Polson Pier once was a hard-working place where ships loaded and unloaded goods. Then it became a hard-partying place where people get loaded - carousing at The Docks club all night to the chagrin of residents on nearby Toronto Island.

Now it's calmer, but music still happens there, reasonably loudly. This year the Toronto Wine & Spirit Festival will take over the pier and a really varied range of companies will be pouring everything from craft beer to fruit wines to gin to champagne. But don't worry, there's wine too.

Leave your tastevin at home though - the focus is on affordability (Friexinet, Fuzion, among others) and fun. On the plus side you'll be able to afford all the wines you taste.

Toronto Wine & Spirit Festival. June 16 & 17, 6pm-11pm. Saturday June 18, Noon-5pm and 6pm-11pm. $25 advance/$30 door.

Also, make sure you drop in to the Winefox booth - it's a new website I'm a contributor to and they've set up a stall to explain about the site and it's focus, and to serve wines. Each session will have a different Ontario wine featured... so check it out. And check out www.winefox.ca too.