Category: Giveaway

Boston Wine Expo 2017 (+ GIVEAWAY)

Published on by Marie29 Comments

I can’t believe that’s already the middle of January. Where is all of this time going?

On Sunday I got back from 12 days in California. It was pretty incredible to say the least, and I will have a full recap of my trip coming soon. But now, I’m already looking ahead to February which, despite the freezing cold winters and all of the snow here, is one of my favorite times of the year. Sean’s birthday, Valentine’s Day, a day off for President’s Day, and of course, the Boston Wine Expo, all make for one jam-packed, super fun month.

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A very small part of the giant Boston Wine Expo floor. Also known as the calm before the storm…

I’ve been lucky enough to attend the Boston Wine Expo as a brand ambassador for the past few years. I always say it’s one of my favorite events of the year and one of the best that Boston puts on. It’s no secret that I love wine. Love love. And in the past 2 or so years I’ve really branched out. I no longer only drink Cabernet Sauvignon. I don’t shy away from a crisp Sauv Blanc or a sweet Port. And while I do still gravitate towards red wine more often than not, try to stop me from enjoying a cold glass of Chardonnay on a hot summer day.

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Keeper of the Bubbly.

This year, attending the Boston Wine Expo as a seasoned Expo vet has some definite perks. We have a pretty good idea how to navigate the expo floor (which is gigantic) and we know that snack time is about every 20-30 minutes when you’re drinking wine for 4-6 hours straight. Also, you don’t have to drink every single sip of every single wine you try. (I learned that the hard way in year 1.) Find a pace that is right for you and instead of frantically bouncing from table to table trying to fit everything in in one day (it’s impossible…), spend some time in the regions you love or the regions you may have been hesitant to try in the past.

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So many wines, so little time.

There’s also a variety of other things you can do at the Expo besides stay on the main floor. Treat yourself to VIP tickets to the Vintner’s Reserve Lounge where there are even more wines to try (some very rare, others very expensive). Get tickets to one of the many seminars where you can hone your focus on one particular subject (the Cheese & Wine one looks like it would be right up my alley), or grab a free seat at a live cooking demonstration as different ones are held throughout the day.

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Wine flights at the 2014 Rioja seminar.

 

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The good life in the 2015 Vintner’s Reserve Lounge.
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My favorite wine from the 2016 Vintner’s Lounge (about $50/bottle in New Hampshire)

This year’s Expo is being held the weekend after Valentine’s Day on Saturday and Sunday, February 18th and 19th. Fun fact, this is also President’s Day Weekend so if you’re lucky enough to have Monday off, there are so many good things about this: A) You get a super fun and unique Valentine’s Day date with someone special, and B) you can sleep off all that wine on Monday. Win-win!

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The best BWE date year after year.

I’m giving away a pair of tickets to Sunday’s Expo hours! To enter, leave a comment below telling me which type of wine you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t been able to yet. For bonus entries, follow me on Instagram and Twitter and leave me individual comments letting me know that you did!

BONUS OFF-BLOG ENTRY: Follow the instructions on THIS Instagram post and you’ll have another chance to win!

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Cody!

There’s still time to purchase tickets to the Expo. Use code WINEDERFUL17 at checkout for 15% OFF Grand Tasting tickets, weekend passes, VIP Vintner’s Lounge and select seminars. (Offer expires 2/14 at 11:59 PM)

Life Lately (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Published on by Marie26 Comments

Things have been pretty crazy over here since I last posted way waaaay too long ago. One of my goals for 2015 is to blog more so hopefully I will have lots to say this year!

And because I’ve been away for a while, I did want to give a quick (and very special) update to precede the amazing giveaway at the end of this post. (Don’t miss it!!)

In a blog post from January 2013 (wow, that seems like so long ago), I mentioned that I had met a guy and fallen for him hard during my summer in London. Fast forward 2(+) years from that summer, he stuck around. He made me happy. We even got a cat.

Then, this past October, he did something that made me cry harder than I ever had before. He got down on one knee in the place he took me on our first date (Ogunquit, Maine) and asked me to marry him.

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It was a surreal experience. In the minutes, hours, weeks to follow there were hundreds of phone calls, texts, emails, social notifications, glasses of champagne, congratulations and a whirlwind of thoughts: “OMG I’M ENGAGED. WHAT NOW? WHAT NOW?”

I calmed down eventually.

We picked a date, a venue, a photographer, and I’m happy to say I have lots of time to plan, stress, probably cry once or twice or many times, and enjoy all of the champagne my heart desires. And being engaged to Sean also means I get an official drinking partner for the rest of my life. So awesome.

