Winter 2007 - New England’s Best Wine Events

New England’s best wine events in the 2007 winter season include three notables. My favorite is the Boston Wine Expo. The 16th annual Boston Wine Expo takes place on February 10th, and 11th, 2007 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. I have attended this event for many of the past 16 years. As a matter of fact, the genesis of my website, KensWineGuide.com, started with a wine list that I created after I attended this event. My annual list of Ken's Expo Picks has become one of my readers' favorite lists on my site. My favorite part of this event is the number of different wines you can try in one place. The Boston Wine Expo is thought to be the largest trade and consumer wine event in the United States. There are over 450 wineries from around the globe that pour over 1,800 different wines for you to sample. It does get a bit crowded. I would suggest getting there early. The consumer portion of the event is open from 1pm to 5pm. I would also suggest that you attend both days. It is difficult to see and taste everything in one day.

Listed below are a few additional Boston Wine Expo tips from my years of attending.

• Map out the wineries you want to visit ahead of time. The list of attending wineries on the Boston Wine Expo website is 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.
  
• Check your coat.
  
• Bring your own large wine glass or a wine charm to differentiate your glass.
  
• Eat a large lunch before you go in.
  
• Spit!! It is the only way to try so many wines and not pay for it the next day.
  
• Bring food with you. (Apple slices "for palate cleansing", small cheese chunks, crackers, and baguette slices).
  
• Bring a backpack to collect magazines and other materials of interest to you.
  
• Bring a water bottle (you can refill it).
  
• Bring a pad and (2) pens for your notes.
  
• Have a designated driver.
  
• Optional idea – some folks like to do whites on Saturday and reds on Sunday. I have found this to be difficult to adhere to. I prefer to focus on regions and try to keep the palate fresh. i.e. I start Saturday with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Finally, the other 2 major New England based wine events of interest over the next few months are the Boston Wine Festival and the Winter Wine Festival. Both events pair wine with food in a dinner setting. The settings of both events are elegant. Their schedules are on their websites. How can you resist a night out in Boston at the Boston Wine Festival event? or perhaps a weekend away at Wentworth by the Sea in New Hampshire that includes a Winter Wine Festival event? These sound like great wine events to me. Perhaps we will see you there.

Cheers,
Ken

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