What do Charlotte food fans need to do right now?

What’s happening for the next week around here? You can get a roundup of next week’s Charlotte events – art, music, fashion and more – online at The Observer. But the food stuff is always the best, so here’s a few things going on in the food world.

▪ The first Queen City Craft Distillers Showcase doesn’t happen until Aug. 18-20, but you need to get tickets for this one, too. You can get a $60 VIP pass to everything (Friday night “Meet the Distillers Cocktail Hour” at Stoke, Saturday Distillers Showcase Expo, back-bar takeover at Tilt Saturday night and Sunday brunch at 204 North), or $20 tickets to individual events. Get the schedule and the ticket link at btbcharlotte.com.

▪ Taste of the World, East Charlotte’s annual tour of locally owned, mostly international restaurants, doesn’t happen until Oct. 4. But tickets are on sale now, and they sell out quickly, so you need to get on it. Tickets are $49 and include stops at three restaurants and a reception at the Charlotte Museum of History. Get tickets and details at charlotteeast.com.

▪ Saturday’s Popsicle Fest at Rooftop 210 in the Epicentre isn’t kids’ stuff: They’re turning cocktails into popsicles from 3 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $40 and proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

▪ If you want a short road tripo Friday night, head to Salisbury for the Summer Sip Craft Beer Tasting Tour, with 20 varieties of craft beers. Your $25 ticket gets you a trolley ride, walking map, wrist band and 20 beer samples. You have get your ticket in advance, though, at downtownsalisburync.com.

▪ If you take an unopened 24-pack of bottled water to any Firehouse Sub on Saturday, you get a free medium sub for the sixth annual H2O for Heroes drive. The water is donated to first responders and community support groups, who get it to people who are in danger of heat-related illnesses.

▪ Tuscany’s Brunello di Montalcino is one of the world’s greatest wines, and you’ve got a chance to learn more at Foxcroft Wine Co. in South Park at 7 p.m. Tuesday, with a showdown featuring eight wines from the four corners of the Montalcino zone. Yes, there’s food paired with each. It’s $75 and you need a reservation. Call 704-365-6550.

This story was originally published August 3, 2017 at 11:17 AM with the headline "What do Charlotte food fans need to do right now?."