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And speaking of a drinking partner, Sean and I will be attending the Boston Wine Expo for the second year in a row next weekend! The perfect Valentine’s Day excursion.

It’s no surprise that Sean and I love wine. Our love of red wine in particular was an early common thread between the two of us – Sean even brought a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignion for us to enjoy on our first date (Fetzer) and it is still a tried and true favorite of ours.

Last year at the Expo, we sampled glass after glass of wine from all over the world and learned about each wine and vineyard individually. The Expo is a giant trade floor set up by country with each respective flag hanging over a portion of the floor. The wine booths are also flanked by different food vendors handing out samples so you can snack your way through the wine tastings.

Memories from the BWE14!
Memories from the BWE14!

SORRY, THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.

Want to go to the 2015 Boston Wine Expo? You’re in luck! I have one pair of tickets that I’m giving away for next Sunday’s Grand Tasting event! (Sunday, February 15th from 1pm-5pm at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.)

I promise this is an event you will NOT want to miss!

To enter:

Simply leave a comment and tell me what you’d look forward to the most if you got to attend the Expo. (Need inspiration? Check out their website and their Facebook page!) Make sure you include your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win!

Want 2 extra entries? Follow @ChocoAndWine on Twitter and @BostonWineExpo on Twitter, tell me you did in the comments, and I’ll give you an extra entry for each follow!

Good luck! I’ll pick a winner on Wednesday, February 11th.

Congratulations Nell! (Comment #18!)

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*The Boston Wine Expo sends Chocolate & Wine to the event, and provides the giveaway tickets, but all opinions are, as always, my own.

Boston Wine Expo 2014 (and a Giveaway!)

Published on by Marie48 Comments

I love wine.

I’m sure that goes without saying considering the title of this blog. And I’m really excited that this year I get the chance to go to the Boston Wine Expo at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center in February! The opportunity to try over 300 wines in the span of 4 hours, plus tasty bites and live cooking demos? Sign me up!

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There are also educational seminars that you can attend to learn more about whatever topic tickles your tastebuds. I’m already eyeing the “Cheese and Wine Matching Seminar” where you get to try wines expertly paired with different cheeses. There’s also location-based seminars for those who are interested in learning about wines specific to places like Napa Valley or Portugal. I think deciding on which seminars to go to would be one of the hardest decisions of the day!

And guess what? The Boston Wine Expo wants you there too! I have two tickets to give to a lucky reader for the Expo’s Grand Tasting on Sunday, February 16th! Your tickets will include access to the main event, a souvenir glass with which you can try any of the 300(+) wines that will be available for sampling, complimentary food samples from a variety of culinary producers, and live cooking demonstrations.  I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited.

To enter, simply leave a comment below telling me what your favorite wine is and why you’d like to to the Boston Wine Expo! (Don’t forget to leave your name and email address so I can contact you if you win!)

For an extra entry, follow me on Twitter @ChocoAndWine and leave me a comment telling me you did!

The entry period will run from today, January 15th through Thursday, January 30th. I will pick a winner at random and announce it here!

Congratulations to Lauren Boucher for winning 2 tickets to the Sunday Grand Tasting at the Boston Wine Expo!

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And for those of you who want to buy tickets now (before they sell out!), use discount code SOCIAL at checkout for 10% off tickets for either Saturday or Sunday’s Grand Tasting! (You can buy tickets here: http://j.mp/BWETix)

"Life's too short to drink bad wine."
“Life’s too short to drink bad wine.”

*As a blog ambassador, the Boston Wine Expo is providing me with complimentary tickets to the event, as well as a pair of tickets to give away. As always, all opinions are my own.

ALL the chocolate! (and my GIVEAWAY winner!)

Published on by MarieLeave a comment

I gotta say that working at Lindt definitely has it’s perks. Like during the days when I-NEED-CHOCOLATE-RIGHT-THIS-SECOND… it’s right there.

When people find out where I work, the most common response I get is “Oh my God, I could never work there – I’d gain so much weight!” In reality, you probably wouldn’t! (Shameless Humblebrag: I’ve actually lost a few pounds since I started working here! Doesn’t hurt that I have a free gym at my disposal and a trip to Puerto Rico in my future… details, details.) But believe me, it’s a major test of willpower to not mow down on truffle after truffle. Moderation is key when you work in a place like this and I have found a very happy balance! Okay, happy rant over now. Let’s get to this giveaway!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who entered! I will definitely be doing another one of these (maybe just in time for the holidays?!) because I believe in the power of chocolate to make people happy. And I like making you happy. Win-win.

