Boston Wine Expo 2013

One of the best things I like about the Boston Wine Expo is that while it may sound intimidating and look overwhelming to people who are not exactly wine connoisseurs (like me), it is actually a very well-organized event that is conducive to learning more about different types of wine, whether you’re a wine expert or not.

I attended Boston Wine Expo 2013 with some friends (I am part of the blogger ambassador program and was given complimentary tickets). And in between many sips of wine and tasty little bites, I realized a few things. So I’m going to borrow a page from Oprah and her What I Know For Sure column on O Magazine and tell you about the Things I Know For Sure… from the Boston Wine Expo.

Things I Know For Sure:

1) I really like red wine, but like it better when I have something to pair it with, like cheese, chocolate, or something meaty.

One of the reds I tried was Cigar Zin, which tasted rich and almost spicy.

Luckily for me, there were a lot of tasty food options at the Expo that I can pair with red wine:

piave cheese, duck prosciutto, tuna tartare from Market, triple cream blue cheese

2) Foie gras tastes better when it’s free and you only get a little square on a stick.

Or: things seem to taste better when you know it’s expensive and are only available in limited quantities.

Two of my favorite bites were the indulgent foie gras squares from Bella Bella Gourmet and the slices of iberico ham from Toro restaurant. Unsurprisingly, these were very popular samples and there was always a line of people at the respective stations.

These treats taste exquisite as is, but if you factor in the long lines and people waiting and the fact that they’re free, the bites seemed to taste even better. (The marketing also worked, as I ended up buying a small lobe of foie gras, and wanting to plan a dinner at Toro soon.)

3) I really, really like sweet wines.

I knew that there was no way I can taste all of the wines, or even a quarter, from the featured wineries (there were over 200 wineries at the Expo) so I made it a point to only try wines that were new to me, and that I am sure to like. I tried a lot of dessert wines, sparkling wines, and chilled whites, but these four are my top favorites:

Rose ‘N’ Blum Pink Moscato from Rosenblum Cellars – this was actually the very first wine we tasted at the Wine Expo and it is the one I liked the best. It’s light and fragrant, with flavors of apricot and peach.

Maple Ice Wine from Tenute Santarelli – I was very intrigued by this trio of wines: a dry maple wine, a sparkling maple wine, and a maple ice wine, which I preferred the most. Before this weekend, I didn’t even know that maple wines existed. These Canadian maple wines are made entirely from maple syrup, no grapes at all. The maple ice wine has a warm aroma and a concentrated maple flavor. It made me think of pancakes…

Sweet Reisling from Pacific Rim – I admit that I was lured by the cute packaging, but I also knew that a sweet reisling would be right up my alley. I came to the Pacific Rim booth at the right time too, because this was the last of the samples!

Neige Apple Ice Wine from La Face Cachee – apple ice wine is also known as ice cider and is a product of Quebec. Neige means snow, and it’s a fitting name because the apple ice wine is produced in the extreme cold winter temperatures. This tasted pure, clean, with an intense apple flavor. It’s a great dessert wine.

I had a great time at the Boston Wine Expo, and I’m glad to discover some new dessert wines. I sort of want to plan a trip to Canada now, just for ice wine.

Have you been to any wine-centered events? Do you like sweet wines, too?

   

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