ongoing - April 1

The Boston Wine Festival, kicked off with a whiz-bang party in January.  It was a wonderful party. Great food, great wine. No surprises there. Yum.  But, as grand as the night was, Daniel Bruce’s 22st annual festival is not just a weekend spurt. It goes on three to four nights a week through April 2 and features a different winery and menu each night. Dinners are capped at 78 people, seated at tables up to eight. Their website, www.bostonwinefestival.net will give you particulars of the myriad dinner-wine nights, but we talked to Bruce – who orchestrates the pairings and is cooking every night – about the heart and soul of it all.

“The ‘wine festival’ name may be a misnomer,” says Bruce, “because you think of tables and wine poured at multiple levels. We do have the opening reception [where that happens]. But the essence of what the festival is is winemaker-and-owner joining us at dinner. It’s an intimate setting, a round table, which allows for conversation to take. You may buy a ticket with two or four people and sit with people you don’t know.”

“This concept doesn’t really exist elsewhere.” Bruce continues. “Many cities have festivals and walk-around events. But this is not like the others. These dinners which are hosted by the winemaker who goes around table to table. There’s the global aspect, but one-on-one. I personally prepare every meal and also go table to table. It’s become in essence a personalized festival, with the wine and food synergy. … I’ve been careful not to make them stodgy formal dinners. I like to enjoy myself, I don’t mind structured, but not so structured that I cant enjoy myself.”

"I build my calendar and fill it in with winemakers. I personally call the winemakers. Due to the relationships developed over the years, they all say yes. There’s probably 300 I can call at any given moment. But I think it’s important to give my client base and opportunities to try different wines each year. Winemakers like to have an opportunity to show what they’re doing new. There’s an educational side to this. They know all I care about is quality. I have no other agenda.”

How has the festival evolved? “As time has gone by,” says Bruce, “my customer base has increased. The people who come may not come to as many dinners as the old group. It’s a little younger now, more diverse. Its because wine is much more part of the table here in Boston than it was. It’s everywhere now, everyone’s into wine and food.”

 Dinners generally start at 7:30 – with a seminar held, if you choose to go, starting an hour ahead of time. The last pour is 9:15 – most of these are weeknights, mind you – but guests are welcome to linger. (Again, check their website for specifics.) The prices range from $75 to $225, tax and tip included.

JSInk correspondent Matt Robinson went to a dinner last year, hosted by Charles Smith, known in the rock world as the former manager of the Cardigans and the Raveonettes.

Writes Matt: As the guests gathered in the elegant Atlantic Room at the Boston Harbor Hotel, “Food & Wine” Magazine’s 2009 “Winemaker of the Year” Charles Smith regaled his friends and colleagues with stories of rockin’ out and stompin’ grapes. Over the course of the evening, guests enjoyed a five-course, six-wine meal that featured wines that Smith had made in honor of his parents and one wine that was not available to the public! With no sales pitch and no product to push, Smith represented the true spirit of wine making with his casual,friendly, edifying talk and small-batch, bio-dynamic, hand-crafted, foot-crushed, butt-kickin’ wines, all of which are available (in limited quantities) across the country.
At the end of the evening, Chef Bruce came out to wild applause to talk about the legacy of the Festival and to thank Smith and the rest of his delighted guests for participating in what has become the longest-running event of its kind in the nation. And as the crowd dispersed, all of them had smiles (and tiny spots of purple) on their lips as they discussed what event they would attend next.

70 Rowes Wharf, 617-439-7000 www.bostonwinefestival.net