And our winner is…. comment number 9!

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Congratulations to Lisa!! I’ll be sending you an e-mail about your prize so keep an eye out! And thank you again to everyone who entered!

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Working 9 to 5… (and a CHOCOLATE GIVEAWAY!)

Published on by Marie27 Comments

Ok, technically I work 8:30 until whenever I feel like I’ve done enough work for the day that constitutes leaving. Usually it’s around 5 or 6.

In my last post (a month ago… where did summer go?!), I mentioned my new job as the Social Media Specialist at Lindt & Sprüngli Chocolate USA, more commonly known as “Lindt.” In a nutshell, I develop the social and digital content and marketing campaigns for Lindt’s chocolate products, ranging from the well-known LINDOR Truffles to EXCELLENCE chocolate bars and everything in between. I’m also in charge of community management for our social channels and read every comment or post from Lindt fans.

I can’t lie.. for the most part, it’s a pretty sweet job. Sweet job… because I work in a chocolate factory. See what I did there? Moving on…

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So anyway… this Giveaway situation.

Since I work for what I think is the best chocolate company in the world, I want to share it with you! The winner will get a homemade Lindt Chocolate gift box complete with all of my favorites and yours too! (And maybe a fun surprise.. who knows?!)

HOW TO ENTER:

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me what your absolute favorite Lindt Chocolate is. (Just click on the “comments” below to leave your own!) That’s it!  It could be anything from the Milk Chocolate truffles, to the EXCELLENCE Dark Chocolate with a Touch of Sea Salt bar to our hollow Gold Bunny that you get in your Easter basket every year.

And if you’re feeling lucky and want 1 more entry, follow Lindt Chocolate USA on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.

Good luck all! The contest will run from now until I decide to close it so get those entries in and get some chocolate from me!*

So much chocolate...so little time.
So much chocolate…so little time.

*Disclaimer: While I do work for Lindt Chocolate USA, this is not a sponsored giveaway. Any and all chocolate will be paid for and come directly from me. All opinions expressed are my own!

**Contest valid only to residents in the continental USA. (Sorry, I can’t ship internationally or to Alaska or Hawaii.)  Also, if you live somewhere hot, I will do my best to see that your chocolate does not melt, but please be advised that chocolate and heat are not friends. 

A Special Offer for my [GIVEAWAY]

Published on by MarieLeave a comment

If you haven’t already entered my Lucy Belle’s Charms Giveaway, you still have plenty of time!  You have until Friday to check out her shop and tell me what you love in it for a chance to win a set of 6 blue beach-themed wine glass charms.

As something special to go along with the giveaway, Jessica has offered the readers of Chocolate & Wine a discount in her Etsy shop. When you’ve made your decision on what to buy and are ready to check out, use the code LOVECHOCO25 for 25% off your purchase!

In other recent news, I just signed up for my first 5K since last May. I have a little less than 3 weeks to get ready for it. This should be interesting…

Lucy Belles Charms [GIVEAWAY]

Published on by Marie23 Comments

You guys… I’m excited. No, more than excited. Chocolate & Wine is proudly pairing with Lucy Belle Charms for an awesome giveaway that you should enter as many times as you can!

I recently got an e-mail from a girl named Jessica in Colorado who has an Etsy shop selling something that is right up my alley.

Have you ever been at a party or a wine tasting and you set your glass down for just a second, only to turn back to it and realize you have no clue which glass is yours? Anyone? I know it’s not just me.

Well, it’s definitely happened to me, admittedly more than once. Jessica’s shop, Lucy Belles Charms, offers a variety of handcrafted wine glass charms to give you and your guests a creative and super cute way to tell your glasses apart. She offered me a custom set to give away and of course I jumped at the chance! (By the way, she also makes earrings that everyone should check out….)Recently Updated4

As you can see, the charms are beautifully blue-and-beach-themed, which is perfect for this time of year. I don’t know about you, but Jessica and I are ready for some sun, some sand and some sangria. These beach-y charms will be the perfect accent to your wine glasses for the upcoming months… or all year long if you constantly dream of summer like me!

So, here’s how to win:

Mandatory Entry:

Visit the Lucy Belle’s Etsy shop and post a comment (in the comment/reply box below) telling me what you love about it or which specific set you would buy for yourself/as a gift. Simple and fun! (Maybe do a little shopping while you’re at it!)

Extra Entries:

1) Follow @ChocoAndWine and @LucyBelles2013 on Twitter and you get a comment per follow (that’s 2 extra entries for a few clicks on Twitter!) to tell me that you did.

