Wine Riot

You get to drink copious amounts of wine for $ 65, what could be better? A great organized layout for tastings and vendors. I was disappointed the AP to rate and bookmark your wines wasn’t working.

Wine riot is such a great time. Would be fun in a group or for a date. Great upbeat atmosphere. This was the second wine riot I have been too and would definitely go again if it comes back to Boston!

WOW. Wine Riot was an extremely casual yet fun way to learn a ton about new wines! There were a plethora of different whites, reds, and bubblies to try. There was also complimentary cheese tastings as well as food for purchase. Wine Riot also had a picture booth with some comical décor to put on. Such a great event to go with a boyfriend/​girlfriend or just as a group of friends. Can’t wait until we can riot again with Boston.
Almost forgot about all the tattoos… maybe the best part!

Wine, wine, and more wine. Seriously? Does this need any other rating aside from freaking awesome? Dude I cannot wait for next year!

The Wine Riot was pretty awesome. I did get two free tickets from Unilocal,but this review will be honest.
We showed up about an hour after it started, so we didn’t have to wait in line. Were we worried that we wouldn’t get a chance to drink enough wine? Sure. But that didn’t happen. We hit almost every station that we wanted to. When we saw a long line at one station, the one next to it usually had no line. And we learned a thing or two about wine along the way.
They gave us two plastic wine cups when we entered. Most of the samples were well smaller than an ounce. But we had so many samples, that it got hard to walk a straight line after an hour or two.
The only drawback was that it was really crowded inside. But so long as you’re patient, it’s not that big a deal.
And when we were done, we were in the middle of Boston just in time for dinner, so we walked a few blocks and soaked up all that wine with food that tasted even better with a strong buzz.

Many thanks to Unilocal for the awesome score of these tickets!
My +1 and I had a great time learning and sampling wines from all over the globe. There’s a fun photo booth with ‘bling’ gear, coloring stations, and cheese samplings!
We also sat in on the info session for Beaujolais. The Beaujolais– Village is now my favorite wine. All of the wines were reasonably priced and the selection is perfect if you’re trying to discover something new and need budget friendly wines when you’re hosting an event (Holiday season is approaching).
The food from the vendors was amazing, but I learned the hard way that wine does not pair well with avocado and bacon grilled cheese, but it was the BEST grilled cheese I’ve ever had LOL! After cleansing my palate I was able to continue and ended up circling the Beaujolais table once more bcz it is hands-​down my favorite now.
So, if you’re on the fence, check out the Wine riot. You get tons of bang for your buck and people are very knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions with an in-​depth explanation.

Tickets to Wine Riot ended up being sold out a week before the event but thanks to Unilocal I was able to get in for the Saturday afternoon event!
What I liked about the event:
1. The crowds were very light compared to the beer events I’ve attended in the same building. There was plenty of room to walk around without bumping into many people. The wait to get into the venue was not that long and they were very prompt in moving the line up when they opened.
2. 95% of the booth vendors were super nice and would give a ton of information about their wines. The detail was incredible and I learned a lot.
3. Free Classes: Although I did not partake in any of the classes, I do appreciate that they offered them. I did not like any of the topics so I did not go.
4. The AM session would be a great event to take any person to (21+). The crowds were not rowdy and the age gap was very large. Everyone was very respectful and not overly intoxicated. This is an event you can bring your parents to, the PM sessions may be another story though.
What I did not like about the event:
1. Even with a lot of room, I noticed that people did not get out of the way of the booths. They just stood at the front of the booth with their sample of wine while talking to their friends. This common practice resulted in a lot of waiting time in between booths. Unfortunately the booth vendors were too nice to ask the people to move to the side or back in order for others to get a taste. Because of this I left a lot of booths without trying any wine due to frustration. It is just common courtesy to have a little interaction with the booth host, get your sample and then get out of the way of others.
2. There was only two free food sample tables: Goat cheese and Krave Beef Jerky. Although both of these were excellent, you had to buy anything else. I think we are all adults and can understand what will happen when people drink too much wine and do not eat! Some of the sidewalks around the venue from the Friday PM event showed evidence of exactly what I was thinking: lots of wine and not enough food!
3. I can’t justify the $ 60 ticket. If there was more free food was included then I think the price would have been perfect. For what they provided, the price should have been more around $ 40-​$ 45 a person. I am happy I got the free tickets because I would never pay $ 120 for two people.
We did have a great time at the event but I don’t see myself going to another unless the ticket price was reduced, there was more free food and if they stocked some bigger $$$ bottles of wine.

