“There’s something for everyone” rings especially true at fall party time – but when you’re talking the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival, the phrase takes on a little different significance. Proceeds benefit underfunded art, music and science programs and onsite medical care at the neighborhood’s public elementary and middle schools – clearly, the festival’s founders and partners recognize that La Jolla’s young people aren’t just “everyone.” They’re as fine a group of students and volunteers as you’ll find, and some will probably be working a booth or two at the festival. The event’s seventh installment, which will take up a large portion of Girard Avenue, is set for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10 and 11, and it’ll feature the works of more than 150 artists from San Diego, L.A., Orange County, the Baja and other locales; a silent auction, roving entertainment and a gourmet marketplace; a family art center and a wine and beer garden. And while the latter is off limits to the kids, they stand to benefit from a development whose significance has far-reaching effects for trade throughout the region. Indeed, wine is as much a part of the area as it is half the festival’s name. Ken Chalmers, proprietor at Bird Rock Fine Wine since its founding in 2012, knows this well. Not only is his shop a featured festival retailer, it’s a catalyst for his place in the neighborhood. “Most of the wines I sell aren’t necessarily local wine,” he said, “but I’m a local wine shop. For the festival, I like to pick out five or six that represent my store. That’s a tricky thing, to say there are regular customers or people that you’ll see at the festival. The important thing is that I engender goodwill in the neighborhood and in the schools. My daughter went to Bird Rock Elementary, and it’s important to me to stay a part of the school and the neighborhood. If being part of the festival [accomplishes] that, I’m willing to do it.” The festival’s other beneficiary schools are La Jolla Elementary, Torrey Pines Elementary and Muirlands Middle. Since its inception in 2009, the festival has raised $338,000 on behalf of the schools. Bird Rock Fine Wine is located at 5687 La Jolla Blvd. The number is (858) 230-6956. For more, see birdrockfinewine.com. Just as one local merchant faithfully represents his fare, the festival’s anchor vintners take on an international feel this year. Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe, about two hours south of San Diego, is making a little noise in wine circles – and for the first time, its product is featured at the event. The valle, in fact, has its own ruta del vino (wine route), and grape-growing activities have yielded several new tasting rooms and at least two new restaurants. Cabernet sauvignon from Adobe Guadalupe; chenin blanc with a Russian touch from Babayoff; several blends from Emeve: These entries and their wineries are major players in the valle’s wine trade, and the area’s presence at the festival heralds the event’s accelerated growth. Back home, the status quo is maintained by more than gross receipts. “What drives the business is reds,” Chalmers said, “like roses and reds from France. With all the warm weather we’ve had, the reds seem to come at a higher value.” It’s almost October (it indeed may be by the time you read this), and that at least hints that a seasonal cool-down may be imminent. In any case, the wine trade swirls about the festival as surely as does the performing and visual arts – and whatever the weather, it continues to mark its place in the event’s success.