Last month, I provided Advice on Attending the Expo and now I'm here to provide some Tasting Recommendations, the exhibitors at the Expo where you should stop and sample their wines. At the Grand Tasting, there will be hundreds of wines which you can taste, which is an overwhelming amount of wine. As you can only practically sample a tiny fraction of those wines, which should you choose to taste?
When choosing which winery tables to visit, I recommend that you don't drink wines you already know and like. You can do that anytime and anywhere else. Instead, take this opportunity to expand your palate and try different wines, hoping to find new wines to enjoy. With all the diversity of wines available, it makes little sense to spend your time drinking the same wines you drink at home all the time. Be willing to experiment and taste something different. Make the Expo an opportunity to explore the wide world of wine.
To assist in your choices, I'm going to provide you with my own recommendations for some wine tables you should check out. This list will include exhibitors which I visited at last year's Expo and thoroughly enjoyed. Others on the list will include wines which I know well and believe worthy of your attention. Of these recommendations, they are also the wine tables which I will be visiting this year, seeing what new wines they are presenting.
There are obviously other wine tables which may interest you, and which I will check out too. Although the Expo website presents a list of all of the Exhibitors, it doesn't present a list of the wines which each exhibitor will offer at the Expo. So, consider my recommendations an excellent starting point, and after checking out those exhibitors, explore the rest of the Expo.
Croatian Wines
I love Croatian wines, and have twice visited the country, visiting dozens of wineries and tasting hundreds of wines. Their wines are diverse, delicious and interesting, a significant number using indigenous grapes you won't find elsewhere. Croatian Premium Wines will be at the Expo, showcasing a number of excellent Croatian wines. They are the importer of these wines, and their wines are readily available locally, as well as through online sales. So, if you find Croatian wines you enjoy, you will be able to later purchase them.
Portuguese Wines
As I've often said, Portugal produces some of the best value wines in the world and if you want inexpensive, but delicious, wines then you need to explore Portugal. Portugal has lots of intriguing, indigenous grapes, making their wines unique in a number of ways. Portugal also makes many fine, higher end wines as well, including delicious Ports. Brands of Portugal will be at the Expo once again, showcasing many intriguing Portuguese wines. Four of their wines I tasted at last year's Expo ended up on my Top Twenty Wines of 2023. I'm sure they will have some new wines this year, some of which could end up on my list of the best wines of 2024.
Georgian Wines
The country not the state. Once part of the Soviet Union, Georgia might be the historical birthplace of wine production. It now produces some intriguing and delicious wines, including some made in a very traditional manner in qvevri, earthenware vessels. I've enjoyed a number of Georgian wines and continue to seek out new ones too. There will be two Georgian exhibitors this year, including Marnaveli and the Saperavi Brothers.
Italian Wines
Portuguese Wines
As I've often said, Portugal produces some of the best value wines in the world and if you want inexpensive, but delicious, wines then you need to explore Portugal. Portugal has lots of intriguing, indigenous grapes, making their wines unique in a number of ways. Portugal also makes many fine, higher end wines as well, including delicious Ports. Brands of Portugal will be at the Expo once again, showcasing many intriguing Portuguese wines. Four of their wines I tasted at last year's Expo ended up on my Top Twenty Wines of 2023. I'm sure they will have some new wines this year, some of which could end up on my list of the best wines of 2024.
Georgian Wines
The country not the state. Once part of the Soviet Union, Georgia might be the historical birthplace of wine production. It now produces some intriguing and delicious wines, including some made in a very traditional manner in qvevri, earthenware vessels. I've enjoyed a number of Georgian wines and continue to seek out new ones too. There will be two Georgian exhibitors this year, including Marnaveli and the Saperavi Brothers.
Italian Wines
There will be several exhibitors at the Expo offering Italian wines. One of those exhibitors I would highly recommend is Fantasy Fine Wines, which primarily distributes Italian wines, from all across Italy, and their portfolio is diverse and interesting. Two of their wines made my Top Twenty Wines of 2023.
Spanish Wines:
The region of Rias Baixas will be showcasing their white wines made from the Albariño grape. I'm a big fan of this grape, and the region produces a fascinating diversity of wines. As their website states, their wines "all share a number of characteristics. Pale golden lemon, they are all crisp, elegant and fresh. These wines are bone-dry and aromatic, packed with flavors of white peach, apricot, melon, pineapple, mango and honeysuckle. They share good natural acidity, have mineral overtones, and are medium bodied with moderate alcohol." You need to check out these delicious white wines. I hope you find my recommendations helpful in making your plans for the Boston Wine Expo. Expand your palate and seek out wines new to you!
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