Smith & Wollensky's Pourings & Pairings Wine Dinners

Smith & Wollensky in Boston offers one of the most unique dining atmospheres in the United States. It is housed is a magnificent stone and brick medieval castle like structure. It was constructed in 1891 and originally served as the headquarters for the First Corps of Cadets. The building has been on the National Historic Register since 1973. Smith & Wollensky has always been a leading destination for wine lovers. As you may know, to complement their outstanding food, they feature the "Great American Wine List," which consists exclusively of 650 of the finest wines produced in the United States, including selections from Robert Mondavi, Harlan, Hanzell, and Jordan. These are many of the must try wines for the wine lover in your life.

With the creation of the Pourings & Pairings 2008 wine dinner series, Smith & Wollensky has developed a year long celebration with America's finest winemakers. Each month they invite a spokesperson from a selected winery to each of their restaurants to give their guests a special evening of fine wine and food pairings. For the month of May the featured winery is Simi Winery.

On May 7, the celebration continues. Their menu will include pan seared diver scallops, crisp duck leg, and USDA Prime, prime rib. It sounds delightful. To experience this event for yourself, click here to reserve your place now. Smith & Wollensky is located at 101 Arlington Street in Boston, MA. There phone number is (617) 423-1112. Cheers - Ken

Boston Wine Auction to Benefit Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts

The Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts Wine Auction will be held on Thursday, April 17, 2008 from 6:00-10:00pm at the Boston Harbor Hotel - Wharf Room. Marie Keep, the Director of Fine Wines for Skinner, Inc., will be the auctioneer, and Federal Wine & Spirits is also supporting the event. Major sponsors include: The Michele and David Mittelman Family Foundation, James and Laura Cafferty Philanthropic Trust, Citigroup and Fidelity Investments.

Since 1996, the LVM Wine Auction has been one of Boston's premier wine events and best-kept secrets, and it has raised nearly $1 million. It is a truly unusual Boston event that has been an annual destination for savvy wine enthusiasts, some of whom fly in from New York to buy fine wine. The bidding is fierce at this dedicated wine auction, and the wine sells on average for two to three times the retail value.

Why do these wine enthusiasts do it? Because the LVM Wine Auction benefits a terrific cause -- LVM's award-winning programs that train volunteer tutors to provide free, private, confidential, and individualized tutoring to adults in basic literacy and ESOL. LVM is the leading provider of these services in Massachusetts. LVM's tutoring helps to change lives by providing adults with the literacy and English language skills they need to obtain a job, help their children with schoolwork, obtain citizenship or simply read a newspaper.

For more information, please contact Rachel at 617.367.1313 or rachellvm@aol.com.

A New Vintage of Boston Red Sox Wine

David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, and Kevin Youkilis have joined the line up of sports figures with their names and images on a bottle of wine. As you may remember, last year Kurt Schilling, Manny Ramirez, and Tim Wakefield launched their own labels. This year Ortiz, Varitek, and Youkilis have collaborated with Charity Wines' Longball Cellars label to raise money for their favorite charities. This year's wine will come from Selby Vineyards in California. Last year's wine was from Chile. For each bottle sold, $1.25 goes to the athlete's designated charities. The players make no money from the sale of the wines.

David Ortiz's "Vintage Papi," a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, will help the David Ortiz Children's Fund which offers medical care for children in the Dominican Republic and New England.

Jason Varitek's "Captain's Cabernet," a California Cabernet, benefits Pitching In For Kids and Children's Hospital Boston. Proceeds from "Captain's Cabernet" give breaks to special kids. Pitching in for Kids provides grants that improve the lives of children across New England. Funds have been earmarked to support Children's Hospital Boston, as well as other worthy causes. For more information, visit http://www.pitchinginforkids.org/ or http://www.childrenshospital.org/.

"SauvignYooouuuk Blanc," a California Sauvignon Blanc, will benefit Kevin Youkilis' Hits for Kids which is dedicated to rallying local and corporate support and awareness for charities and organizations focused on the health and well-being of children. Funds will benefit kids in New England and in Kevin's hometown of Cincinnati. Learn more at http://www.youkskids.org/.

We look forward to trying these wines this spring. We are excited that the wine is from California. The Schilling Schardonnay was our favorite last year. I wonder which will be our favorite charity wine this year? The wines are expected to be available at local retailers and restaurants the second week in May. The local retail price is expected to be $13.99 per bottle. Colonial Spirits of Acton, MA will offer the Red Sox wines at their release. Or, check out http://www.newenglandspirits.com/ for convenient, online ordering.

Go Sox!

Cheers, Theresa and Ken

Culinary Festival and James Beard Dinner-Dance May 16-17, 2008

Unfortunately This Event Has Been CANCELLED.