Wasn’t all that it was hyped up to be. Wine selection was nice, but couldn’t buy any of the wines that I loved! Very disappointed. Not impressed with the food vendors. Mediocre grilled cheese, crepes, lobster rolls, and cheese. Couldn’t hear the classes that were going on do to the «classrooms» just being curtained off. Tattoo stations and paint nite decorate your glass stations were fun though!
And the app was terrible! Couldn’t load to actually participate and vote.
Positives: Loved the bubbly bar and the naked wine station. Loved that each station taught you something about wines.

Thank you for the free tickets, Unilocal!My +1 and I learned about and enjoyed many wines from different regions of the world along with some yummy cheese samples.
We attended the 1−5pm session and it was pretty crowded (never too early for some day drinking)! This year they had colored markers lying around so you could personalize your wine cups (don’t believe they had this least year, nice touch to the event). Roxy’s was one of the food vendors again (amazing grilled cheese sandwiches… mmm with bacon and avocado). There was a temporary tattoo and photo area (tattoos were definitely an upgrade from last year). Overall, I loved WR and it’s something I look forward to every year :) :)

This well organized wine tasting event took place in the super-​cool Park Plaza Castle in the heart of the Hub. Wine purveyors sampled their wares, including vendors from California, Pacific Northwest, Spain, France, Portugal, South Africa, Argentina and Chile. I enjoyed learning more about Beaujolais (I don’t actually hate all of it), and revisiting my take on Rioja. There were local oysters for sale, as well as cheese samples and plates for purchase. Other events included lectures/​talks and free photos as well as wine-​inspired temporary tattoos. The facility was perfect for this event, comfortable with enough of a crowd to have a great energy, but not so crowded that it was hard to move. Womens bathrooms had long lines, however! And for the price of $ 60, the pours were fairly skimpy.

Mucho gracias to Unilocal for the complimentary passes which gave my inner wino a chance to come out and play. My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed some proper day drinking and related debauchery. Having said that, if I had actually paid $ 60 for admission I think I’d be singing a slightly different tune.
I’m no wine connoisseur, but it was a bit disappointing that the majority of the wines were from mass producers. I was really hoping to see some small-​scale operations present. The only real standout for me was Travessia, an «urban winery» in New Bedford. I did like the majority of the wines I tasted, but it would have been nice to see a wider variety of wineries.
While the wines were more or less grouped by region, an old-​fashioned paper checklist would have been helpful. Luckily the venue wasn’t overly crowded and we could meander without losing track of what we’d already tried. We rarely waited long for a pour, with the notable exception being the Rosatello table run by the Vikings with man buns, understandably.
This event has a lot of potential but it needs some tweaking. Get more local wineries in on this! That’s a no-​brainer. More free nibbles would also be appreciated. And free coat check would be a smart move. Folks are already paying $ 60, so don’t make them fork out even more.
As it stands, it’s still a fun-​filled afternoon (or evening) of wine tasting. You can learn a thing or two about wine, send drunkenly scribbled free postcards to your friends, and engage in some fascinating people watching at the end of the four hours when everyone is belligerent.

A great time to spend with your squad! Wander off solo to sample the wines from around the world. Reconnect with your people to compare notes. Hit a few tables together to ask wine questions. Even a few courses to learn about different varietals of wine. My new favorite is Spain’s Tempranillo!
Fun time, wear comfy but cute shoes, take public transportation or Über it like we did!

Thank you to Unilocal for the free tickets from the Dranksgiving Giveaway! I was so happy to win for such a unique event.
I think the key to this event is pacing, because we bounced around from table to table and felt overwhelmed. Start off by picking up your plastic «Second Glass» cup for all of your tasting. I would agree with others that hitting up the Bubbly Bar early is a good idea since it seemed very popular. I also noticed that the Cypress Grove cheese table was mobbed later on once people go some wine in them. Get your cheese nibbles early (besides the one cheese booth and the beef jerk booth I don’t think there was any other free food).
We went to the wine class «Order Italian Wines Like A Boss» which was informative and fun. The drawbacks are that the event is very crowded so try to go slow and stay away from the crowded areas. Also, there should have been a little more free food for the normal $ 60 price tag.
Overall, great afternoon!

