The 2013 Boston Wine Expo has come and gone. Overall I
thought it was another well executed and well attended event. There were many
wines, lots of foods to sample, an array of lifestyle vendors and all together
I saw lots of smiling faces.
Thank You!
A number of thank you’s are owed. The organizers of the Boston
Wine Expo took great care of a group of bloggers who were on hand sharing their
experiences and creating buzz for others who might be watching the social
networks for updates about the expo. My two-day admission to the Grand Tasting
was comped, I was provided with tickets to give away to readers (Congrats to
Kurt, Liz and Wayne!) as well as a discount code to share with blog visitors
who might be interested in attending.
( Bloggers and wine reps tasting & learning at the Boston Wine Expo. )
During the event there was a "Blogger Lounge"
overlooking the expo floor where coffee and water was available, and several
times each day vendors were invited to pour wines and engage with us on the
labels they represent in a more personal setting. Volunteers working in the
lounge were able to answer questions on where seminars were located and what
other facilities were available at the show. Nicely done!
Thank you's go out to
Resource Plus (Sharon, Janet and others)
Boston Guild of Oenophilists
All the vendors, sponsors, supporters
Boston Express (for getting me there and back safely both
days)
Attending the Expo both days I had the pleasure of cruising
the show floor looking for interesting wines with several groups of friends. It
was great to meet Liz (@travelwinechick) in person. I had a great time with Richard
(@RichardPF), Kurt, Christi, Todd (@vtwinemedia), Wayne and Meredith. Marie
(@mariepayton) and I missed each other on Sunday afternoon, but it turned in to
a cute joke about whether I was really there! Chatting with Terry (@drinkinsider) and Ray (@frenchoaktv) about beverages was fun as always! It was also nice to see Elizabeth
and Matthew, at the Finger Lakes tables no less, fellow NH food and wine
explorers who I've run into a couple time at events. I didn’t cover as much
ground as I originally planned (I'm always optimistic!) and some of the
highlights I’ll share next were worthy of a return visit on the second day so I
could share them with friends who hadn’t tasted them yet.
One suggestion I have for the event organizers is that it
would be eminently more helpful to attendees who might want to “plan ahead” to
have the vendor list and floor map electronically (a PDF would be fine, but
smart-phone-app it if you think that will help) for review ahead of the event. Would
delivering the label and vendor information via a smart
phone app be better here? Actually I don’t think so, and not just for this
information specifically. Something more social in nature (like the Second Glass
Wine Riot App) might indeed be successful with the right features and
promotion.
The Social Media café in the middle of the expo floor had
tweets from the event scrolling and the folks from Drync were promoting their
direct shipping app active for the wines from the event in this same location.
I don’t have an iPhone so I didn’t get involved in the Drync smartphone app
activity.
( Social Media Lounge )
The first-thing-in-the-morning trade sessions are always the
best opportunity to learn more about the wines, where they are from and how
they are made, something I use to take the “pulse” of the industry. There just
aren't as many people to fight through. I heard a number of reps talk about
freshness, concentration of flavors but not necessarily color in red wines, and
more restrained use of new oak. The recent vintages are primarily 2009 and 2010
with many reps suggesting that these years either are already or are beginning
to taste well. Plenty of 2007 and 2008 wines were also poured, and I’d have to
cross reference my notes before I could say which of the two groups was legitimately
tasting better.
One aspect of the event that I had some conversations about
on Saturday but really witnessed first-hand visually on Sunday was the change
in balance between wine & food/lifestyle vendors and non-wine floor space.
There appeared to be fewer tables pouring wines. On the flip side the event
didn’t seem any less well attended, and I heard great things about the food, so
until more feedback comes my way can't say whether this was a good or bad
change.
During the afternoon sessions, when the crowd at each table was
generally much larger, I took more opportunities to talk with fellow expo
attendees. I love the diversity of the attendees to events like this. I talked
with two women about their “wine" club (started as "book") and
the challenge of consistently finding values that are both new and interesting.
I sent them over to check out the Spanish and Portuguese wines where I knew
they will find wines that fit the need. The three of us also talked about
sensory exercises that groups of wine enthusiasts could use to sharpen their tasting
skills which they can then turn around and use to explore and better develop a
sense of what they like. I was excited to have a wine culture conversation with
them, because in the end the Boston Wine Expo wouldn’t really be successful if
it didn’t increase the desire of casual and enthusiastic drinkers to explore more of the world of wine. I
really hope these two ladies do in fact check out my blog and email me their
wine questions. I’d love to share what I know to help pick the next destination
in the journey.
Hey Jason, how about the wines?
Highlights from the
Boston Wine Expo 2013
(in no particular
order)
Sparkling wine is a constant curiosity for me now. I think
it is the texture. There is so much range and I am always looking for new and
interesting textures to try. The elegance of the Berlucchi Franciacorta
sparkling wines was joyful to experience. Both were crisp and clean with fine,
prickly bubbles. The rosé style was just a hint sweet, pale pink in color and
tasted of crushed, dried flowers.
