Cheers: Wine events warm winter days. Here's one you shouldn't miss

BOSTON — Though the temptation is to hunker down during the long January and February winter days, I've always found great joy in getting out to do things. One of my favorites over the 20-plus years I've had this food job, has been to go to wine events.

For years, this included the Boston Wine Expo. Long ago, it was set over three days with a fabulous gala to get it started on Friday night. It was The Anthony Spinazzola Foundation Gala Festival of Food & Wine. It honored the Boston Globe wine writer and supported education in the industry. Johnson & Wales University students were always out in force as volunteers. It was at the World Trade Center on the Boston waterfront, also known as Commonwealth Pier.

There were wines from all over the world and they were grouped by their region. Both the gala and the tastings on Saturday and Sunday featured lots of fine wine samples.

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But it was the wine seminars I loved best. In the early years, they were in conference rooms at the adjacent Boston Seaport Hotel. You'd sip while learning about wines from regions like Alsace in France, or new world wine nations such as South Africa and New Zealand. One year, Riedel wine did a seminar to show how different wine tasted when it was in the proper glass.

All the while, you'd look out over the water. It was magical and transportive. Sometimes it would snow and it was like the wine gods were sending their sparkle.

The Boston Wine & Food Festival

I found that joy in enjoying wine, but with an even better setting at Rowes Wharf and the Boston Harbor Hotel for the annual Boston Wine & Food Festival. It is the 34th year they have held three months worth of tastings, dinners and educational events. I had never been before and I have no idea why except the timing hadn't worked out I guess. But I won't miss it again.

I went to the opening night tasting in the Wharf Room which is right on Boston Harbor. The room was set up with food stations, each more delicious than the next. There was a seafood table with shrimp and those great crab claws you dip into aioli. A carving station had short rib. An Italian one had risotto served in a huge wheel of cheese. My favorite was the Asian station with bao, or buns, filled with crunchy, pickled vegetables. There was also a spicy fried rice. The desserts were to die for with mini French pastries and macarons.

There was music and twinkle lights and endless tables of wine featuring the bottles that will be highlighted in events that run at the hotel through March 30. It made me so happy to get out and be around people, wine and food again.

There's a wide variety of ways to participate. Many of them will include the excellent cuisine from a team led by Boston Harbor Hotel executive chef David Daniels. The food is key here because it shows off the beauty of the wines.

Here's a sampling of what's offered but know that there are many more events. All prices are inclusive and cover taxes and gratuity.

There’s a Rosé master class on March 25 at 4 p.m. for $75 that will explain why the primary flavors of the wine depends on the type of grapes and the wine regions where the grapes are grown.

A Valentine Champagne Brunch on Feb. 12 is a dine-around format in two rooms with food stations of omelets, fruit, pastry and waffles. There will be cocktail stations and live jazz. The cost is $145. A Night in Paris dinner on Feb. 11, $245, starts with a glass of Champagne and is followed by a four-course dinner with wine pairings from Burgundy to Bordeaux and beyond.

There’s a Far Niente wine dinner on Feb. 17, $285. A Brandin Estates wine dinner, $225 on March 9 featuring winemaker Rebecca George. A March 19 Cocktail and Jazz Brunch is a dine around for $125. 

On March 18, there is a Champagne Lanson Wine dinner ($225) that celebrates the winery that was founded in 1760. A line up of their lovely Champagnes will be paired with a four-course dinner with seafood offerings from New England.

There are many more events, and you can stay at the hotel to make a night of it. In fact, you should if you are ready for a splurge at a five-star hotel. Festival attendees can take advantage of a guestroom rate of $295. Visit boswineandfoodfestival.com/event-calendar to learn more. I know I am going back for more. The bubbles and the sparkles are calling.