Went to the NY Wine experience last night and wanted to give a brief review. First, the sheer number of amazing wines is incredible. Just to name a few standouts, we loved the Mouton Rothschild, La Mission, Harlan Estate, Gaja Barbaresco. Many others were excellent as well. Food was excellent and plentiful as well. A few things to think about: We bought the vip tickets, but it is still very crowded. The only thing that gets you is a 630 vs 730 entrance and there are still huge masses of people. I swear some people ran in. Having said that, we were able to try all the wines we wanted with minimal waiting. Several of the big names ran out of wine early, so I do think the early entrance was worth it. Many people pouring were owners or relatives and were receptive to questions. Several brought older vintages. I believe Carol Schrader poured the 2014 RBS for me. Overall, a great experience as long as you are ok with the crowds.
That’s very helpful info. I saw they had a particularly good list this year: 09 Cheval Blanc, Mouton, Haut Brion, Palmer, Cos d’Estournel, PLL, Canon, 04 Margaux, 10 Clos Fourtet, 16 LLC, Lynch Bages, 08 La Mission, 05 Leoville Barton, 12 Pavie, 14 Montrose… Some really high end italians represented with 99 Sassicaia, 12 Ornellaia, 13 Biondi Santi, Casanova di Neri Cerretalto, Vietti Ravera, Masseto, 14 Giacosa Asili… For US, 99 Monte Bello, 08 Dominus, 09 Lokoya Mt. Veeder, 2010 HSS, 14 Harlan, 16 Eisele, Opus One, and many more. Even some standout burgs with 16 Faiveley Cortons, 17 Drouhin Clos des Mouches blanc, etc. etc. 14 Grange, 16 Yquem, 08 Grande Dame, 07 Grande Annee…
$475 is an expensive ticket, but considering what it would cost to taste these wines independently, and with a really over the top lineup it seems like a good value proposition if you can get to everything you want to try. Curious - are people spitting or is everyone pretty toasty?
I have been many times and I think the crowds are significantly worse in the last ten years. I like the seminars and the lunches because of the pacing. The black tie dinner is over hyped though there have been some great performers. The grand tastings are exhausting, especially if you’ve been tasting since 9 am. Even if you have early entry, you have to plan and hustle to get mostl of the high-end pours and there’s no time to really savor and enjoy those wines. They know how many tickets they are selling so the wineries should bring enough wine for the crowd. Often some of the big names are gone in the first hour and some people aren’t there at all on the second night.
I would be willing to pay more if I knew they were selling fewer tickets and limiting the crowds, but as it stands, the value is eroding.
$475? It wasn’t that long ago that a grand tasting ticket was $250, and the crowds were smaller.
got comped a few times, wd never pay for it…
no question, though, exceptional wines typically on display
I’ve been a few times, either working or comped. It’s a lot of money but considering the wines, as mentioned, it’s probably not a bad deal.
The key is to plan what you do. It’s not organized in any logical way, so you have to map out where everything is that you may be interested in. Most people don’t spit. And after an hour they’re pretty buzzed. Some just taste and dump and move on like it’s work. I never understood what they were up to other than to say “I’ve had it”. But it’s a good way to get to try a lot of wines you may not otherwise encounter.
How do you get comped?
You gotta know a guy . . .
I went circa 2002. A colleague gave me her ticket. Only time I ever tasted Screaming Eagle, and probably the last time I will, too. I thought it was a very nice 90-ish-point cab. The event was a madhouse.
I went once. While there were a large number of wines worth tasting, it was - for me - just not a setting in which I want to be tasting wine. I get why people like it, but it was not for me at all.
Is this the Spectator version or the Advocate? I went to a couple of the former back in the day. It was definitely a bit of a scrum, but I did get to taste a number of wines, which otherwise I would have no or little opportunity to try. Seems like there were more wines with some age on them than in the past–also a plus.
In many ways this sounds like the Boston Wine Expo. That’s another event that has seriously slipped down from being “a real wine event” to something akin to more of a booze cruse. I hate to say it, because it frustrated me when I hard it back in 2006, but what they do now is nothing like what they used to do…and it’s twice the price.
