Boston Wine Expo 2009

Boston Wine Expo
through Sunday
Seaport World Trade Center (1 Seaport Lane)
$85-175, Ticket sales start at 11am (no longer available online)

Our friend Dale Cruse interviewed Wine Expo guru Jonathan Alsop of the Boston Wine School last year. Here are some of Alson's top tips for the expo:

Rule 1: Learn to spit. You just can't drink every wine provided.

Rule 2: Go Sunday rather than Saturday; the latter is a "wine scrum."

Rule 3: Go with a plan. Focus on a country/region or type of grape. You'll be less overwhelmed that way.

Rule 4: Definitely attend if you’re single. It's "fishing for drunk fish," says Alsop.

Rule 5: Don't drive. Despite all the spitting, you'll inevitably imbibe too much to be safe.

Keynote speaker Gary Vaynerchuk opens the festival at 11:30 tomorrow morning. Here's a full list (PDF) of participating wineries. Chefs Ming Tsai and Lidia Matticchio Bastianich will be in attendance Saturday only, with Martin Yan and Sara Moulton covering both days, and Christina Pirello cooking Sunday only. Sunday seminars (separately ticketed) include topics such as Doug Fletcher and Gloria Maroti Frazee on Cabernet Sauvignon, Legal Sea Foods on pairing lobster with wine, deconstructing Georges de Latour, Argentine Malbecs, Alain Junguenet, and more. Go to increase your wine knowledge—or just to try new things.