoo its koalas.

The wine flows to the sounds of live jazz provided by musical entertainers Little Cat Z, a four-man band that's led by vocalist Don Russo.

The Riverbanks Botanical Garden Wine Tasting, sponsored in part by Free Times, Clear Channel and Columbia's Young Professional Society in addition to Morganelli's, is from 7:00-9:30pm on Saturday, May 20. Tickets to the event are $40 for Riverbanks Society members and $50 for the general public. For the time being, tickets are still on sale and can be purchased in advance by calling 803.779.8717 x1601, visiting www.riverbanks.org, or stopping by Riverbanks or Morganelli's on Forest Drive.

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