Expo’s James Carmody
Katie Curley-Katzman
James Carmody
Twenty-four years later, The Boston Wine Expo continues to meet the two very humble objectives it had at its start.
Co-founder and President of the Expo and Seaport Hotel General Manager James Carmody said he and co-founder François-Laurent Nivaud originally wanted to educate the next generation of wine drinkers and elevate their palate and secondly, give people something to do in Boston during the long, cold winter.
The Expo will be delighting crowds at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center Valentine’s Day weekend.
More than two decades later, Carmody said a lot has changed but the draw to the expo has stayed the same.
“I think Bostonians have always had a good palate but it is also about individual exploration,” Carmody said of the vast offerings of food and wine and the opportunity to taste something out of your comfort zone. “We’re constantly trying to give people more.”
Modeled after a traditional wine concours, the Expo draws some of the best wine and food acts in the country. It also gives Expo-go-ers the chance to get up-close-and-personal with celebrity chefs.
“I had a half hour conversation with Barbara Lynch last year, where else could you do that?”
The seminars/tastings include: winemaker Michael Silacci of Opus One, Barolo, Chianti Classico, Spanish wines, sweet wines, Cognac, and malt whiskies. Chef demos are a perennial favorite: Ming Tsai (Ming’s), Daniel Bruce (Meritage), Barbara Lynch (Nine Park), Sara Moulton (PBS cooking celebrity), Mark Gaier (Arrows), Chris Coombs (Deuxave), and Aaron Chambers (Bar Boulud).
Over the past several years, Carmody acknowledges exhibitors have many more Expos and wine festivals to choose from nationwide, but there is something Boston has that the others don’t always.
“We’re able to draw these exhibitors because the caliber of customer is so great. They ask a lot of good questions.”
New this year, the Expo has partnered with wine app Drync, to give customers an easy way to track and find the wines they love. Download the app to your smart phone ahead of time and receive a $20 credit. It’s also a boon to the exhibitors, now able to see exactly how many cases of product they are moving over the weekend.
“We’ve traded in a shovel for a steamboat,” Carmody says of the partnership.
The Expo is run by the Boston Guild of Oenophiles, a dedicated group of wine and food professionals, wine distributors, and wine writers who continue to keep this Boston attraction active, dedicating a major portion of its profits to charity. One of the principal recipients is the Tufts Medical Center Camp for Children with Disabilities, giving inner city kids the opportunity to attend summer camp. Yet another is assistance to the New England Center for Homeless Vets. The Expo has never lost sight of its dedication to the city’s needy donating more $1.5 million over the years.
“I don’t think people really know how much money the Expo raises for local charities,” Carmody said. “It’s something the Guild is very proud of.”
Here are James Carmody’s tips
for a successful Boston Wine Expo:
Pace yourself!: The World Trade Center is just filled to the brim and there is no way you can taste everything.
Plan your attack: Carmody says take 10 minutes to sit down with the program and create a strategy. “Wine from Uruguay? My curiosity is piqued!” Ask yourself, “what haven’t I experienced?” and seek out the new and interesting vendors rather than taste what you usually drink at home.
Plan breaks: Part of this is deciding who you want to see on the mainstage and what seminars you want to attend. Don’t miss the swag: Some of the lifestyle vendors have new and exciting wine and cooking products you won’t ever want to live without again.