I did the Saturday afternoon session of Wine Riot (April 17th at the Cyclorama) and am still reeling a week later. This wasn’t your dad’s wine tasting – I saw plenty of 20-somethings in cocktail dresses and fitted t-shirts, unlike the older crowd I usually spot at (more expensive and less boozy) charity food events. Such hip irreverence is reflected in their marketing material and brochure where a sassy, breezy tone abounds.
For example, at the Riot’s photo booth, you can hold up a sign declaring, “I spit.” Or one that says, “I swallow.” Or, if you’re feeling charitable, “Nice legs!”
Ah, wine humor.
It might have been Lingbo swimming aimlessly in the fray had it not been for wine writer Richard Auffrey of The Passionate Foodie, who I ran into after procuring my glass. He kindly led me from distributor to distributor, explaining that I should like whatever my palate liked. (I still suffer a bit from taste insecurity.) The bottles that were being poured were, for the most part, priced between 10 and 25 dollars, eminently reasonable.
After tasting about 7 or 8 wines (I was beginning to get tipsy at this point), he diagnosed me as “sweet, but not too sweet.” I was overjoyed. I’d always worried that I had the diabetes-inducing wine palate of a sugar-starved 3 year old, open to apple juice and nothing else. Among the vino I enjoyed was a nice Merlot from 90+ Cellars, which Rich deemed an excellent value for the price, a Vidal Blanc from Travessia Urban Winery, and very rich, juicy Riesling from Zen Zen Wines, although precisely which Riesling escapes me. TY KU had been pouring a $110 bottle of sake, but I got there after they ran out. Rich, however, assured me that it was excellent. I’d hope so.
mmm pizza.
There wasn’t much free food to be had, just bowls of Cabot cheese and toothpicks to attack them. I tried to shovel down as many cheese cubes as possible, but I clearly suffered a bit from my lack of drinking fortitude and lack of food in my stomach to soak up the wine. Eventually, the kind people at Upper Crust granted me a delicious slice of pizza. Thanks, guys. You rock.
Edit: To clear up any confusion, there were quite a few excellent food options for a mere $5 – including vittles from the likes of Redbones and Tremont 647. I happen to suffer from overeliance on my credit card. Still, the moral of story is to eat and drink, not just drink. Or just spit. Which brings me to my next point:
*In their brochure, they tell you to spit, so you can enjoy as much wine as possible.
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It was fun showing you around the Wine Riot, trying to find some wines that you enjoyed. These big tasting events are a great place to better understand your palate. You just keep tasting wines until you find what you like. And the best wines at the tasting, are those wines you enjoy.
And at such large events, you do need to spit, or you’ll soon find yourself staggering around and glassy-eyed, though grinning ear to ear. Save the swallowing for other occasions.
[...] Lingbo and unofficial guide Richard Auffrey of The Passionate Foodie set off to explore the declared "sassy and breezy" atmosphere of Wine Riot, leaving feeling "enlightened, tipsy". Read the full account at lingboli.com! [...]