Wellesley Businesses Expect to be Wining and Dining at Boston Wine Expo

What makes a particular cheese go well with a particular wine? There's one store in town which will shed some light on the subject at an upcoming expo.

A couple of the names coming to the 2013 Boston Wine Expo are local Wasik's - The Cheese Shop, a thriving Wellesley Square business, and Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger. Brad and Brian Wasik will run a seminar on pairing wines with cheeses, according to a press release from the Boston Wine Expo, and Tsai is one of the headlining chefs.

The Expo runs Feb. 16 and 17, see the press release below, or the website for a schedule. 

Below is the full press release from the Boston Wine Expo:

Boston Wine Expo Announces 2013 Seminar Lineup

- Keynotes Jean-Charles Boisset & Gina Gallo headline while many favorites return -

The 2013 Boston Wine Expo returns this year at a new date, bringing more than 30 of the industry’s most recognized and knowledgeable personalities to the city, a record number for the Expo. Taking place over President’s Day Weekend, February 16th - 17th, at the Seaport World Trade Center and Seaport Hotel, the wine event will offer wine buffs and beginners a first-hand opportunity to listen and learn from these professionals. 

New England’s premier wine exposition welcomes keynote speakers and wine power-couple Jean-Charles Boisset and Gina Gallo of Gallo Family Wines, the largest wine producer in the world, and Boisset Family Estates, France’s fifth-largest wine producer. Together, Boisset and Gallo will lead the seminar “Two Distinct Wineries, One Family: Wines from Two Continents” on Saturday and Sunday, offering a tasting of their favorite and most expensive wines. Gina will share pours from her family’s collections including Estate Wines from Sonoma County and Jean-Charles will share vintages from his family’s historical estates in Burgundy and California, while offering insight on their experience as vintners and stories of their family’s success in the wine industry. 

The seminar series will also include classes by the following industry experts:

• Robert Bower, Fladgate Partnership
• Bartholomew Broadbent, Oport and Madeira Expert
• Luis Burgueno, Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres
• Jean-Christophe Calvet, Aquitaine Wine Company
• Matt Chivian, Classic Wine Imports
• Molly Choi, Cape Classics
• John Cressman, World Wide Wine LLC
• Harlen Davis Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery
• Lou DiPalo, DiPalo’s Fine Foods in Little Italy
• TJ Douglas, The Urban Grape
• Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Winery
• Thomas Houseman, Anne Amie Vineyards
• Rachel Imbrogno, Zachys Wine & Liquor
• Alain Junguenet, Wines of France
• Dan Kravitz, Hand Picked Selections
• Roger Kugler, Drink Ribera
• Patrick Mata, Ole Imports
• Andrew Murray, Andrew Murray Vineyards
• Elizabeth Neuman, Lauber Imports
• Thomas Pastuszak, Sommelier
• Dario Peiropan, Speri Wines
• Marc Perrin, Chateau de Beaucastel
• Len Presutti, Martignetti Companies
• Nick Ramkowsky, Vine Connections
• Giorgio Rivetti, La Spinetta
• Luca Speri, Speri Wines
• Herve Tucki, La Chablisienne
• Aldo Vacca, Produttori del Barbaresco
• Brad & Brian Wasik, The Cheese Shop
• Gloria Maroti Frazee, Wine Spectator

Seminar Schedule:

Saturday, February 16, 2013

• 11:00 AM - 'Celebrate 40 Years of Winemaking with Joseph Phelps Vineyards’
• 11:00 AM - Exploring Port and Madeira with Bartholomew Broadbent
• 11:30 AM - Wine 101: Taste Like a Pro with Wine Spectator’s Director of Education, Gloria Maroti Frazee
• 12:00 PM - Italian Cheeses and Wine with Lou DiPalo,
• 12:00 PM - Oregon Pinot Noir: Vintage…Place…Personality
• 12:00 PM - Two Distinct Wineries, One Family: Wines from Two Continents
• 12:30 PM - Spain: The Best Values in the World! With Patrick Mata
• 12:30 PM - Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Vertical (Including the Magnificent 1990) with Marc Perrin
• 12:30 PM - Barbaresco: Featuring Eight Crus from the Highly Respected Produttori del Barbaresco
• 2:00 PM - Getting to Know Russian River Valley with Merry Edwards
• 2:00 PM - Ribera del Duero: No Place for the Timid
• 2:30 PM - Experience Affordable, Age-Worthy Bordeaux: A Vertical of the Right Bank vs. the Left Bank
• 3:00 PM - Chateau Musar with Bartholomew Broadbent
• 3:30 PM - Giorgio Rivetti Presents La Spinetta’s Tuscan Project: Casanova della Spinetta
• 3:30 PM - Bourbon Masters: Buffalo Trace’s Master Distiller, Harlen Davis Wheatley
• 3:30 PM - Mr. Chateauneuf-du-Pape: Alain Junguenet and Co.
• 3:30 PM - 'Cool' Sonoma County Wines            
• 4:00 PM - Experience the Wonderful World of Oporto
• 4:30 PM - A Rare Opportunity to Taste Some of Scotland’s Finest Malt Whisky from Gordon & MacPhail

