It's here again! The 23rd annual Boston Wine Expo returns on February 15th and 16th (right after Valentine's Day!) at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center from 1PM to 5PM.
Tickets are $95 for Saturday and $85 for Sunday. $145 gives you a pass for both days. You can also opt for the VIP ticket ($145 Saturday, $135 Sunday), which gives you access to the VIP lounge, complimentary coat check, a nicer glass (the one pictured above is the normal glass that everyone gets), and a champagne toast.
There are over 300 wineries pouring, so it's a bit overwhelming if you just show up without any plan (which is sort of what we did!).
The hall is roughly divided up by geographical regions, which helps a bit.
The setup is pretty straightforward. At the entrance everyone receives a tasting glass. You then just walk around and see which wines you might want to try.
Walk up, ask for a taste, and begin comparing!
There was no way we could finish everything, so we tried to be selective, picking regions we liked, wineries we knew were good, or places with big crowds.
If you need a break from wine tasting, there are lots of other things to do. Last year, Chef Rich Garcia, executive chef of culinary operations at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, gave a cooking demonstration. This year there are many chefs giving demonstrations, including Jody Adams, Michael Leviton, Barbara Lynch, and Michael Schlow.
Click here to see the full schedule of chefs presenting.
There are also many samples from all sorts of vendors.
Like these fancy shortbread cookies.
Fun artisanal mustards (we have the horseradish one at home!).
Healthier dips made with a sweet potato base.
Of course, at any time you can go back to sampling more wines.
GIVEAWAY! (+ DISCOUNT CODE)
I have one pair of tickets to the Sunday, February 16th Tasting that I'm giving away on the blog. In order to enter, please comment below telling me your favorite wine. We are always looking for new wines to try, and would love to hear suggestions.
I have a lot of favorites and it's hard to pick. However, one of my current favorites is the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from Kamen Estates Wines. We discovered this wine at Sonoma County Wine Weekend (yet another wine festival!) earlier this year during our unforgettable anniversary weekend in Sonoma. It pairs beautifully with one of my favorite cheeses, Comte Grand Cru from France (only available for a limited time each winter/spring here in the US). It's one of my favorite after dinner "desserts".
Please comment below! I will pick a winner on Wednesday, February 5th at midnight, Eastern Standard Time.
Even if you don't win, you can still save 10% off either the Saturday or Sunday tasting by entering the code SOCIAL.
Good luck!
Hee hee, love these handbag shaped box wines.
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