Sometimes I get frustrated with my Yahoo 360 blog because despite the option to edit entries it never works.  I just just spent 30 minutes carefully revising and adding to the prior review of the Boston Wine Festival and then it wouldn't save and update that entry.  In fact the same thing has happened with past entries in which I later found typos or other errors.  I simply can't reliably edit anything after posted.  Furthermore it won't let me copy and pasty from any entry so it would be a tremendous amount of work to repaste my updated edits into a whole new entry.  The lesson of that story is if you see a funny typo on my blog don't laugh too hard because I probably saw it myself but couldn't go back to fix it.

So, let me just selectively add some scattered details to my prior event posting.

Tasting: Frankly I was the only person at the event I saw making any effort to hold a glass right, smell the wine, aerate it, or carefully taste it.  Most every else just grabbed and drank.  I don't know if it's because they really don't know much about wine, or if they didn't care, or if they somehow knew these wines would be essentially average, or if they just came for the party.  But listen, if you're one of those people deeply into the drama of wine (I'm not really) who has to see and smell the cork, basically gargle the wine, and then spit everything out, you'll stick out like a pretentious peacock at this event.

Glasses: I initially thought that just like buffet etiquette you weren't supposed to go back with your same glass again and again -- but you are.  They would simply go through too many glasses if people used a clean one each time.

Rings for Plates: There were little rings at the buffet which I later noticed were for hanging your wine glasses off the edge of your buffet plate.  Frankly they look precarious and unnecessary, however, I wish I tried one anyway just to have the practice and experience.  Next year.

More about the Wines: Being the "Boston" Wine Festival frankly I'm disappointed there was no representation of Northeast wines.  Maybe all the wines have to be donated and those smaller vineyards aren't able to do that?  Maybe the event planners already know the upscale Boston attendees won't drink a Cape Cod blend?  I don't know.  But if Northeast wines can't get into the premier wine event of one of the biggest and most famous cities in this region then it's a tremendous snub in their face.  If Boston won't have them in their show then who will?  Likewise, it's strange to have just a couple of foreign wines represented and seemingly all from just one country.  Either keep this all American or make a better effort to include more of the world.

Celebrity: Finally, why doesn't the opening reception of a major city's wine festival draw on or include someone famous from the wine world?  Bring in a vintner.  Countless wine makers would like to be seen and heard for publicity.  And how about Robert Parker?  Is he too busy, then bring in a wine reviewer from the local paper.  Frankly, I wondered if I'd see the writer of the "Imbiber" column from the little Metro newspaper I get on the subway and even someone like him wasn't there.  I suspect if this had been the Boston Beer Festival you'd have seen lot's of local brands as well as local personalities like the owner of Sam Adams.  But nothing like that at the city's wine festival.