I went twice. tasted a lot of wines I nver wd have tasted otherwise…and it was lot less expensive back in the day…2X was enough for me…Also went to the Philly Wine and Food extravanganza about 10or so yrs ago when my daughter was an undergrad at Drexel…That was a one and done for me…Did go the VIP route in Philly and even there,some of the heavy hitters ran out of wine pretty early on…and some were no shows.
Attended three times in the late 1990’s when I was selling wine wholesale in Northern Jersey. Tickets were always comped by the firm. Total Frigging Zoo. The real showstoppers were always manned by elitist Europeans who poured huge portions to pour through their wines quicker. Remember half glasses of Yquem and then them running out of wine after half an hour. Always got the table map in advance and literally plot your way first to the wines you absolutely had to try. Always taste alone. Always grab your taste and go. Always be prepared to shoulder or stiff-arm your way to the front of the line. Always avoid the loud mouthed, red-nosed blowhards who once getting their portion decided to stand there and bullshit to the staff in an effort to make themselves look important.
It is a lot like the Boston Wine Expo only believe it or not, even more crowded. I worked the BWE a few times and there were a great number of delicious wines poured, but same thing regarding the crowds. Same people doing the BWE tried to do it in NYC, but it wasn’t anything like the other two events.
Always avoid the loud mouthed, red-nosed blowhards who once getting their portion decided to stand there and bullshit to the staff in an effort to make themselves look important.
This. Either talking to the staff or bloviating to their friends. They get worse as the evening goes on.
Admittedly, I haven’t been to this event (or many large tastings at all in recent years), but I still don’t fully understand your attitude. Maybe I’m that guy (i.e. if you don’t recognize who the loud mouthed, red-nosed blowhard is, it’s probably you?), but I find that tastings are far more interesting if you have a chance to talk with the winery rep. At least at smaller tastings, that’s often the winemaker or owner. Are you really attending just to get the pours and find the conversations (for non-ITB folks like me who want to learn) offensive? For every obnoxious person, I find that there are several enthusiasts who put me in a good mood that this wine hobby is fun and interesting.
Regards,
Peter
I live in MA, and other than the seminars… I think the Boston Wine Expo is pretty much done. I have been to a handful of Wine Experiences in Las Vegas and New York. It is excess… but the opportunity is there to taste incredible wines. I have also enjoyed gathering with some Berserkers at and around this event. I have always had the total event ticket. The gathering of incredible wines at these events, and the fine wine enthusiasts, has a very positive energy for me. I find the grand tastings to be a killer… any attempt to try and taste all or most of these wines is just beyond human ability. I really enjoy meeting the people pouring the wines as you see many owners and winemakers … and over time it is interesting watching younger members of wine families come into their own. I have made many friendships and had the opportunity over time to visit many at their wineries… and it is a small world in the sense that when you visit some of these places many remember having met you before. Ideally, it would be more sane to go to these grand tastings… at 6:30… and get out by 8:30 to escape to a nice restaurant. The daytime tastings and events are of tremendous quality and the true experience. If we could only attend these (without the rest) that would be my wife’s ideal choice. I have made good friendships with people attending these events… people who bring their own wines for the black tie affair. Some of the best wines have been at their tables… more aged, but excessive (nothing wrong with excessive once a year). The music is always a challenge… sometimes terrific… sometimes really odd. Of course having Sting show up was an incredible bonus. On the whole, I would say there is too much about these events that is wonderful… and yes there is crowding at times at night… but if you escape early… not too bad! It is easy to be cynical about really anything over time. I would chose not to put this event under that microscope. It is really just a spectacular event… and something worthy of preservation. If you want something less formal… I suggest the Hospice du Rhone!
Enjoyed the NY Wine Experience this year. The seminars are just outstanding, highlighted by a 6 bottle vertical of Chateau Pichon Longueville Lalande (going back to 1982) with the owner and winemaker. I don’t think anyone on this board would not thoroughly enjoy the seminars
The Grand Tastings just require a little planning. They mail you a book with information on all of the wines a good month prior. You also get a map. My wife and I had no difficulty identifying the wines we wanted to taste, fully realizing it would be folly to attempt to sample all of them. We stated at 6:30, tasted about 30 wines each night and finished with the great buffet they provided. We were out both nights by 8:30 (which is a requirement given that the seminars start at 9:00 AM the next day).
Cannot recommend it more. Truly like being a kid in a candy shop.