Review: 13th Annual Boston Wine Expo
Gaure Khurana M'06
- Boston Wine Expo
- January 31st and February 1st
- World Trade Center Boston and Seaport Hotel
- 200 Seaport Blvd, Boston MA 02210
- www.wine-expos.com
- Wine: You are guaranteed to find one you adore - 5/5
- Food: Great variety of snacks to help drink more wine - 5/5
- Cost: Expensive, but a great treat - 1/5
The Concept: 440 international and domestic wineries from 12 different countries pouring nearly 2,000 wines for attendees to sample.
Upon entering the Boston Wine Expo on Saturday (the first of its two day run), to put it simply, I was overwhelmed. Aisle upon aisle was marked with flags and signs indicating country, wine, vintage, etc. For a relative beginner, I did not know where to begin with the 2,000 wines on the wine list, but my friend and I were determined to sample as wide a variety as we could.
After I picked up my Boston Wine Expo wine glass, I settled on sampling a few from each country, starting with those from Italy. By the time I arrived at the wine expo at about 2 pm, it was already very crowded so my friend and I ended up sampling those that we could reach. Sunday was a different story. With the highly anticipated and now infamous Superbowl on the horizon, attendance felt like it was a fraction of what it was on Saturday. I had a much better time on Sunday in terms of sampling whichever wine I wanted and talking to the representatives, who were knowledgeable and willing to talk about nearly every aspect of the wine industry.
Since going through all 2,000 of the wines that I managed to sample is impossible, some of the highlights for my friend and I included:
-Australia's wines drew a huge crowd. Especially noteworthy was Angove's Bear Crossing brand because of the taste, the cute packaging (koalas are always marketable) and the price (at a mere $7, it is well worth it.) Within the usual range of whites and reds, my friend and I particularly enjoyed the shiraz because of the deep berry aroma.
-Argentina's Doluim, Malbec 2001's sweet taste greatly impressed us and also disappointed us because it is not for sale in Boston as of yet. It retails for $12.
-Italy's Bella Sera was well represented and after sampling the standard varieties, the Sangiovese was exceptional. It was an unusual red in that the taste was based on the sangiovese grape from the Chianti regions of Siena and Florence, as the representative told us. It retails for approximately $10.
-A great regional winery that we adored was the Heron Hill Winery, Hammondsport, New York. We sampled a fantastic 2002 Late Harvest Riesling. The taste was very sweet, but not as overpowering as some of the sweeter wines have a tendency to become. (website address: www.heronhill.com)
-South Africa also had a noticeable presence at the expo. However, a few of the wines that I tried were too spice/herbal-based for my taste.
-Chile surprised us with a great selection of wines. We especially liked Cousino Macul's Antiguas reserves 2002 Chardonnay and Dona Isidora's 2003 Riesling.
-I was excited to try Hulu, a rice wine from China. However, the taste was relatively shocking and unfamiliar to the palate after the reds and whites mainly because of the blend of rice, toasted sesame, soy and light fish oils used to produce the final product.
-My favorite wine of the show was Markus Molitor's Riesling. The taste was divine, but at $35, it is an indulgence.
-One of the biggest surprises at the wine expo was the introduction of high-end boxed wine. Even though it is a concepy popular all over the world, Americans typically dislike boxed wines. Black Box Wine Company has developed 3 distinct types: 2003 Napa Valley Chardonnay, 2001 Sonoma Valley Merlot, and 2002 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon (available to the public March 15, 2004). After tasting them, we can assure that they were fantastic and even better than similar vintages that were bottled. The idea behind them is that they enable customers to enjoy superb quality wine on a daily basis because there is no rush to finish the 3L box, which typically lasts 30 days before it goes bad. Such boxes are very popular in Australia because it also lowers the cost that the customer pays (packaging costs are significantly lower.) In the US, a 3L box retails for approx. $20.
The show also featured some non-wine drinks and foods that were memorable. It was great seeing some of the older crowd imbibe Alize shots, which were a combination of fruity-mixes and champagne. Coffee and tea were also available compliments of Flavia to help those who drank a bit too much wine. Of course no wine expo would be complete without its assorted cheeses, but I thought the best ones were the fresh parmesan from Italy and the manchego (tangy sheep's milk cheese) from Spain, compliments of the Fine Cheeses of Spain Company. A regional treasure was Cape Cod Traveler, with its assortment of salad dressings and dips. Amongst the best were cranberry spread and Vidalia onion poppy seed salad dressing. Lakota Bakery in Arlington Heights had some great chocolate-toffee cookies to enjoy with the wine.
I had an amazing time at the expo and would encourage everyone to attend next year (except the 3rd years, who should be working!) It is designed to accommodate novices to experts, so every palate is welcome. Seminars about wine vintages and pairings are also offered as well as gourmet dinners with celebrity chefs for an additional cost. If you buy your tickets a week or so beforehand, a single day ticket is $60 and a two-day pass is $82. At the door, the prices increase by $10. With over 2,000 wines and unlimited sampling, I thought the experience was well worth it.