If it's freezing, snowy, and dreary outside, it's time for the Boston Wine Expo, that little ray of Italian, French, California, and Argentinian sunshine for local wine lovers...or anyone who just wants to spend a warm day indoors drinking. For VinoDuo, the Boston Wine Expo is a great opportunity to broaden our horizons and taste wines from emerging regions; re-visit old favorites to see how their latest vintages turned out; and scarf some free cheese, chocolates, and other goodies from the non-wine purveyors.

We've scoured the 2011 exhibitors on the Expo's web site and found a few "must re-visit" wineries we highly recommend you check out. VINO DUO READERS CAN GET $15 OFF THE  SUNDAY (1/23) GRAND TASTING TICKETS BY GOING TO THE BOSTON WINE EXPO WEB SITE AND FILLING IN "VINODUO" IN THE DISCOUNT CODE!  Act quickly...you must purchase your tickets by end of day Saturday, January 22 to get the discount.

We had a blast during our 2009 trip to the New York Finger Lakes and continue to seek out wine from many of the region's producers. We're pleased to see that three of our favorites will be at the Boston Wine Expo.

Ravines

What They're Pouring at the Expo

• Dry Riesling (2008)
• Chardonnay (2008)
• Cabernet Franc (2008)
• Meritage (2007)
• Pinot Noir (2008)

What We Wrote About Ravines

“A winery where the quality of the wines matched the classic beauty of the tasting room. Winemaker Morten Hallgren is a French transplant whose family owned Domaine de Castel Roubine in Provence.  Before opening Ravines in 2003, Hallgren was chief winemaker for Dr. Konstantin Frank Wines.

We bought the 2006 Meritage “Big, bold fruit and just the right amount of pepper and spice; probably should cellar a year or so” and the 2007 Cabernet Franc – Spicy nose, cherry flavors and some white pepper."

Dr. Franks 

What they’re Pouring at the Expo

• Dry Riesling (2009)
• Semi Dry Riesling (2009)
• Rkatsiteli (2008)
• Fleur de Pinot Noir (2008)
• Blanc de Blancs (2006)

What We Wrote About Dr. Frank's

"We approached Dr. Frank's with trepidation. There's a kind of cult of personality surrounding the place. But we loved most of the wine. Add in the drop-dead gorgeous view of the lake and this is one tasting experience you shouldn't miss. We walked out with half a case, including the 2007 Chardonnay (Crisp citrus aroma; lime flavors too; little butter some oak); the 2007 Dry Riesling (Floral and citrus nose; delicious spicy pear and grapefruit flavors), and the 2002 Chateau Frank Blanc de Noir–-Elegant and delicious."

Red Newt

What they’re Pouring at the Expo

• Circle Label Riesling
• Riesling Reserve

What We Wrote About Red Newt

"We indulged in a marvelous lunch at Red Newt Bistro, the acclaimed restaurant at Red Newt Cellars in Hector. Red Newt’s 2008 Syrah/Cab Franc blend. Its pale pink color looks like a White Zin, but the luscious grapefruit on the nose and apricot on the palate were most sophisticated.

Since it was the middle of the day, Gary decided to go with the Dry White Flight. This time, the tastes were all Red Newt varietals. The Chardonnay was a light hay color with a butterscotch nose and bright, white grape juice flavors—delicious. Gary also loved the Yellow Jail blend, with its clean apricot and honeydew aroma and pink grapefruit taste."

Turtle Creek Winery
New York isn't the only cold climate to produce wonderful wine. A stones throw from Lexington, in Lincoln, MA, you'll find Turtle Creek Winery.

What They’re Pouring at the Expo

• Riesling (2009)
• Syrah (2008)
• Zinfandel (2007)
• Late Harvest Zinfandel

What We Wrote About Turtle Creek

"We bought the 2006 Dry Riesling (gets his grapes from Sheldrake Vineyard in the Finger Lakes) “fresh, clean, with flavors of grapefruit and tart apple. [Producer Kip] Kumler released the wine in September 2008 after 10 months in stainless and a year in the bottle. He produced just 624 bottles; we feel lucky to have snagged one of them.”

We were less enthralled with the Zin.“He imports his grapes from Wildwood Vineyards in Amador County, California.  But don’t expect a big fat juicy, chewy, smoky Zin.  As the Turtle Creek website puts it, this Zinfandel is “idiosyncratic, with half of the grapes left on skins, after fermentation, for two months.”  So you lose color, and you lose some POW!  What you gain is some earthiness and, according to Kumler, elegance.  Well, call us rubes, but if we wanted elegance we would order a Pinot Noir.  We do look forward with great anticipation to the 2009 Zin, which Kip says will have more depth of color and more Zin impact.”

Cameron Hughes Wine

We're intrigued by Cameron Hughes' business model. They buy up excess juice from prominent (but unnamed) wineries, bottle it under their own label  below the original price. We'll be stopping by their table at the Expo to see if we can unmask the 'real' winemakers!

What they’re Pouring at the Expo

• Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (2007)
• Lot 214 - Los Carneros Chardonnay (2009)
• Zin Your Face (2008)
• The Flying Winemaker Malbec (2008)
• The Flying Winemaker Zinfandel (2007)

Don't take our word for these raves...get down to the Boston Wine Expo and taste for yourself!