It's never too early to start thinking of Father's Day gifts, and birthdays seem to happen every day.  For that hard to shop for man your life, consider giving the gift of really knowing how to grill.

Every year, The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs hosts Barbecue U, taught by grill guru Steven Raichlen. (Among his many cookbooks is one called Beer Can Chicken.)

Here's the full rundown:

• Barbecue U Overview: including dates, cost, and important things to know.
• An inside look at what really happens at Barbecue U, starting with the welcome reception, and moving on through day one, and days two and three.

January is Napa Valley's restaurant month, and I like the way the wine region handles it -- it's a little different than what you'll find in many other places. Rather than setting a fixed price, for which every participating restaurant must provide a certain number of courses,  Napa Valley does it freestyle, allowing participating restaurants to set their own terms.  (Which makes me think that participating chefs are probably less grumpy about it, since they're clearly tailoring their offerings to avoiding strain on their kitchens.)

Here's the complete list of January 2012 deals.

A few that caught my eye:

• The Culinary Institute of America's Wine Spectator Restaurant at Greystone is offering a "Whole Hog" dinner:  four-course, prix-fixe menu for $35. January 19th to February 5th
• Bouchon Bistro offered a three-course prix-fixe menu for $25 last year, but I'm not seeing them on the list of deals for 2012. You can, however, get a $50 dining certificate good at Bouchon, Hurley's or Bistro Jeanty if you stay at Lavender or Maison Fluerie in Yountville.
• The Grill at Meadowood is offering a a three-course lunch with Napa Valley wines paired for $38 per person or a four-course dinner with Napa Valley wines paired for $68 per person.

Read more about Napa Valley's Restaurant Month.  And more about the Napa Valley. Or educate yourself on the Restaurant Week concept, from whence this event and many others sprang.

If  "attend a fab food and wine festival" was on your list of New Year's resolutions, scratch it off your list before January's out at the inaugural Beaver Creek Food & Wine weekend, in partnership with the estimable magazine.

The weekend in question is January 26th-28th, 2012, during which you'll find all the customary trappings of a Food & Wine event, which is to say, plenty of celeb chefs, ranging from Top Chef sweetheart Stephanie Izard to John Best. Not insensible to the prime location in the ski resort, there are a few touches that you find at just any food and wine fest -- like a guided snowshoe which culminates in a gourmet lunch.  Lodging packages must be booked by January 15th.

While the world was readying to make merry this past December, Napa got a new official  sub-appellation: Coombsville. Primary varietals include Cabernet Sauvignon  Syrah, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Read all about the new wine area here (PDF) and add it to your Napa wine travels for 2012.