Thousands will pack the Ottawa Convention Centre to pack their stomachs with samples at the Ottawa Wine and Food Festival this weekend.
Friday's opening night saw 1,400 different types of wine, food and spirits being offered on the tasting floor by some of the culinary community's biggest names.
"This year we have a new show called the culinary theatre," said festival producer Joan Culliton "(It's) four courses, then wine is paired with it."
Food connoisseurs were also on hand to help people maximize their dining experience.
"A big red wine pairs up good with lamb, beef," said Russell Weir, vice president of the Canadian Culinary Federation, Ottawa. "It completes the whole dining experience."
Weir was the one who stepped in when star chef Anthony Sedlak failed to show up to the festival, but he said he was used to last-minute improvisation.
Twenty-five thousand people are expected to attend the festival, which wraps up its first year at the new Convention Centre on Sunday.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Stefanie Masotti