Chateauneuf-du-Pape & Rhones
I didn't spend enough time at the Chateauneuf-du-Pape &
Rhones tables because I didn't find anything that really grabbed me. The most
recent vintage of both seemed leaner and more austere to me than the profile in
minds-eye. The Finger Lakes Region
The Finger Lakes region had a great presence at the Boston
Wine Expo again. As a disciple of the products AND the region I have tried
enough of the wines and visited some of the region to know that there is little
chance one would be disappointed to visit and taste. Get out the word!
With a combination of wineries, wine trail groups and the
local winery associations the Finger Lakes region had 10 tables in total! I
tasted some of the Riesling at Wagner Vineyards, the Gruner at Dr. Frank's,
Seyval from Hunt Country, the Ravines 2011 Dry Riesling and Game Bird Red from
Heron Hill, which I found particularly interesting. I heard great things from
others about many of the same wines as well as both the Cabernet France and
Meritage blend from Wagner.
I had a chance to talk with Katie Roller and
Stephen Lee from Wagner about their Expo experiences. They both agreed that
there had been lots of consumer interest in the wines and they were answering
lots of questions. I brought several groups of friends by to check out what the
region is doing. It made me realize I need to plan another warm-weather trip to
the area!
( Lots of activity around the Finger Lakes tables! )
Garrafeira Vinho Tinto Alentejo 2002
Of all the red wines I tasted at the Expo Grand Tasting this
wine was the most interesting. It has a spiciness to it that is so complex. I
easily detected black pepper and brown spices, but there was so much more that
was elusive. I am still somewhat unfamiliar with Portuguese wines so I can only
rely on feedback from friends that suggests that this spicy attribute is
something I can explore more with wines from different parts of the country.
Exciting!
Nobody is going to be surprised that I mention Moonlight
after a tasting event. Rock solid as always. Fran was working the table when I
visited with friends and he nailed some rather specific fermentation questions
(asked by a friend) with confidence, which of course made me smile. I got to
taste some Utopian, which is always a pleasure. The current batch is tasting
drier to me than I recall. I might have to invest in some to do further
periodic tasting!
( Experienced Romance by the Glass with Moonlight Meadery. )
You got it, more sparkling wine!
I tasted the Anna Codorníu
Rosé in the Blogger Lounge on Sunday and tasted the Brut at the Codorníu
Raventos table a bit later that day. Both are crisp and focused, and the rosé
being as dry as it is it finishes with a blast of tart red fruits.
Corte Di Dionoso Amarone
This wasn't the best Amarone I tasted all weekend, but it
was a very delicious start. I didn't write the vintage down but I believe it
was a 2007. Richly fruity but with a surprising angularity and dryness to it.
The typical stylistic sweetness was not in the proportion I expected for a
young wine. Still being a medium plus bodied wine it finishes with an restrained
sweetness that almost tastes like it was made in the lean vintage.
Stay tuned for a post on the Soave & Amarone seminar I
went to on Sunday of the Expo.
Beverages made from apples and I are great friends.
Sparkling ciders made with heirloom, vintage and traditional cider apples can
be all as elegant as Champagne, but bring their own unique aromas and flavors
thanks to the apple. I love them.
The Neige Sparkling Apple Wine has a balanced apple profile
with flavors of both tart cider apple as well as those I more associate with
dessert apples. It is plenty carbonated and served cold would be a fine stand
in for something sparkling made from grapes. The cidre de glace (ice cider) is
viscous liquid apple sugar. Definitely a very fine taste and an example where
hard work and a concentration of resources can create something highly sought
after!
This wine is from the new-to-me region of Mallorca, which is
the largest of the Balearic Islands off the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Made
from a blend of Mantonegro, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot this wine presents a
good balance of fruit and earth with an interesting savory element to the
finish. This was the boldest and most characterful wine of the offerings from
Son Prim in my opinion.
Roberto Ceraudo Rosé
Both of these rosé wines are made with the Gaglioppo grape
in Calabria, Italy. The silver label is aged in old barriques and the copper
label is not. Both wines were very straightforward and smooth with the expected
hints of lees and oxidation/oxygenation from the barrel aging in the silver
label version. The ability to taste the same wine made in two ways was an
exciting opportunity. In research the wines, they are not yet distributed in the US, found the following article from The Wine Traveller on
the wines and their producer.
I don't have a lot of experience with the grape Aglianico,
but I do know that when used to make a decent wine the grape adds a layer of
wildness to the mix that excites me. This wine also includes some Sangiovese, a
combination used in many areas where both grapes are grown in Italy. The wine
is flavorful but not demanding, dry with a nice thread of acidity that builds
through the finish. A very food friendly wine and also one that could take a
chill and bring refreshment on a hot day. And all for likely between $11-13!
Those are only some of the highlights from the weekend. I
estimate I tasted about 100-120 wines over the course of two days, and while my
perceptions were mixed, there were plenty of wines that would be worth another
taste in a different setting.
Next up will be separate posts on the two seminars I
attended during the expo. One was on Bourbon and the other included both Soave
and Amarone!
Cheers!
Jason
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
