Having been a little unfavorable towards the Boston Wine Expo, specifically the overcrowding, a few years ago, I was a little surprised to be asked to be an Ambassador this year. I missed 2013 altogether thinking it might be too much again. Nevertheless, I felt incredibly honored that they asked me so I wanted to keep a very open mind for the event and see how it goes for 2014.
I had really enjoyed the Mohegan Sun WineFest a few weeks before so my hopes were high for wine festivals. I had a lot of fun tweeting and facebooking to my readers with trying to build their excitement and realized I was getting excited for the event myself.
My friend, Kerry joined me and we decided on making the full day on Sunday starting with the media hours at 11am. I love this time at Expos as it gives me the chance to really get to talk to the winemakers and distributors.
Michael-David Wines – big fan of Earthquake!
The second I walked in, something felt different. It was not just because I got the chance to go at less busy time, it was the whole set up. Gone are the booth-like stands making it feel like you really are at a sales conference, instead the wines are set up on low tables and the hall spans all the way to the back to make it more open and free flowing.
Uniquely Tuscan cheese of Pecorino tastes like bites of creamy, rich goodness
The Grand Tasting, which was housed in the Seaport World Trade Center offered wines from over 300 wineries, far too many to taste but lots I was excited about… Michael-David Wines, Duckhorn, Martin Codax, Chateau D’Esclans and Frei Brothers to name just a few of what was on offer. We spent a couple of hours walking around talking to many of the traders and distributors. I have a whole slew of fabulous new wines loaded into my awesome new Drync app. I will be talking about these guys a little more in future posts, but you should check them out.
Del Terruno Beef
The food tasting also seemed to have gone up a notch with some delightful tastings on offer. Harrow’s Chicken Pot Pie stood out as a favorite for comfort food but there was also Del Terruno Free Range Beef, which Kerry said was outstanding, chicken liver mousse, mac n’ cheese and proscioutto meatballs and much more.
We had a little hysterically fun game of Wine Pong with Kerry winning a t-shirt from the Drync guys before classing it up for our visit to the Vintners Reserve Lounge across the street at the Seaport Hotel.
Drync’s Wine Pong
The Vintners hosts more serious and unique wines. We spent a lot of time here chatting to some very enthusiastic wine distributors. I was introduced to a few wines, which I just could not save myself from buying. Captûre immediately captured my attention with their 2010 Révélation Cabernet Sauvignon. I ended up buying three bottles, plus three of their 2012 Sauvignon Blanc. I can’t wait for them to arrive so I can write reviews.
Another wine we could not resist was the Trifecta 2010 Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. All of these wines cost a little more than I would spend from the local wine shop but they are special and I can’t wait for them to arrive.
Capture Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
There was much to do and I wish I had more time to get to some of the amazing seminars on offer. I can honestly say I was having too much of a good time talking to wine people for six hours.
Whatever differences the organizers made, whether it was the set-up, the choice of wines, the chef demonstrations or the seminars or perhaps they sold less tickets, it just worked and I have to say this was one of the best experiences I have had at the Boston Wine Expo.
Thanks to the Boston Wine Expo team for asking me to be an Ambassador this year.