Full disclosure: big thanks to Unilocal
for comping me 2 tickets!
The line to get in is long, but don’t be scared
away by it as it moves very fast…15 min.
The event was sold out, but there were
many booths with no lines all afternoon long.
Those that had lines had only a few people.
My tips: taste wine for an hour,
Then take a break and get a grilled cheese.
Sip wine for another hour, then create a crêpe…
And maybe catch a free wine class.
Go back to all your favorite wines…
And catch a cab for take the T home.
Unless you spit out the last 30 wines, you are drunk.
THE DEAL: $ 60 a ticket, should include coat check.
The girl charged me for two coats because I wear a jacket with a vest, insisting the price was per piece!
I’m sure, at $ 120 a pair, girls were putting their coats
together on one hanger. I get the impression the
coat check girls were charging them double…
and pocketing half.

More like a night out with your 20 – 30 something girl friends. I’ll give it 5 stars for dudes trying to meet ladies as the ratio is 10 to 2. The wine quality is bad to better than good and food choices limited and unmatched and paired to the wine experience. Not a forethought and missed opportunity. Overall, with the right date, it’s a great time. Like I’m having.

Loved wine riot. I have been to two so far. It’s always a great crowd, and a great atmosphere. You go to the beer fests and you run the risk of mostly college kids running around spilling beers. Wine riot is not like that at all, the crowd is sophisticated and mature. I’ve always had a great experience. I was a little disappointed that they had a technology glitch at the April event and no one was able to use the app to keep track of their wines. The app was my favorite part of the first wine riot because I was able to track and ‘favorite’ the wines I liked for future reference!
Also — definitely try to sit in on the informative sessions they have. You learn a lot about the wines, and as their are speaking, they have people walking around filling your glasses to try the different wines they are speaking/​explaining about. Yum!
Tip — get to those informative sessions 5 – 10 mins early to get a seat-​they fill up quick!

Thanks Unilocal for getting me in!
After experiencing, I would never pay $ 60. I didn’t think any of the wine was that good… but it was tons of fun!

Thanks Damien and Unilocal for the free tickets! A couple tips to make this the best wine riot possible when you go.
— get there early. We got in line a little after 12:30 and were one of the first ones in
— use the restroom right when you get there. There were only 3 stalls and the line is ridiculous later in the day when everyone needs to go
— definitely download the app. It was great to keep track of the wines we were trying
— hit up the bubbly bar earlyish. It’s one of the more popular tables and had a long line. We accidentally cut the line. Twice. But no one noticed :)
Otherwise just pace yourself and have fun! Loved the Roxy’s grilled cheese table. Totally hit the spot about an hour in when we needed some food to soak up the alcohol. Surprisingly for there being so many people here (it was sold out after all) it was a very well organized event

Totally in love with Unilocal for the help. I got tickets, a sweat band & turns out a phone holder.
Lots of good whites (no red, thanks) and very patient staff. Crowd wise though, you lose a star for poor etiquette. Crowds are fine, but don’t hog the table, people, step back while you sip and chat so the rest of humanity can move it along. Thanks.

The Wine Riot turned out to be very true to it’s name. On a beautiful Saturday afternoon — it was indeed a riot. For the size of the ballroom at the Park Plaza Castle, the place was packed with booths and vendors. But very well organized. We happened to start in the anti clockwise direction because it was very much a 50 – 50 split going on either side and it didn’t take us too long to decide it was going to be crowded regardless.
One of the best things that I liked about the event was — the Second Glass app for your smart phones. I downloaded the app a couple of days prior to the event to get myself acquainted with all the vendors and their collections and gave me the opportunity to kind of plan my navigation around the event. And rightly so, I made full use of it. Not only did I get to rate the wines and the bubblies that I tried, the app helped me keep the record of the ones that really stood out and would be useful for future purchases while getting wines for family and friends and for special occasions. Very useful indeed.
The vendors were — for the most part very nice, very knowledgeable, and totally into making sure they could market their wines to the best of their abilities. Some were more overwhelmed by the crowd situation — given at some booths, there was almost a beeline of tasters — especially at the Bubbly bar were. Very very busy.
There were great side activities as well. The tattoo table to stamp on your faux ink was my favorite. The photo booth was fun too. I only wish there were more options for food besides the 3 tables out of which clearly the grilled cheese one was the biggest hit.
The next day, I was not so surprised when I got a recap of my tastings from the previous night — 54 of them while I was still rating them. Not bad at all. But nowhere near the 250 odd bottles that were out on display to be tasted. All in all, everyone had a ball of a time. Highly recommended if you haven’t been to one before.