Tasting Recommendations & Wine Classes For The Boston Wine Expo

The Boston Wine Expo will be here at the start of April, held once again at the Park Plaza Hotel. The large-scale tasting event will be held on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8, and Tickets are still available. The 2-day event will feature over 100 participating wineries from all over the U.S. and select international ones as well. 

In December, 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?

The list of the exhibitors for the Expo are listed HERE. 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 some exhibitors which I visited at prior Expos 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 probably be visiting again 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 as a 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, owned and led by Mirena Bagur and Win Burke, will once again 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. 

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 many Georgian wines and continue to seek out new ones too. The Wines of Georgia will be represented at the Expo, so I expect they will showcase a diverse selection of wines. 

South Africa

From Chenin Blanc to Pinotage, South Africa offers an interesting and tasty selection of wines, and they will be represented at the Expo by Wines of South Africa. Again, there's no list yet of the specific wines they will showcase but it will likely also be a diverse selection of wines. You can even find some excellent Pinot Noir in South Africa. 

Italian Wines 

Fantasy Fine Wines, based in Boston, has an excellent Italian wine portfolio, and a number of those wines are available for purchase at Victoria Hill Wine, Spirits & Gourmet in Melrose. I've personally tasted a number of their wines and can attest to their quality and taste. 

Israeli Wines

Have you ever tasted an Israeli wine? Golan Heights Winery will be showcasing some of their wines at the Expo, and you have the opportunity to experience such wines. This is your chance to try wines from a country which doesn't get much exposure in the U.S. 

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Wine Tasting Classes: Although initially, the Expo had mentioned there would be twelve tasting classes, only five are listed on their website HERE. There will be three on Saturday and two on Sunday, including: South African Chenin Blanc, Sicily: A Winegrowing Continent, a Tasting Tour of Cotes du Rhone, Saint-Emilion – Pomerol – Fronsac / Right Bank, and Old Vines Classic Wines – Australian heritage in a Glass. Each class costs $68.39, and does not include admission to the Grand Tasting Sessions. 

My personal recommendation for those classes would be the Sicily one, as Sicily has an exciting wine industry, with some fascinating native grapes, volcanic soils, and an interesting history. 

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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!