Western's Fall Wine & Food Festival on Thursday, October 2, from 5:30- 8:30 p.m., at the Birmingham Zoo will feature the opportunity to taste your choice of more than 600 wines. There also will be plenty of Alabama Grown/ Alabama Made foods to sample. Proceeds will benefit the Emmet O'Neal Public Library. Advance tickets are $45 and are available at any Western Supermarket or at the library. Tickets may also be purchased at the door for $50.

And for beer lovers on Thursday, the Barking Kudi in Lakeview is hosting "Barktoberfest," benefitting Hand-in-Paw and Free the Hops. From 5:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m., enjoy food and traditional German-style beers such as Oktoberfest, Hefeweizen, and German Pilsener. $15 per person for beer, $20 if you also want food.

This coming Sunday, Oct. 5, is Break 'n Bread, the annual event hosted by The Birmingham Originals to celebrate locally  owned restaurants. The event is 1-5 p.m. at Pepper Place. Tickets are $30 for adults, $12 for teenagers, kids 12 and under are free. VIP passes are $75 and offer access to a VIP tent, a better wine selection, waiters and other "VIP" treatment. (Save $5 on adult tickets by purchasing advance online.) Sample dishes from more than 20 local restaurants, and enjoy  live music, cooking demos and a children's area. More info: www.birminghamoriginals.org.

St. George Middle Eastern Food Festival will be Oct. 9-11 at St. George Melkite Church on Southside. Taste kibbee, spinach pies, rolled grape leaves, pastries and more. For more information, visit www.saintgeorgeonline.org.

Ozan Winery is holding a Barrel Tasting Weekend Oct. 24-25, featuring a wine tasting with paired Hors d'Oeuvres.  Taste new releases -- a 2006 Chardonnay and a 2006 Merlot Reserve. Go to www.ozanwine.com/barreltastingweekend.htm for more info.

The Russian Food Festival is at St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Brookside Nov. 1-2. Brookside's first residents were immigrants from Eastern Europe and many of the descendants have kept the food traditions alive. The Sisters of St. Olga, a church organization, prepares all the ethnic food that draws a crowd each year.