We attended the NY Wine Expo at the Jacob Javits Center. These types of events are great for people looking to learn and understand about wines. There were over 600 wines from 170 wineries from the entire world, and everything from chardonnay to carmenere to pinot noir to vermentino.
The best way to tackle these tastings is:
1. Pick a wine category to taste: Don’t taste everything on every table. Come in with a plan. Maybe you will taste only Chardonnays, only un-oaked whites, reds from Chile or 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. By devising a plan of the sort you will actually come out with some wine knowledge.
2. Spit: It seems like a waste, but spitting will keep you more sober and this way you will really appreciate the wines out there.
3. Make notes: Bring a pen and paper, make notes on the wines that you are tasting (winery, country, appellation, techniques) and come up with your own rating system. Try smiley faces for the ones you really love. You can look back at your notes later and remember that you really loved Torrontes from the Salta region of Argentina.
4. Drink Water: Even if you spit every single wine that you taste, some wine is bound to end up in you. Drink water to keep hydrated and lessen the headache the next day.
5. Eat: Why not make dinner reservations after the shows. This will allow you to work off any alcohol you have drank and make for a great day out with friends.
6. Cab it: Grab a cab home just in case.
7. Bring ID. These events are very strict about carding, so make sure to bring your ID.
The event took place from Friday February 27 to Sunday March 1. The event cost from $85 to $95 dollars, which seems like a lot, but when dealing with wine is an absolute bargain. Educational seminars like wine Guru Kevin Zrali’s “One Hour Wine Expert” course and Nora Favelukes’ course focused on Argentina’s Malbecs, cost about $30 dollars and gave additional wine knowledge for those looking to master a particular category.