Coming Right Up: Wine Riot


By: Sarah Burns

The goal behind the Boston-based wine startup Second Glass is simple: drink more wine. Easy enough for us, especially with expo-style wine tastings like Wine Riot, happening this Friday and Saturday, April 22 to 23, at the Park Plaza Castle. In its fifth year, Wine Riot provides a place for winos to get together and swirl, sniff, and sip more than 250 wines from around the globe; take a 20-minute crash course to learn more about the grapes from industry experts; and pair wines with affordable dishes from local vendors.
To remember which varieties you love (or hate), there’s a mobile app that comes preloaded with the name and image of every bottle of wine, so all you’ll have to do is give it a thumbs up or down. There will also be DJs spinning house tunes and (our personal fave) a photo booth to make embarrassing faces in once you’ve downed a few glasses of merlot. Tickets are available here. We’ll be attending this weekend, so be sure to check back next week for our take on the tipples.
Opening night, Friday 7–11 p.m., $60; Riot 1, Saturday, 1-5 p.m., $50; Riot 2, Saturday, 7–11 p.m., $50. Park Plaza Castle, 130 Columbus Ave., Boston, 617-426-2000, secondglass.com/wineriot.