Expo Conquered
Especially
when the New England winter punishes our world with snow,
wind and piercing cold, it makes me wonder what those
Pilgrims were thinking. Surely there was someone on board
the Mayflower shouting, “Left! Turn left!” but to no avail.
For 15 years now, the happiest sight of winter has been the
big gold star on the calendar that signifies the weekend of
the Boston Wine Expo, a happy break from snow, shoveling and
single-digit temperatures for wine lovers from all over New
England. In the years since it started, the Expo has become
such a profound part of the wine scene, I can’t remember
what I used to do between New Year’s Day and the Marathon to
make life worth living.
If you’re a wine
lover and have never attended, I find that a little hard to
believe. In two days, you get to taste a vast range of wines
you could never hope to taste, even if you spent an entire
year going from wine shop to wine shop. The crowds are
typically so huge it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone left
outside. Hundreds of wineries pouring thousands of different
wines is just the thing to lift our collective spirits. Only
problem with the Expo – if you even think this is a problem
– is that it’s so big and chock full of great wine
experiences, you can find yourself wandering and tasting
aimlessly for four hours if you’re not careful.
Saturday always
feels like the start of the Boston Marathon with everyone
crowded together and trying to stake out some turf. When
wine lovers start holding their glasses high and yearning
for wine, I’m always reminded of the 1953 Richard Burton
film “The Robe” where weltering crowds surge and reach out
to touch the passing Jesus. Sunday is like the finish line,
with only the hardiest wine lovers making it to that second
day. As swirling, noisy, upbeat, and busy as Saturday is,
Sunday is comparatively laid back, and for my money, this is
the day to go. Sunday’s crowds are very reduced, and
winemakers and salespeople are relaxed and unhurried and
really able to spend time talking through what they’re
tasting. People in the wholesale and retail business (wine
writers too) get a nice three-hour window of opportunity at
the Expo when they can taste and schmooze free from the
companionship of their consumers. That makes for some nice
frank conversations (mostly off the record) about how much
wine really costs, why you can or can’t get it at the local
wine shop, and how some darling wine got such a huge score
in the Wine Expectorator.
In the
beginning, the Wine Expo was just like the Power Tool Expo,
only with more drunkenness and breaking glass. It has grown
immensely over the years and has evolved beautifully to
include seminars, celebrity chefs, and some new flooring
material that either keeps glasses from breaking as much or
makes them break much more quietly. People lost in the
wilderness tend to roam in a great circle to the right, or
to the left, if they happen to be left-handed. You see the
same thing at the Wine Expo sometimes as folks wander in and
taste through the first four tables. Then they take a right
for a table or three. Attracted by the pretty flags, they
amble over to the Balkan wine pavilion, come out the other
side, enter a raffle to win a car, and go home. At the end
of the day, they’ve covered about 1OO yards in two or three
hours and leave overwhelmed.
While you might
have been able to show up and wander freely in the early
days, today you need a plan. Otherwise, you run the risk of
getting profoundly lost and confused. Food writer Elizabeth
David used to say that too-careful planning was the enemy of
good eating, but when it comes to the Expo, a little
organization makes for a better experience.
GOLDEN RULES of the WINE EXPO
1 Spit or die.
If you swallow everything you taste at the Expo, you will be
an insane embarrassment to everyone in no time. Learn to
spit, and don’t be shy about it.
2 Sunday’s the
day. Day one is typically wall-to-wall with wine lovers.
Sunday is plenty busy, but much more civilized.
3 Leave your
coat in the car. You have to dash 5O yards from the garage
to the Expo, but it’s worth it not to wrangle with coat
check.
GET IN, GET OUT, NOBODY GETS HURT Getting to the Wine Expo
is usually no problem: drive right into the Seaport Hotel
parking lot, and you’re tasting yummy wine in no time. At
the end of the day – cranky, lost, looking for a bathroom,
and frankly, still a little too buzzed to be driving –
you’ll wish you’d thought of something different.
For best
results, park your car at a semi-remote T stop like
Riverside, Chestnut Hill, Forest Hills, Alewife, Ashmont, or
Braintree. Ride the T as close to the World Trade Center as
you can, hop out, and take a taxi the rest of the
way.
After the Expo,
take a taxi or a long walk to dinner, then get on the T back
to your car. Designated drivers for everyone!
FIRST FOOD, THEN WINE Going to the Wine Expo on an empty
stomach is a big mistake. Eat like you were about to run the
Marathon: lots of carbs, lots of protein, lots of water.
DRESS for a MESS Basic black is a good wardrobe choice for a
wine tasting. You can spill almost anything on it, and look
untouched. European winemakers favor the busy sportcoat with
a pattern so elaborate you could spill an egg on it and not
see.
I once stupidly
wore a white shirt to a big wine tasting. By the end of the
night, I looked like a Jackson Pollack painting.
SIP, SWISH, SPIT It’s undainty and undignified, but you have
to spit, not swallow. There are spit buckets everywhere, and
everyone else is spewing wine like crazy, so don’t be
shy.
