Spotlight: Winter Wine Festivals
 Winter brings great seasonal events and traditions that New Englanders surely look forward to each year. We cherish great days on the slopes and festive family gatherings. But most importantly for wine and food lovers, winter brings another year of fantastic wine and food festivals. There is no better opportunity to indulge in such a dynamic, worldwide selection of top-shelf wines, meet with winemakers and leading lights of the industry, and experience the culinary pleasures of some of the region's most exquisite cuisine. Get out your Blackberries® and calendars, and get ready to lock in some dates.
If you are looking to experience the wonderful marriage of handcrafted wine and gourmet food, consider one of the food and wine dinner series coming up.
The 2008 Winter Wine Festival at the Wentworth by the Sea kicks off January 18 and runs to March 1. The Wentworth sits perched on a gorgeous seaside hilltop on New Castle Island, right outside of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This vintage hotel with its spectacular views was first constructed in the 1870s and underwent a $27 million rehabilitation project in 2003. The hotel exudes sophistication and elegance with a twist of turn-of-the-century charm and prestige-the perfect setting for enjoying a wonderful evening of exceptional wine and culinary delights.
The festival is entering its fourth year and Wine Director Michele Duval couldn't be more excited about this year's lineup.
The Grand Tasting kicks off the festival on Friday, January 18, with a superstar list of wineries, wine experts, and celebrity chefs. The Grand Tasting features more than ten wine stations, multiple chef stations, and big band music by Ben Baldwin and the Big Note. "I make a point at every single wine dinner to offer stuff that you usually don't get to taste," explains Duval. And that's the beauty of these wine dinners. They are a great opportunity to taste some unusual wines not readily available.
The festival covers it all, from a Riedel Glass demo on January 24 to Burgundy comparative pitting the Côte de Nuit versus the Côte de Beaune with guest Master of Wine Bill Nesto on February 24. This will feature a variety of different wineries from the Burgundy region. On Valentine's Day, the festival will feature a Veuve Clicquot Wine Dinner with Charles Curtis from Moet Hennessy. Curtis received the "Grande Diplome" from the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and is one of only twenty-two Masters of Wine operating in the United States. How appropriate to have the best bubbles in the business on such a romantic evening!
If you are a fan of zinfandel (and it seems that many of you are these days), don't miss the Zin Wine Dinner with Four Vines Vineyards of Paso Robles, California. Their "no rules" approach to winemaking has paid off, quickly becoming a fan favorite in the world of zinfandels. They have a dedicated following for their wines as well as their rockin' rebel image. The Wine Dinner with the eccentric duo of Bill Grant and Chris Tietje will also feature a biker-themed tattoo station. (Don't worry, they're temporary tattoos!)
 Duval could hardly hold back her excitement when she informed me that she had just booked a Grand Dinner with Michael Mondavi on January 30. "It doesn't get much cooler than that," she exclaimed. "He is a rock star in my book," and I agree. This member of America's royal wine family has recently launched a new company with his wife and children called Folio. Their portfolio is exceptional and diverse, and involves long-time wine partners in Italy's Frescobaldi family, which has been making wine for twelve generations. With the popularity of the recent release of The House of Mondavi, a biography on our country's most famous wine family, this is one dinner that I'm sure will sell out very quickly.
The wine dinners are not just about the wine, of course. On February 8, Duval will be featuring the "Dueling Chefs" Kendall-Jackson Wine Dinner. Wentworth by the Sea Chef Dan Dumont will be facing off with Kendall-Jackson's Chef Justin Wangler. Each has been victorious in the past in this battle for culinary superiority, so now they'll meet in a take-all tie-breaking third bout. The evening will seat guests at two long tables of eighty place-settings each, so you can imagine the electric atmosphere that this setup creates. KJ Master Wine Maker Randy Ullom will be present to mediate the competition and discuss his extremely popular wines like Kendall-Jackson's chardonnay, one of the industry's top sellers.
