This past weekend, Friday, March 1st through Sunday, March 3rd, the enormous Javits Convention Center was home to the 2013 New York Wine Expo. The 6th annual NYWE consisted of over 600 samples of wine from 150 different producers across the world.

We experienced a slew of standout wines and many different brands, but here were a select few favorites.

Mutant3 by Pv Wine from Portugal was one of my personal favorites, with a rich flavor from the Douro region, known to be famous for port. Another delicious red was by Fulcrum from the Sonoma Mountains.

Fox Run Vineyards gave us a wide assortment to choose from, whereas Luna y Sol offered one option, but chose wisely with a delicious brut.

Look at these adorable single serving cups!

Happy Bitch Wines definitely drew in a crowd with their slogan and not-so-subtle marketing campaign. They had clever stickers that said “I spit” and “I swallow” for you to select from, as well as temporary tattoos and a raffle for “girl balls” – dangling, flaccid balloons with bling on them. Clearly they are marketing towards women who host a lot of female-oriented events and probably lots of bachelorette parties. You probably won’t be finding this wine being adorned with wine awards any time soon, but they certainly brought some sass to the Wine Expo floor.

In addition to wine, we also enjoyed some incredibly strong grappa by Sibona. The Sibona representative was calm and stoic, patiently explaining the origins of each type. But, as expected, it went way over our heads. Let’s just say that this stuff is strong. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

After so much wine and liquids, solid foods were definitely an order. My favorite station was the tasting of the salted caramel dark chocolates from Massachusetts by Chocolate Springs. The boxed chocolates are beautifully presented, and at $24 for a box of 12 are reasonably priced for gourmet aesthetic.

Another standout brand was 2 Chicks with Chocolate based in New Jersey, which featured their wine collection with wine flavored fillings. Each chocolate is beautifully decorated with swirls of color.

The headlining sponsor was MAILLE, the 265-year-old French mustard brand. They had a vast array of samples on hand, pickles and bread+meat+cheese pairing with their flavors which included Dijon Originale, Old Style, Honey Dijon, and Rich Country Dijon mustards; Dijonnaise, a blend of mustard and mayonnaise; and Cornichons, known for their special crispness and taste. Also on hand was Chabaso artisan bread with their crispy dough and available in your local grocery store.

To see the entire list of all  featured exhibitors, wineries, and vineyards, visit here!

Let’s raise a glass and toast to the success of #NYWE2013!

Yours,
Von

Photos by Bruce Byers and by Socially Superlative