Attention New England wine lovers, the Culinary Festival and the James Beard Gala Dinner-Dance is planned for May 16-17, 2008 at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, Whitefield, NH. The gala festival culminates in the first-ever James Beard Foundation Dinner in New Hampshire.

The Culinary Festival includes celebrity chefs: Dante de Magistris (Dante, Cambridge, MA), Jason Santos (Gargoyles on the Square, Somerville, MA), Matt Gennuso (Chez Pascal, Providence, RI), Bram Fowler (Journeys, Longwood, FL), and Juho Lee (Mountain View).

The fun includes dancing to the 18-piece big band, Berlin Jazz. The cocktail, hors d’oeuvres reception Friday includes famed New Hampshire chefs: Daniel Dumont, (Wentworth by the Sea), Larry Johnson, (The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel), and John Russ, (Inn at Thorn Hill)--benefits the N.H. Food Bank. Wine tastings and cooking demonstrations are also included in the fun.

The festival package includes the cocktail reception, cooking demonstrations, all tastings, the gala dinner-dance featuring the 18-piece big band, and two nights at the AAA Four Diamond resort. Rates start at $750/couple (includes tax and gratuity). Non-package rates also available. Visit http://www.mountainviewgrand.com/ or call 603-837-2100.

Check Out The New York Wine Expo

We have always loved the Boston Wine Expo. A short drive away, you can now enjoy the 1st Annual New York Wine Expo this weekend. The Expo will be open to the public on Friday, March 7th from 7 to 10 PM and on Saturday, March 8th from 2 to 6 PM. I will be there on Saturday. At the Grand Tasting, you will receive a souvenir glass that is yours to keep. You will also receive a color glossy show program outlining all the exhibitors that are present and where they located on the floor. You will have an oppurtunity to sample wines from more than 150 wineries from around the globe. Tickets are $85 for Friday night & $95 for Saturday. Check out their website for more details. Hope to see you there. Cheers! Ken

Boston Wine Lovers on Valentine's Day

Are you looking to take your wine lover to dinner on Valentine's Day at a Boston area restaurant that has delicious food AND very good wine? Check out our reviews of the following Boston area restaurants we have visited recently. Don't forget the Champagne or sparkling wine toast to set the mood and the chocolate for dessert. Happy Valentine's Day!

Boston
Bouchée
Grill 23 & Bar
Legal Sea Foods, Park Square
Maggiano's
Mamma Maria

North and West of Boston
Coach Gill, Wayland
Gibbet Hill Grill, Groton
Il Capriccio, Waltham
Il Forno, Acton
La Stanza Diva, Woburn
Luigi's Italian Grill, Wayland
Number 5 Strawberry Hill, Acton
The Metropolitan Club, Chestnut Hill
The Sole Proprietor, Worcester
The Tuscan Grill, Waltham
Vincenzo's Restaurant, Chelmsford

Practical Tips for Attending the Boston Wine Expo

Happy New Year Boston! Did you celebrate on New Year's Eve with a glass of wine?
If you are like many Americans, you probably did. As Walter Nicholls points out in his Jan. 2 article in the Washington Post, "The U.S. is turned on to wine." According to the article, "projected estimates for 2007 have the nation reaching a record 304 million cases of wine consumed." That figure puts the U.S. in second place, trailing only France in wine consumption. Wine is very popular here in Boston, just like the rest of the nation.

One of the most popular Boston area wine events of the year is coming up next month, The Boston Wine Expo, February 8-10, 2008 at the Seaport World Trade Center. It's a fun event with opportunities to try many different types of wine from around the world. If you haven't been before, you might want to consider checking it out. For Boston wine lovers, this is a "not to be missed event!" Ken attends every year and has some practical tips for making the most of this exciting wine event.

Ken's 10 Practical Tips for Attending the Boston Wine Expo:

1. ) Map out the wineries you want to visit ahead of time. The list of attending wineries is listed on the Boston Wine Expo website in alphabetical order. Match the table numbers and plan your visits to sample based upon sections. i.e. Create a list of all the wineries you want to visit from Aisle 500 and visit them all at once.

2.) Check your coat.

3.) Bring your own large wine glass or a wine charm to differentiate your glass.

4.) Eat a large lunch before you go in.

5.) Spit!! It is the only way to try so many wines and not pay for it the next day.

6.) Bring food with you. (Apple slices "for palate cleansing", small cheese chunks, crackers, and baguette slices).

7.) Bring a backpack to collect magazines and other materials of interest to you.

8.) Bring a water bottle (you can refill it).

9.) Bring a pad and two pens for your notes.

10.) Have a designated driver. No matter how much you spit, it's probably not enough. Be safe and enjoy!

Do you have any practical tips for attending the Boston Wine Expo? If so, please leave a comment. We would love to hear from you.

Theresa and Ken