Gourmands, in the European sense of the whole thing, consider food and wine to be one in the same.

In a correct pairing, they complement each other and allow every alternating bite and sip to be equally enjoyable as the very first: A sip of wine should accentuate the tastes from food, and by swallow's end, completely replace them. A bite of food should blend with the residual liquid in the mouth, and by last chew, engulf the taste buds in an epicurean delight.

The event "Food for the Palate and the Mind" will offer these pleasures to food fanatic and commoner alike. Board members of the Aurora Free Library were looking for a way to raise funds for the establishment. Being located in the heart of the Finger Lakes wine region, board members chose the obvious, but decided to host a wine event with an added bonus of food.

"It's really just a fun and exciting way of bringing people together for a good cause and a good time," said board co-chair Karen Green, also the dean of students at Wells College.

The library is part of Finger Lakes library system and serves the wider part of southern Cayuga County, and Green hopes the event will garner some funds for the establishment and alert people to its existence.

The wines, which will be brought from Long Point and King Ferry Wineries, will range from reds to whites to desserts. The foods will be prepared by a number of local celebrity chefs, including Assemblyman Gary Finch, Wells president Lisa Marsh Ryerson, MacKenzie-Childs' vice president of marketing and product development Jennifer Ellsworth and Aurora Inn executive chef Rupert Robbins.

Food will range from appetizers to desserts including: crepes, antipasto, finger foods, chocolates and other sweets.

Dave Connelly, author of the forthcoming book, "Finger Lakes Wine," due out later this year, will also give a short speech on his work and the state of New York's wine industry.

Connelly, who is in the final editing process of the 100-or-so-page book, says it touches on the history of wine-making in the Finger Lakes region, which got its start in Hammondsport about 160 years ago.

"We are probably the most diverse wine making region in the country," said Connelly of the three varietal grapes grown in the area: labrusca (native), vinifera (European) and hybrids.

Connelly was the editor of The Citizen for eight years and left in the early 1990s to start a business publication, the Finger Lakes Business Almanac. He always loved wines and became interested in the business and agriculture aspects when he started his publication.

While Connelly believes New York will never reach California's level of notoriety for wines, he does think that the state can market itself better when it comes to certain varieties.

"Publicity is certainly a big deal," he said. "And we make Rieslings that are considered to be some of the best in United States and can compete with the Europeans. And pinot noir is on the rise here. But the question is can we get that information out."