2017 Boston Wine Expo promises good tastes, good cause

President’s Day weekend. The John Kasich of holiday weekends. No personality, barely relevant, thoroughly unexciting.

It’s still a week ‘til Spring Training. The Bruins cling dispassionately to a playoff spot. Tom Brady’s fifth Lombardi is already a vague, quickly dissipating memory. Affect Belichikian deadpan: We’re on to President’s Day.

Not this year. This year, the 26th annual Boston Wine Expo is here to save us from the doldrums. Join the Boston Guild of Oenophiles Feb. 18-19 at the Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center for a “Grand Tasting,” including delicious bites from some of the cities best restaurants, paired with some 2,000 varieties of wine from around the globe.

But this isn’t just some hedonist, mid-Winter distraction. This is self-improvement. Work your way toward connoisseurship at any of the Expo’s myriad educational seminars.

This year’s Keynote Seminar Speaker is Tim Hanni, one of the first American men to earn the very prestigious Master of Wine distinction. His discussion “Why You Like the Wines You Like” breaks down your wine preferences psychologically. But don’t worry, no inkblots. We all know where those go.

“He’s been working on this for years,” Boston Guild of Oenophiles President Jim Carmody says. “You take the psychological profile and you find out what your preferences are, and why you like those wines. It gives you a lot more confidence—whether you’re in a grocery store, looking at a wine list, or just engaged in a conversation about wine.”

Hanni has given his talk around the globe, and is supposedly dynamite with the mic.

“It’s exciting,” Carmody says. “He’s a very dynamic and engaging presenter. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Carmody also mentions “Understanding German Riesling” and Fred Ek’s Guigal’s “Superb Chateau d’Ampuis Cote-Rotie” as particularly noteworthy, but that’s hardly (Guig)all. On the main floor, “Matty in the Morning” co-host Billy Costa will MC “Dueling Celebrity Chef Stages,” where Boston-area chefs battle to the (culinary) death, and reveal some of their secrets along the way.

But still, perhaps the distinction the event should be most proud of is its relationship with Tufts Medical Center. The Guild has donated close to $1.5 million to local charities since its inception, and Tufts Medical Center’s Summer Camp Program for Children with Disabilities is the major beneficiary.

If you go:

Feb. 18 at 1 p.m., Feb 19 at 5 p.m.
Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center
1 Seaport Ln.
Tickets start at $100, wine-expos.com