Peek Inside The Most Lavish Events At This Year’s Boston Wine & Food Festival

Next week, Boston Harbor Hotel prepares once again to welcome the return of the nation’s longest running wine and food festival. This year, the Boston Wine & Food Festival will be headed up by the hotel’s newly appointed Executive Chef, David Daniels, along with wine expert, Nancy Bean, executive director of WISE UP Events.

From intimate winemaker tastings and vintner-hosted dinners to jazz brunches and truffle tastings, the lavish lineup of the 33^rd season of this extravagant festival kicks off on Friday, January 21. The celebratory, sold-out Opening Night will give guests the opportunity to sample wines from around the world along with a sampling of food pairings prepared by Chef David.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Boston Harbor Hotel

Here’s a look at some of the most extravagant events being held this year that you won’t want to miss:

Wine Educator and Enthusiast Philippe Newlin will be in town on Saturday, January 29, to host a specialty James Bond Bordeaux Dinner. The evening will take a look at Bordeaux wines through the eyes of James Bond. You will have the opportunity to travel from the beautiful Margaux region up the Gironde River, tasting through Saint-Julien, Pauillac and St-Estèphe. From there, you will cross the rivers to find St-Emilion and Pomerol, two places where the wines are lusher, rounder and smoother in texture.

On Friday, February 18, the festival’s most popular event is returning once again. The Battle of the Cabernets Wine Dinner celebrating the world’s most popular red wine grape will feature the top producers from Napa Valley and beyond. Guests will be taken on a blind taste test of cabernets from Prichard Hill to Atlas Peak and Spring Mountain. This year, award-winning Chef Nathan Rich of Twin Farms Resort in Vermont will be collaborating on the menu with Chef David.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Boston Harbor Hotel

If you are looking for a little education with your dinner, you won’t want to miss the Opus One Seminar & Dinner being held on Friday, March 4. The evening starts off with a one-hour seminar by Opus One winemaker and festival guest Michael Silacci. Here, you will learn about what makes Opus Wines so special and respected around the world. The seminar will also include a tasting to discuss wild yeast and cabernet sauvignon clones at Opus One. After the seminar, a four-course dinner will be held featuring an “Impossible Pairings” menu with courses that you might not expect to be paired with this Bordeaux-style Napa Valley winery.

One of the most exclusive events this year will be held on Wednesday, March 9, when BOND Estate comes to town for a very special dinner. BOND Estate is hosting a four-course dinner that will feature a collection of ‘Grand Cru’ wines that are sourced from select hillside estates demonstrating the range of Napa Valley’s finest terroirs. Max Kast, BOND’s director of estate, will be on hand to discuss what it takes to create the first-class wine while guiding guests on a rare opportunity to taste test the five Grand Cru BOND expressions.