Update: Sunday cancelled due to winter weather.

If there is one thing that will get you and your valentine out from the crevices of your couch deep under your cozy blanket it must be the promise of wine.  Those deep rich earthy wines complement a snowy day so well.  If you take the time to taste and learn a little bit about wine this weekend not only will you have a fabulous time with your loved one, but you’ll gain the knowledge to pair wines for the rest of Boston’s wonderful seasons from summery Sauvignon Blancs to Sakes.

You don’t need to know wine to get a lot out of the Expo.  For some reason, when I went to my first wine festival I was so nervous because although I enjoy wine with dinner, I really knew very little about wine.  In fact, there are people from all walks of life with varying levels of expertise who attend such events.  Once you get started, you can learn a lot very quickly and it has got to be some of the most entertaining kind of learning there is.

Here is a look at the various seminars and classes that are offered throughout the weekend.

Presented by Boston Guild of Oenophilists, the 24th annual Boston Wine Expo at the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center is announcing the official list of educational seminars slated for its President’s Day weekend event. This year’s lineup again will include a variety of highly regarded educational programs from top winemakers and industry experts from around the world.

With nearly 40 topics ranging from food and wine pairings, “Sipping Smarts: Wine Basics,” and vertical tasting flights of the world’s most sought-after grapes, class is now – deliciously – in session:

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14th
•    11:00am – 12:00pm: “Languedoc: The Frontier of French Wine” – $35.00

•    11:00am – 12:00pm: “The New World of World-Class Wines: New York” – $35.00

•    11:30am – 12:30pm: “Sipping Smarts: Wine Basics with Leslie Sbrocco” – $35.00

•    12:00pm – 1:00pm: “The Secret Life of Pinot Noir” – $45.00

•    12:00pm- 1:00pm: “Opus One Winemaker Michael Silacci: Beyond the Icon – Looking Backward and Looking Forward: A Vertical Tasting of the 1988, 1996, 2001 and 2010 Vintages” – $95.00

•    12:30pm – 1:30pm: “Iconic Wines of Spain with Patrick Mata, Winemaker and Wine Importer Extraordinaire” – $40.00

•    12:30pm – 1:30pm: “Central Otago: The Burgundy of the Southern Hemisphere – $30.00

•    12:30pm – 1:30pm: “Tenuta Santa Maria alla Pieve, the Bertani Family’s Veronese Estate Winery” – $45.00

•    1:30pm – 2:30pm: “The Biodynamic Approach to Winemaking with Rudy Marchesi of Montinore” – $30.00

•    2:00pm – 3:00pm: “Sake…Is it just for Japanese Cuisine?” – $35.00

•    2:30pm – 3:30pm: “Decadent and Delicious: Sweet Wines of the World” with Professor Ed Korry, Department Chairman at Johnson & Wales University and President of the Society of Wine Educators – $35.00

•    2:30pm – 3:30pm: “Exploring the Treasures of Argiano’s Tuscan Estate” – $40.00

•    3:00pm – 4:30pm: “Complete Ten Year Vertical of St. Estephe’s Chateau Meyney” with its rising star winemaker Anne Le Naour and Jean-Christophe Calvet of Aquitaine Wine Company – $35.00

•    3:30pm – 4:30pm: “Argentina’s New Terroirs-: A Journey of Discovery” – $30.00

•    3:30pm – 4:30pm: “Wine Words: Learn the Language of Wine” – $30.00

•    4:00pm – 5:00pm: “Scotch versus Irish Whisk(e)y” – $35.00

•    4:00pm – 5:00pm: “Craft Beer Cellar Beer Smart Academy” – $30.00

•    4:00pm – 5:00pm: “The Cool Climate, World Class Wines of the Finger Lakes” – $30.00

•    4:00pm – 5:00pm: “Wine Spectator Presents… Taste Like a Pro, 201” – $35.00

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15th:
•    11:00am – 12:00pm: “Taste some of Italy’s Best Olive Oils” with Johnny Madge – $25.00

•    11:00am – 12:00pm: “The Wines of Uruguay” – $25.00

•    11:30am – 12:30pm: “Sipping Smarts: Wine Basics” with Leslie Sbrocco – $35.00

•    11:30am – 12:30pm: “Opus One Winemaker Michael Silacci: Beyond the Icon – Looking Backward and Looking Forward: A Vertical Tasting of the 1988, 1996, 2001 and 2010 Vintages” – $95.00

•    12:00pm – 1:00pm: “Cheese and Wine Matching Seminar” with Brad and Brian Wasik of the Wellesley Cheese Shop – $40.00

•    12:00pm – 1:00pm: “New England Cider: The Lost Apple Project’s Ciders with a Supporting Cast of Artisan Cheese and Salumi” – $30.00

•    12:00pm – 1:00pm: “Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em…a Shootout Between the wines of Chile and Argentina” – $35.00

•    12:30pm – 1:30pm: “The Amazing Story of Barolo with Ciro Pirone, Director of Italian Wines, Horizon Beverage” – $45.00

•    12:30pm – 1:30pm: “Domaines Albert Bichot Verticals: Grand Cru Clos Vougeot and Meursault les Charmes” – $45.00

•    2:00pm – 3:00pm: “Frog’s Leap Presents -The Art of Winegrowing – Organic, Biodynamic and Dry Farming: A Presentation on the Implications on Wine Quality with a Cabernet Sauvignon Vertical” lead by John Williams of Frog’s Leap Winery, Napa – $45.00

•    2:00pm – 3:00pm: “The Republic of Georgia: Wines from Ancient Vines” – $25.00

•    2:00pm – 3:00pm: “Stefano Girelli Presents the Wines of Santra Tresa, Sicily” – $40.00

•    2:30pm – 3:30pm: “Sake and Sushi” with Hiromi Iuchi of Kuramoto Sake and Sushi from Cafe Sushi, Cambridge – $40.00

•    3:00pm – 4:00pm: “The Best of Chianti Classico Just Got Better! A Discussion and Tasting of the New Gran Selezione Classification” with Winemaker Leonardo Bellaccini as well as a Vertical Tasting of his Superb Chianti Classico Riserva ‘Poggio Rosso’ – $35.00

•    3:30pm – 4:30pm: “Wine and Chocolate: the Best Wine Matches for superb Valrhona Chocolates” – $35.00

•    3:30pm – 4:30pm: “Wine Spectator Presents…. Iconic Wines of the Pacific Northwest: a Taste of Oregon and Washington” – $35.00

•    3:30pm – 4:30pm: “The Modern Wines of Ancient Greece with Ted Diamantis, Founder of Diamond Wine Importers” – $30.00

•    4:00pm – 5:00pm: “Gin versus Vodka: the Title Fight” – $30.00

•    4:00pm- 5:00pm: “Cognac Seminar” with International Cognac Expert and Author, Becky Sue Epstein – $45.00

The Boston Wine Expo is held at The Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center on February 14 and 15, 2015, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. This event is reserved for ages 21+. Tickets now are on sale and available here. Weekend tickets and discount group tickets are also available.