Three weekends ago (seriously where does the time go??) Sean and I attended the 2017 Boston Wine Expo and I think this one was the best yet. This was our fourth year in a row attending and I can honestly say that like a fine wine, this event gets even better with age.
We arrived for the media and trade hours at 11:00 AM on Saturday and did a quick loop of the floor. This year, we noticed more food and snack vendors flanked the main aisles (shout out to Primizie who makes some super delicious crisps and chips!) We knew we’d be back more than once to this section of the floor because its essential to eat during the four (or in our case, six) hours that the Expo is open.
Each year, the trade floor is set up a little differently. This year was a little tougher to navigate because they did not have the sections set up by region or country as they have in the past. Nevertheless, we hit the ground running with wines from Spain and made it all around the world during the two days. I’ve said it in previous posts about the BWE, but I think its 100% worth it to attend both days of the Expo because the floor is just too large to get through in one afternoon.
This year, the Expo also had a great “Social Spot” where people could sit and work on tweets and posts or snap some fun photos. It was nice to be able to pull over to a designated area to get my life in order while I was live tweeting and Instagram-storying all day instead of bumping into fellow Expo goers; I hope they repeat this area next year.
So… the wine. I was pleased to see some old favorites, like 90+ Cellars, as well as some new faces like Res Fortes. Trying wine from all over the world is such a unique and rare experience but it’s fun to branch out to countries like Georgia or Israel when you probably aren’t purchasing and drinking wine from these places on a regular basis.
Here is a look at some of our favorites from the weekend…
90+ Cellars. (Check out some desserts I made with a few of their wines here!)
From the country of Georgia.
And from the Vintner’s Lounge…
Duckhorn. (Although I was definitely missing their Goldeneye Pinot Noir this year!)
Grgich Hills Estate. (Especially their Chardonnay!)
The Vintner’s Reserve Lounge is one of those places where you can’t believe you are tasting wines that could be anywhere from $50 up to over $500 per bottle. It’s quite the experience. This year, we were able to go at noon on Sunday so it was a fantastic way to kick off Day 2 of the Expo. Along with the premium wineries, they also had a showing of restaurants and food vendors like Del Frisco’s handing out small bites.
We were a little disappointed not to see our favorite Rioja region represented this year but with any luck they will be back for 2018. That aside, it was another fantastic Boston Wine Expo and it continues to be one of the best Boston events every year. I cannot recommend it enough to all wine lovers or those looking to experience wine in a different way.
Until next year, Cheers!
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