For more information on the full 2008 Winter Wine Festival schedule, go to www.winterwinefestival.com and www.wentworth.com for hotel info. Note, they do offer Wine Festival room rates if you were interested in making a night (or a weekend!) of it.
The Boston Wine Festival at the Boston Harbor Hotel is Master Chef Daniel Bruce's white canvas. Working like an artist with his color palette, Bruce creates a new dish for every wine pairing, and legend has it he has never duplicated a dish. The wine festival is going into its nineteenth year and officially kicks off January 11 with its Grand Tasting. Some festival favorites are the Battle of the Cabernets, Meritage Madness, and Quarterly Review of Wine's Best of the Best. I had the pleasure of attending the Martin Ray Winery Dinner last year and was fortunately seated next to owner and winemaker Courtney Benham. I enjoyed a spectacular evening of exceptional wines, gourmet culinary delights, and wine industry war stories that will surely not be forgotten! For schedule information, visit www.bostonwinefestival.net.
The Boston Wine Expo-quite a different sort of event from the Wentworth's Winter Wine Festival and the Boston Wine Festival-is heading into its seventeenth year and takes place on February 9 and 10. The staffs at the Seaport World Trade Center and Seaport Hotel do an exceptional job with this massive festival on Boston's waterfront Seaport District. In fact, the Boston Wine Expo is the largest trade and consumer wine event in the country, and is an event all true wine lovers should experience. Featured are more than 440 vineyards from all over the world with more than 1,800 samplings; demos by celebrity chefs; a meet and greet with the winemakers; a Vintner Dinner; as well as a handful of guided tastings and seminars from renowned producers and importers. This is for all levels of wine consumers-from the novice to the connoisseur.
The expo is an experience. It's a wine wonderland, but unlike the ongoing festivals at the Wentworth and the Boston Harbor Hotel the focus is on wine, and less on food, chefs, and wine pairings. It's all too easy to overdo it. Here are a few suggestions that will make your expo experience a day that you will actually remember and cherish:
- Have a hearty meal before entering the building. I suggest comfort food, rich and fatty.
- Map out your plan of attack. There is simply too much to see everything. The floor is conveniently laid out by country, so you can pick and choose your countries of choice-a kind of Epcot® of the wine world. Think about your preferences. If you don't like the earthiness of French Rhone wines, don't bother lining up to taste Chateauneuf-du-Papes! Manage your limited time wisely; it flies by.
- You don't need to drink all the wine that is poured into your glass. Spitting is common practice in the industry; it's not weird or disgusting. In fact, it's expected. You can still taste the flavors and get a feel for the wines. Remember, that's why you are there!
- If you're looking for a more upscale, top-shelf wine tasting, visit the Grand Cru Wine Lounge, which is held separately in the Grand Ballroom. The wine lounge features some of the top producers and these wines are considered the best of the best.
For more information and ticket info on the Boston Wine Expo, go to www.wine-expos.com.
Get Out Your Calendar...
The Winter Wine Festival
January 18-March 1, 2008
Wentworth by the Sea Hotel, New Castle, New Hampshire
For ticket and scheduling information, visit www.winterwinefestival.com or call (603) 422-7322.
The Boston Wine Festival
January 11-April 4, 2008
Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf, Boston
For ticket and scheduling information, visit www.bostonwinefestival.net (for hotel information, visit www.bhh.com) or call (617) 439-7000.
Easter Seals Winter Wine Spectacular
January 31, 2008
Radisson Hotel Manchester, New Hampshire
Tickets are $55 and $100. For scheduling information, visit www.nh.easterseals.com or call (800) 870-8228.
The Boston Wine Expo
February 9-10, 2008
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Tickets range from $85 to $175. For more information, visit www.wine-expos.com or call (877) 946-3976.
Twelfth Annual Nantucket Wine Festival
May 2008
For more information, visit www.nantucketwinefestival.com.
For more on wine-related events in your area, go to www.localwineevents.com.
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