10 Things I Noticed at the 2009 Boston Wine Expo
Monday, January 26, 2009
Random Observations from the 2009 Boston Wine Expo:
- It's *really* nice to get into the show 2 hours before the general public. Really nice. There are no crowds -and- winemakers are enthusiastic about talking with you in depth about their wines. If you're planning on going next year and don't have a Trade pass lined up, try to angle for one next year starting NOW. Here's what it looks like at 11:24 AM (notice the light traffic):
- Martin Yan still puts on a great show. I really enjoyed his 1-hour cooking exhibition:
- I ran into Scott Weinstein from Martignetti (distributor). He's a class act- one of the best guys in the local wine scene.
- Mourad from WineHug is a really gracious and fascinating guy and I was glad to meet him face to face after reviewing his product.
- People from New Zealand are cool. I met Leonie Bowers from New World Wine Imports at the Soiree event Saturday night and she reached out and invited me to a tasting with Andrew Moore from Waipara Springs on Sunday at the Expo. Really nice Sauvignon Blanc and a pretty darn good Pinot Noir too.
- Nobody works the audience better than Gary Vaynerchuk from Wine Library TV. He's a master glad-hander, and I think (hope?) I've learned some things from his rise in the wine trade over the last few years. I hope to have an interview with Gary regarding Corkd.com forthcoming, and I was intrigued by his introducing me to his colleague Lindsay to talk further about Corkd.
- I bumped into Mike Caccavelli from Route 9 Wine & Spirits while talking with Gary V. Mike's a really nice guy and in addition to his wine knowledge knows how to smile and treat a customer the right way. Check him out if you're in the Boston area.
- Drew Dickson from Andrew Lane Wines is a great guy too. His Cabernet Franc was *pheonomenal* and I'd encourage you to seek his wines out if you're in California.
- I picked up an instant wine chiller from Marc-Andre and Eric from Ravi Solutions. I'm looking forward to putting that wine accessory through its paces over the next few weeks and will follow-up with a video review and interview (as usual) for sure.
- It was *really* nice to spend a day out with my lovely wife. We had a great time and enjoyed an amazing meal at Lucca in the North End with friends after the Expo. Here's a picture of us along with the always-awesome Andrew Lazorchak from Soiree (whom I interviewed previously here):
Question of the Day: Did you attend the 2009 Boston Wine Expo? What did you think?