Boston Wine Riot Post #1

One quick diversion. Earlier in the week I responded to a tweet from Red White Boston about why I drink what I drink. I said, “I drink bourbon because like me it is bold and flavorful with a questionable past.” This is my new tagline/motto. I’ll pull this one out from time to time for a good laugh.

A couple months back I saw an advertisement for Second Glass the Wine Riot in Stuff Boston Magazine. Wine tasting in an unpretentious setting. Over 250 wines to taste. Food to enjoy with our wine, with all items at $5 or under. Really? I’m still getting acclimated to the Boston wine scene but this event seemed like one we should put on our calendar.

We headed into the city in the late morning, using our old favorite the Malden Center T station as our way point to hop on the train to get back and forth to the Boston Center For The Arts where the event was being held.

The Cyclorama facility at the BCA is a big huge round room with a very high ceiling. The DJ was spinning a nice variety of danceable beats and you could basically walk around in circles all afternoon trying different wines.

We ended up tasting 50 wines between the two of us and overall everything we tried was worth it, some more than others. We spent the time to evaluate each one and even considered how we might use them with food. Now for some specific notes.

Reds

2009 Oveja Negra Reserve Cabernet Franc/Carmenere – smoky and earthy with medium tannins. Good fruit flavors, I would definitely drink this again. (Chile)

2009 My Big Fat Greek Wine Agiorgitko – this is a grape that is indigenous to Greece and a new one for me which is why I tried it. The wild aromas and very earthy flavors take a bit to process and I would have to spend some time with this type of wine to develop a taste for it. Worth the experience though.

Whites

2009 Enoitalia Si Soave – we both enjoyed this wine. It has mild aromas of flowers and citrus and flavors of apple and pear with light acidity. The finish is clean and dry. (Italy)

2008 Esporao Reserve White – blend of white grapes from Spain with some oak again. The oak is available in the nose and the fruit flavors are present but in good balance. Slightly creamy awith a nice texture overall. Medium length finish. This was served at the correct temperature as opposed to the Defesa White (same grapes, no oak) which was too cold to properly evaluate.

In the picture to the right you can see one of the Wine Riot staff members engaging a group of rioters. I have to say the staff was great whether it was running ice, water, etc to the tables, keeping rioters up to date on the class schedule or answering questions. Well done!

Check back tomorrow for our reviews of a couple of sparklers and dessert wines, feedback on the food and the crash course classes we attended.

Cheers!

--Jason