Boston Wine Expo begins Monday

BOSTON – Boston’s best-loved wine event is bigger, bolder and better than ever. Get ready for a week-long celebration of the world’s most popular wine-growing regions. Festivities begin Monday, January 16 and continue through the Grand Tasting on Sunday, January 22. The 2012 Boston Wine Expo will extend its reach into the city to include all new special events, Vintner Dinners and more!Highlights will include:? Exclusive Tastings; Grand Cru Wine Lounge, Barrel Samplings, Vertical Tastings? Three-day Education Series? Vintner Dinners showcasing creative food and wine pairings throughout Boston? Personalized Mobile AppBeginning Monday, wineries will host exclusive Vintner Dinners at some of the city’s most enticing restaurants. Local favorites will provide the opportunity for guests to taste creative pairings of food and wine as they learn about each.Consumers and trade can attend this year’s seminar series Friday through Sunday and listen as winemakers and industry experts speak on everything from wine and health, to wine and food pairings. Seminars include “The One Hour Wine Expert” with Kevin Zraly, “Explore the Crus of Beaujolais with Domaine Louis Jadot,” “Get to Know Amarone with the Wines of Masi,” “Armand de Brignac Champagne Experience” and “The Tuscan Gem: Ornellaia Vertical Tasting.”Saturday and Sunday Grand Tastings offer attendees a chance to experience food, wine and culture from four distinct regions of the world. Enjoy food and wine pairings from 25 restaurants daily, take in chef demonstrations by a few of Boston’s most celebrated chefs including Christopher Coombs of Deuxave, Antonio Bettencourt of 62 on Wharf, Vittorio Ettore of Bistro 5 and Patricia Yeo of Om Restaurant & Lounge.The week culminates with the ultimate experience for the sophisticated wine drinker in the Grand Cru Wine Lounge Saturday and Sunday. Ticket holders will enjoy exclusive tastings of rare and expensive vintages (poured from $75 and up) as well as food from some of Boston’s finest restaurants. Grand Cru tickets are $175 and include admission to the Grand Tasting.New to the Boston Wine Expo this year will be a mobile device application exclusively made for the event. The app will link wines directly to consumers to teach while they taste. Additionally, the app will list local retailers that carry the sampled wines. Attendees can save wine favorites to the app to access throughout the year.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.Boston Wine Expo sponsors include Infiniti, Alaska Seafood Marketing, Mionetto, Xfinity, The Boston Globe, Finger Lakes Wines, Viking, Boston Common Magazine, Intermezzo, Vintage Makers LLC, and Massachusetts Beverage Business.If You Go? For more information on the Boston Wine Expo including ticket prices and to purchase tickets, visit www.wineexpoboston.com or call 877-946-3976. WineExpoBoston.com.