Looking for an excuse to visit Hamilton? For three days at the end of March, the Hamilton Convention Centre will host the annual Food & Drink Fest, which features good representation by Niagara wineries and wine agents. Shows like these are a great opportunity to try a little bit of a lot of different wines: a very efficient way to figure which producers and wines you like best.  

There are also lots of beer and food selections and, similar to its counterparts in Toronto, you buy a batch of sample tickets and hand over between one and four tickets for tasting samples.

Tickets are $12 and $20 buys you 25 sample tickets. For more information on the show, which runs from Friday March 28 to Sunday March 30, visit www.foodanddrinkfest.com.

A portion of the proceeds goes to support the Art Gallery of Hamilton's children's programs.