If you swallowed
even a tiny bit of 75 different wines, your brain would be
awash in way too much alcohol in no time. Every year, a
couple of otherwise nice people collapse insane and drunk in
the corner as security rushes in to protect and defend.
Don’t be one of them.
WHERE in the WORLD is GEORGE SCHWARTZ? I don’t know who
George is selling wine for these days, but Italy has been
his specialty, and the stuff he champions is always
fantastic. Once I find where George is pouring, I park
myself right beside him for as long as it takes to taste
everything he’s pouring. Hang out at the Italian Trade
Commission for a few minutes and ask nicely; someone will
point you to him.
PLANNING the UNEXPECTED Some of my favorite wines from every
Expo have been complete surprises, something I just stumbled
upon, or simply new and unexpectable wines. Of course, you
can’t very well plan this happenstance. That’s like trying
to schedule spontaneity.
But wine lovers
will be open to it, taking good advice, trying different
things, and discovering new favorites. The Expo is so big
it’s sometimes overwhelming, and people can tend to
gravitate toward old favorites. Remember to taste lots of
new wines and especially new grapes. It’s probably what
you’ll be drinking for the next year or so.
TABLE HOPPING
QUADY WINERY
Don’t miss Quady’s dessert wines and top-quality
Vermouth.
CASA ZULIANI and
CASTELLO di NEIVE Two superb northern Italian wineries from
the same importer. Zuliani makes French-style Cabernet Franc
and Pinot Blanc. Neive is in Nebbiolo country.
CHATEAU ST. JEAN
California finesse and full-flavored fruit from a
classic.
PEDRONCELLI I’m
always looking forward to any of Pedroncelli’s Merlot or
Bordeaux-style Cabernet.
FOSS MARAI Rare
and fantastic Italian sparklers of the highest
quality.
ROUTAS and THREE
THIEVES Affordable country French wines from Routas fit
nicely with affordable country California wine from Three
Thieves.
S.A. PRUM Great
opportunity to fall in love with deliciously dry
Riesling.
RED BICYCLETTE
Love the label, love to taste the rest of the Red Bicyclette
line.
PINOT to the PEOPLE!
MacMURRAY RANCH
Their Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir cannot be missed.
MONTINORE The
longer Oregon makes wine, the better it gets, and the more
the rest of the planet suffers from Pinot envy.
MACROSTIE WINERY
Passionate Scottish Pinot Noir producers are not to be
ignored.
ABUNDANCE
Delightful California pinot producer makes great
fruit-forward wines. I’m interested to see what other wines
they bring.
ALL the DEADLY ZINS
PEACHY CANYON
Features a full line of excellent Zinfandel, from simple
blends to single-vineyard selections.
FOUR VINES
There’s nothing like a rich red Zinfandel in
winter.
RENWOOD You
could spend a week at the Renwood table and never get
bored.
BIG SOUTHERN TOUR
ALAMOS,
COUSINO-MACUL, TRUMPETER, TRAPICHE, and OTHER SOUTH AMERICAN
WINES Under the right conditions, South America can become
the new Australia on the global wine scene. This year, I’m
looking for Carmenere, Malbec and good white
wines.
and OTHER WINES
of NEW ZEALAND Still unique, still exotic, New Zealand has
carved out a real niche for itself. Next to catch on: New
Zealand reds.
BROWN BROTHERS,
PENFOLDS, ROSEMOUNT, GREG NORMAN, LIMB, and MORE AWESOME
AUSSIE WINES Australian wines are huge again this year on
the international market. Stylistically, they call the shots
for everybody else who wants to make profitable
wine.
NEDERBURG,
KUMALA, FLEUR DU CAP, and OTHER SOUTH AFRICANS Pinotage is
getting much more pleasing these days, and the ripe, zippy
white wines are super.
BRING in the FUNK, BRING in the WINE!
FREDERICK
WILDMAN This importer always brings great wines. Who knows
right now what they will taste, but I am hoping for the
Potel-Aviron.
KYSELA Neither
winery nor vineyard, but an importer whose logo – on the
back of the bottle – means good wine. So far, I’ve loved
everything I’ve ever tasted from this company.
REAL INDIVIDUALS
TRENTADUE My
affection for this winery grows every time I taste their big
dense black Petite Sirah.
FESS PARKER Fess
specializes in keeping it real – real American, that is.
Every year, this winery delights and surprises me with
interesting wines and exotic styles.
THE PASO ROBLES
WESTSIDE GRAND CREW Paso Robles is both geographically and
metaphorically halfway between L.A. and San Francisco. Rich,
delicious white wines, audacious blended reds. Austin Hope
Roussanne became a favorite last year.
BOSTON WINE EXPO WEB DIRECTORY
Ticketand
schedule info
www.wine-expos.com/boston/tickets.php
Directions
www.wine-expos.com/boston/directions.php
Frequently asked
questions www.wine-expos.com/boston/faq.php
Buy tickets
online https://secure.wine-expos.com.
