Maybe all those years of drinking will pay off, after all. The Toronto-based Wine Tasting Challenge, celebrating its fourth year this fall, has become one of the wine world’s most prestigious competitions, with more than $100,000 in prizes for both know-it-all and amateur oenophiles. Competitors in the professional category will taste seven wines and strive to identify their varietal, region of origin and vintage; amateurs taste three. “It’s tough at any level,” says Four Seasons sommelier Sara d’Amato, who as last year’s big winner took home some $30,000 in prizes—including a week in Tuscany with the region’s famed Antinori wine family. “It takes a lot of courage, but most people do much better than they think they will.” There’s no entry fee, and anybody can compete, but it’s not all fun and games and free drinks. Spitting, the rules stipulate, is required.

Four Seasons Hotel, 21 Avenue Rd.; November 26, 10–5, www.winetastingchallenge.com.