Eventbrite Partnership + Wine Tasting at Boston Wine School

I have some exciting news for you guys: The EE has partnered with Eventbrite Boston to bring YOU recaps of some fun food and beverage events throughout Boston. Through June 30th, I have my pick of five events to attend that I think you guys would like to know about - especially considering most of these events are recurring. Eventbrite gave me a budget of $250, which covers the cost of tickets for all five events.

Earlier this week, I attended my first event as part of this exciting partnership. The event was called Grape Expectations: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and it was held at the Boston Wine School in Allston.

If you've never been to the Boston Wine School, it's a really cool space. Exposed brick walls, a giant chalkboard filled with wine facts, and a small kitchen area make it an ideal setting for a tasting. 

The tasting table.

Owner (and teacher) Jonathon Alsop had quite the spread of food out for us as everyone arrived. A wide variety of breads, cheeses, olives, and other small bites were prepared for us to enjoy. One notable favorite: Labne, a Lebanese cream cheese, served with crispy slices of baguette.

The goal of the tasting was to show the similarities between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir - two wines I used to think (before this class) had nothing in common. However, these two wines are from the same region in France (Burgundy, to be exact), and they both sit in the middle of the wine spectrum. To put it in very simple terms, Chardonnay is the white grape of Burgundy, and Pinot Noir is the red grape of Burgundy.

Over the course of the two-hour class, we tasted eight wines - four Chardonnays, three Pinot Noirs, and one blend. Before we started sampling, Jonathon taught us the "Seven S" system of wine tasting: see, sniff, swirl, smell, sip, swish, spit. Although the spitting part was not my favorite, Jonathon assured us that, during a big tasting like this one, spitting helps your palate better grasp the flavors in all of the wines you're trying. 

1980 Acacia Chardonnay and 2011 90+ Cellars "Lot 82" Chardonnay Reserve

The progression of wines worked very well, as we started with a sparkling NV Jacob's Creek Chardonnay - Pinot Noir Brut Cuvee, then worked our way through the Chardonnays before hitting the Pinot Noirs. I loved all of the wines we tasted (who's surprised?), but my favorites were the Jacob's Creek blend and the 2011 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir. 

Overall, it was a fun, interactive, and extremely informative class. I would definitely go back to the Boston Wine School for another event soon. To see a full listing of their upcoming events, click here.

Are you a fan of spitting at wine tastings? Do you think it's necessary? 

This post is part of an ongoing partnership with Eventbrite Boston. Eventbrite enables people all over the world to plan, promote, and sell out any event. It's also a destination for people to discover awesome events going on in THEIR city! Whatever your desires, hobbies, or interests - from photography workshops and wine classes to food festival and industry conferences, there's an event on Eventbrite for you to attend! Keep up on the goings-on in Beantown by following Eventbrite Boston on Twitter or liking them on Facebook! Planning an event? Go ahead and create an account to get started. 

Pin It