A sold-out crowd raised their glasses to toast the 24th Annual Boston Wine Festival, at a Grand Opening reception at the Boston Harbor Hotel. The wine flowed steadily, and the hotel’s executive chef, Daniel Bruce, raised his own glass onstage as he recognized the wineries he has assembled for the next 12 weeks of wine brunches, seminars, receptions and dinners.
Many of the guests said that they have faithfully attended this reception for 10 or more years, and looked forward to the winemaker-hosted receptions and food pairings. “It’s a great way to warm up in the winter months,” said one attendee to another, while waiting in a relatively short line for a tasting. The crowd was lively, a mix of wine aficionados and novices who just like to drink wine and mingle.
Chef Daniel Bruce invited to the series some of the top wineries from Italy, France, Portugal, Chile, Oregon, Washington and Sonoma and Napa Valley, for what is considered by food and wine connoisseurs to be the nation’s most extensive cuisine and wine pairing series. Featured wineries include: Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery, Domenico Clerico Winery, Opus One, Peter Michael, Frog’s Leap, Diamond Creek, Chateauneuf du Pape and Cakebread Cellars.
The Festival’s season features thirty-nine fun and festive evenings of wine as well as three themed brunches, culminating with a final reception on Friday, March 29. The 2013 Boston Wine Festival will also bring back the popular themed dinners including Battle of the Cabernets and Meritage Madness while introducing a new twist with Pinots: Old World, New World.
To date, more than 90,000 bottles of wine have been opened at the Boston Wine Festival. Chef Bruce says that he has never repeated a menu in the history of the Wine Festival, with over 4,000 different dishes and 1,000 dinners served, each matched to wines by tasting and creating flavor profiles that enhance both the wine and food experience.
Chef Bruce’s wine and food pairing series span the country and now include the Capital Wine Festival at The Fairfax at Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. and the Berkeley Wine Festival at the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa in Berkeley, California.
“Given the impressive lineup of winemakers participating in this 2013 season, we anticipate that many of the dinners and special events will sell out immediately,” notes Chef Daniel Bruce.
In fact, so far the following events are sold out as of tonight: January 17’s “Battle of the Cabernets,” Jan. 30’s Pinots: "Old World, New World"; several in February, including the Altesino Vineyards dinner, Chateauneuf-du-Pape Seminar and Dinner, and the dinner-only Frog’s Leap Winery event; and March’s Cakebread Cellars, and Hanzell Vineyards Dinner.
This Friday is another “Battle of the Cabernets,” a favorite event, which will showcase Napa Valley stars as a distinguished panel of cabernet experts leads attendees through a blind tasting of California cabernets, all matched to a variety of Chef Daniel Bruce dishes.
Wines:
B.V. 2007
Constant 2008
Forman 2006
Hall 2008
Hewitt 2007
Kamen 2009
Neal 2010
Newton 2009
For more event listings, and to buy tickets:
www.bostonwinefestival.net.
1-888-660-WINE or 617-330-9355
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