Boston Wine Expo Preview

The Boston Wine Expo is still months away, in the dreaded month of February , but last week a bunch of Boston bloggers got a sneak peek of what the Wine Expo has in store for us in 2013.

The preview event was held at Action Kitchen at the Seaport Hotel, an absolutely gorgeous cooking and event space used for private events.

I would LOVE to cook and entertain in this space.

The Wine Expo preview featured some of the wineries that will be pouring wine at the actual Expo, plus food from some of the vendors who will be sampling there.

Since I was having an intense training week, I seriously chowed down on crab cakes and beef with a bright, beautiful, amazing chimichurri sauce.

In addition to eating, we were able to taste wines from several wineries. As I always do, I had my favorites.

I spent quite a bit of time at the Hope Family Wines, seriously falling for Troublemaker by Austin Hope, a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, and Petite Sirah. This wine has smoky and chocolate-y flavors along with dark fruit, really luscious, full of body, just gorgeous.

Another favorite table was a winery we have visited, Alexander Valley Vineyards. I have loved the time we’ve spent at the winery and have been hoping to return for their annual Cyrus dinner which takes place in the caves every March. Their Zinfandels were a fun choice for the event, and we tasted through Temptation, Sin Zin, and Redemption. . . are you sensing a theme? Being a lover of the Dry Creek Valley, my favorite was Redemption, but I really enjoyed them all.  I love Zinfandel, its big, bold fruit flavors, hints of spice, and roundness. It’s a go-to wine for me in the winter. Fingers crossed I will get to pay Alexander Valley Vineyards a visit soon. . .

In addition to enjoying lots of great food and wine, we learned about some of the new additions to the Boston Wine Expo including a blogger ambassador program, social media lounge, and some great seminars on buying wine, including one from The Urban Grape’s TJ Douglas. It seems like it’s going to be a great Wine Expo, and it gives us reason to look forward to one of the coldest months.

Happy Friday, everyone! I am looking forward to some down time, but I am most looking forward to the wedding of my dear friend Michelle!