Event Menu

Zax Pints & Plates (312 Barton Springs Rd., 481-0100, www.zaxaustin.com) invites you to the Great Austin Belgian Beer Festival. Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 at the door, and cover the cost of a tasting glass and the first five beer samples; noon-5pm, Saturday, Nov. 11.

Texas Hills Vineyard (830/868-2321; www.texashillsvineyard.com) hosts the first Wine & Arts Adventure celebrating wine, literature, visual arts, and music in nearby Johnson City. The event starts with tours of the vineyard that will include a visit with mystery author Russ Hall and then proceed to the square in Johnson City where guests can visit Debra Goldstein Fine Art, the Kirchman Gallery, and the Friendly Bar Bistro. Tickets are $45 per person, $75 per couple, and include a glass of wine and an appetizer, a signed copy of Hall's book, a limited-edition print, and a piece of Alan Burris pottery. Reservations suggested; tours between 2-5pm, Saturday, Nov. 11.

The Way-Out Wineries are a group of seven relatively new small country wineries that have banded together to encourage wine lovers to take a Holiday Road Trip this weekend. The tour is self-directed and can start at any of the seven participating wineries. Each stop will offer the opportunity to meet the winemakers, sample handcrafted wines paired with holiday foods, and leave with a stemless wine glass bearing the winery logo. Tickets are $20 each or $25 per couple and can be purchased by calling Brennan Vineyards (325/356-9100). For details on winery names and locations, hours of operation, and a map, go to www.wayoutwineries.org; Friday, Nov. 10, through Sunday, Nov. 12.

Food and film really come together when the Austin Farmers' Market (www.austinfarmersmarket.org) sets up a special weekday market in front of the Paramount Theatre to celebrate the regional premiere of Fast Food Nation, Richard Linklater's film based on Eric Schlosser's book of the same name. For film tickets, contact the Austin Film Society (322-0145, www.austinfilm.org); market, 4-7pm, Tuesday, Nov. 14.

The Texas Department of Agriculture and the Wine & Food Foundation of Texas present Texas Toast & Taste, a community wine and food education series that kicks off this week at the Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill (303 Red River). Fall Creek Vineyards co-founder Susan Auler will present the class in conjunction with Moonshine chef Larry Perdido. Tickets are $40 for Foundation members, $50 for nonmembers. Call 327-7555, or go to www.winefoodfoundation.org; 6:30-8pm, Wednesday, Nov. 15.