2) Follow Lucy Belle Charms on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.

3) Tweet the giveaway and include the hashtag #CWBlogGiveaway. Leave a comment telling me you did.

4) Subscribe to Chocolate & Wine by clicking the “SIGN ME UP” button on the right sidebar (under the “Craving More Chocolate & Wine” category) and leave a comment saying you did.

That’s a total of 6 chances to win so don’t miss out! The Giveaway will end on Friday, March 8th at 11:59 P.M. EST. I will pick a winner using Random.org and announce it here and e-mail the winner. Good luck!

A Quick Update

Published on by Marie1 Comment

Things have been rolling along here, just puttering through this winter that suddenly got 10 times worse when Blizzard Nemo decided to dump close to 30 inches of snow on Massachusetts last weekend, but hey, shoveling is part of life too.

Snowball fight BEFORE the storm actually started.
Snowball fight BEFORE the storm actually started.

Now that things are cleaned up a bit, here’s what’s been going on lately.

– My wonderful boyfriend turned 27. Or as I like to remind him: the end to his mid-twenties and the almost-approaching-30 years. Needless to say, that doesn’t necessarily thrill him. But I did get him Bruins tickets for an April game against the Islanders and made this…

#masterpiece
#masterpiece

… so he was pretty happy.  I found this beauty on Pinterest (follow me!) and followed this recipe to put it together. I highly recommend it even though it was a lengthy process.

– I successfully made Honey Oat Bread from scratch.

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I’ve only attempted a yeast bread one other time and this one was way better. I usually shy away from recipes that call for 3+ hours of resting/rising time just because I usually don’t have that much time and I’m not very patient. But on a cold day with nothing to do and a lonely packet of instant yeast in the cabinet, why not?  I recommend this recipe.

– My friends threw me a surprise Master’s graduation party…. and I had absolutely no idea. My best friends and dance friends were there and I got presents and drank (a lot of) Asti in celebration. It was wonderful.

This is my "What the hell is going on here?" face.
This is my “What the hell is going on here?” face.

– DanceWorks Boston Season 6 started!

I’m in 4 routines this time around, and choreographing my 5th DWB piece to “World Spins Madly On” by the Weepies.  I’ll take a group photo at our next rehearsal.

– I’m going to host my 2nd giveaway soon!

Freshly baked cookies may or may not be included … don’t miss it!

Tell me! What’s new in your life? What would you like to see as a theme for a giveaway that includes cookies? 

Virtual Bake Sale!

Published on by Marie1 Comment

Attention Chocolate & Wine Readers!

I want/need/must tell you about an amazing opportunity to make a huge difference.  A difference to a first-time marathon runner and an incredible charity.  And an opportunity to get some delicious goodies!

My good friend/fellow Boston blogger and bruncher, Amanda, is running the Boston Marathon for the first time.  She is running for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is attempting to raise $4,000.  Right now, you can attend her blog’s virtual bake sale and bid on a variety of baked goods by some of her favorite bloggers (myself included!!!!)

These are my Double Chocolate Oreo Balls. You should probably go bid on them.

Simply visit her website between now and January 28th to bid on the items.  All of the proceeds go towards the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and will help her reach her goal.  Amanda is a kind, passionate person who wants nothing more than to run 26.2 miles successfully and have an impact on this charity.  YOU can help her make it happen.

Questions?  Shoot me an e-mail!  And please let me know via comment if you bid on anything/win anything, especially if you bid on/bid on my Double Chocolate Oreo Balls!

MY PLEDGE:

For every Chocolate & Wine reader who bids on a baked good from Amanda’s bake sale and leaves me a comment here telling me you did, I will donate $1 to Amanda’s charity.  For every baked good a Chocolate & Wine reader bids on AND WINS, I will donate $5 to Amanda’s charity.  And if a Chocolate & Wine reader wins MY Double Chocolate Oreo Balls, I will donate $15 to Amanda’s charity site!!  Either way, this is a win-win-win situation to help people in need!

Rules:
(PS – these are based on the honor system.  If you say you bid on something, please make sure you do…)

1.  Bid on an item on Amanda’s bake sale and leave me a comment telling me you did.  Include what you bid on and how much you bid.

2.  If you win an item, leave me a comment telling me what you won and how much you paid for it.

3.  If you win MY Double Chocolate Oreo Balls, leave me a comment telling me you did and how much you paid for it.  Then enjoy them immensely when I send them to you!

I mean... yum.

I’ll keep a pledge tally and tell you how much I will personally be donating at the end of the bake sale.

Good Luck and Happy Bidding!!