GREER’S BEST BUYS:

Next Vintage Wine Shop is an exceptional resource for wines at Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale’s South Coast Plaza. And if you love to explore wines, attend Next Vintage’s wine tastings from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays.

For $25, you can taste four to six wines paired with mini-hors d’oeuvres prepared from Charlie Palmer’s kitchen. You’ll appreciate Palmer’s philosophy on enjoying wines. He prefers that guests enjoy wine by pricing it affordably (even with hard-to-find labels).

And after you sample wines, you can purchase bottles at the Next Vintage retail wine store. The themed wine-tasting events are as follows: On Tuesday, enjoy “Wines of Latin America,” learn about the history of wine and winemaking in Latin America and explore some of the fine wines from Argentina, Chile and Mexico.

On Aug. 12, try “Spanish Reds — New Wines from Old Vines”; find out about modern techniques, new winemaking talent and old vines that could make Spain the country to watch over the next several years. On Aug. 19, enjoy “Southern Italy — Italy’s New Frontier”; the region attracts the attention of the world as the reemerging wine region.

On Aug. 26, enjoy “Zinfandel, An America Immigrant,” taste some fine examples from California and compare it with Primitivo, its European sibling. Reservations are required. For more information, call (714) 352-2525 or visit www.charliepalmer.com/ bloomingdale/home.html.

ORGANIC BABY FOODS

Give your baby the best in nutrition (and save time, too!) with the organic baby foods prepared at Pomme Bébé in Newport Beach. Mention me, and you will receive 15% off your first purchase.

Each day, chefs hand-peel, steam and prepare each pureed, single-ingredient food and toddler meal with your child’s health (and taste) in mind. And you and your child can try samples at the contemporary and very cool bébé bar.

For your convenience, you can make purchases online or by phone for home delivery. A seasonal menu varies with the freshest ingredients available. Foods are categorized into basics for children 6 months and older, blends for 8 months and older, and meals for tots 12 months and older.

Popular items include the simple sweet potato puree; a melon apricot puree with juicy cantaloupe blended with the honey flavor of dried apricots; the chicken chili with lentils, kidney beans and chicken; and a healthy and gluten-free mac and cheese with organic brown rice pasta, cheddar, Parmesan, brown rice flour, whole milk and butter.

For a complete list of menu items and ingredients, please visit www.pommebebe.com.

Open 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The store is at 2043 Westcliff Drive in Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 200-7430.

Nordstrom’s sale

Don’t miss Nordstrom’s anniversary sale going on through Sunday at South Coast Plaza. Prices go back up Monday. You can save throughout the store on new fall apparel for men, women and children. Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (714) 549-8300 or visit www.nordstrom.com.

GREER WYLDER writes Best Buys, which runs Fridays. She’s the founder and president of www.greersoc.com, a free daily e-mail service that provides the latest in Orange County fashion, dining and trends.