Sunday, February 17, 2013

• 11:00 AM - Marques de Caceres Rioja Gran Reserva Vertical to 1985 with Luis Burgueno
• 11:00 AM - Simply Italian: Fun with the Wines of Italy
• 11:00 AM - Two Distinct Wineries, One Family: Wines from Two Continents
• 11:30 AM - Wine 101: Taste Like a Pro with Gloria Maroti Frazee
• 12:00 PM - Cheese and Wine Matching Seminar with Brad and Brian Wasik of the Wellesley Cheese Shop
• 12:00 PM - A Perfect Pairing! - Alaska Seafood and Crisp Chabllis from La Chablisienne
• 12:30 PM - Be a Better Buyer: Mastering the Retail Wine Buying Experience with TJ Douglas
• 12:30 PM - The Two Gentlemen of Verona: A Vertical of Speri’s Amarones and Pieropan’s Soaves
• 1:30 PM - Andrew Murray LOVES Syrah
• 1:30 PM - Roussillon- Ignore Your Passport Stamp. You are Not in France!
• 2:00 PM - The One-Stop-Shop of Wine Varietals– Chenin Blanc
• 3:00 PM - Jeopardy! Italian Wine Style! - The Audience Participation Game!
• 3:30 PM - The Cool Climate, World Class Wines of the Finger Lakes
• 3:30 PM - Winemaking at the Top of the World: Argentina’s Salta Region

New highlights of this year’s Boston Wine Expo include a VIP Tasting Experience, Social Media Lounge and an expanded Mobile App. The Grand Tasting will showcase more than 200 wineries from over 15 countries as well as two stages for chef demonstrations, and the Grand Cru Wine Lounge returns, featuring exclusive tastings of rare and expensive vintages. A week of nightly Vintner Dinners at some of the city’s most enticing restaurants will kick off the week-long celebration of wine, food and culture earlier in the week. 

Ticket prices for the Grand Tasting are as follows: Saturday Single Day VIP Experience, $130; Sunday Single Day VIP Experience; Saturday Grand Tasting, $95; and the Sunday Grand Tasting, $85.  Two-DayGrand Tasting tickets are $145 and Grand Cru Wine Lounge tickets are $185.  Seminars and other events are priced separately. You do not have to purchase a Grand Tasting ticket in order to purchase a seminar ticket. No refunds allowed. Proper ID required. No one under age 21 allowed including children and infants in strollers. Public hours are 1 PM – 5 PM daily.   

For more information regarding the Boston Wine Expo’s Seminar series or to purchase tickets please visit WineExpoBoston.com or call 877-946-3976. 

Area liquor merchants also sell tickets in advance of the Expo. These retailers include Bin Ends in Braintree, MA; D & L Liquors in Waltham, MA; Gordon’s Wine and Liquors in Waltham, MA; Kappy’s Fine Wine & Spirits in Medford, Malden, Peabody and Danvers MA; Marsh’s Liquors in Norwell, MA, Marty’s Fine Wines in Newton, MA; McCarthy Brothers Liquors in Charlestown, MA and The Wine Cellar in Boston, MA.

Boston Wine Expo sponsors include Infiniti, Alex and Ani, Citi, Vermont Bike Tours, Alaska Seafood Marketing, Backyard Farms, Mionetto, Chabaso Bakery, Xfinity, The Boston Globe, Finger Lakes Wines, Viking, Roseann Tully’s Intermezzo, Bermuda Department of Tourism, Vintage Makers LLC, Codorniu, Thompson Marketing Group, Society of Wine Educators, Ribera del Duero, Wines of Portugal and Massachusetts Beverage Business.

About the Boston Wine Expo: Founded in 1991 by the Boston Guild of Oenophilists, the Boston Wine Expo has grown into one of the most well-known and respected wine events in the country. Over $1,300,000 has been donated to local charities by the Guild including Tufts Medical Center’s Summer Camp Program for Children With Disabilities – the major beneficiary. Over 27 local charities have benefited from the Expo over the event’s history.  Other organizations that have received considerable funding include the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Pan Mass Challenge and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.