Must be 21 years of age or older.
WINE & CHEF SAILS ARE BACK!
If these are not the best thing going on in Portland in the Summer, we don’t know what is. Sommelier Erica Archer has invited some of her favorite chefs in Portland to join her on a select few of our season-long wine sails to pair five delicious courses with five delicious wines. We’re kicking off the 2023 series during Portland Wine Week with “Shef” Mimi Weissenborn of Sur Lie.
You’ll sail and sip five incredibly delicious wines that you'll love to have in your repertoire ... each paired with food thoughtfully prepared for you by Shef Weissenborn… all while indulging in a gorgeous scenic sail on board the 74-foot immaculate sailboat, Frances, built by her Captain and crew on Portland's waterfront.
You're in for an incredible wine and food experience as you sail through Maine’s beautiful Casco Bay with scenic views of Maine lighthouses, islands, and waterways ... all with delicious wines and paired food. You'll walk away knowing a lot about wine, how regional influences impact wine styles and quality, and gain confidence knowing how to evaluate, select and pair wines and describe what you smell and taste. And no doubt you will enjoy every bite and sip.
The menu will be available close to the date of the event as the chef takes inspiration from only the freshest local ingredients. Due to the nature of this event, we regret that we cannot accommodate food substitutions.
Your Chef
A native Maryland crab, Mimi studied at L’Academie de Cuisine and promptly decided to pursue a culinary career in New York City as a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. As the Creative Director, and later Executive Chef, at Vinateria she received a Michelin recommendation, participated in multiple chef collaborations such as New York City Food & Wine Festival, Harlem Eat Up and a gamut of James Beard Foundation dinners headlining and selling out one of her very own.
Your Sommelier
Archer is a true oenophile, having obtained high levels of certification in her field. In 2010, she was awarded the Wine Spirit and Education Trust Level Three Advanced Certification in Wines and Spirits (with merit), became a Sommelier in the American Court of Master Sommeliers, and received her Certified Wine Professional award from the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California. Erica is the principal of Wine Wise, a wine education and events service, and is skilled at creating truly creative and memorable wine experiences that take guests beyond a typical tasting with her intimate understanding of what makes each wine unique. And she’ll do it with her trademark sense of humor and down-to-earth style.
Where do we meet?
Here is the location on Google Maps. We are sailing on the beautiful Frances at Maine Sailing Adventures, located on the Maine State Pier at 56 Commercial Street (where Commercial Street meets Franklin Street). The signage from the road is not so great. Casco Bay Lines is right there as well. You'll walk down the paved road to the pier with the Whale Wall on your left and the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal on your right. Keep walking onto the Maine State Pier (past gate 5 of the Casco Bay Ferry Terminal). On the pier, to the right, you will see two sheds for two sailing companies. Please wait by the Maine Sailing Adventures/Frances shed.
What else?
Please put your Wine Sail in your calendar to arrive before the boarding time. Please heed our advice and allow plenty of time to drive into Portland and find parking. It is no fun missing the boat because of late arrivals.
Please review our Get Ready for Your Wine Sail page.
Please forward our Get Ready for Your Wine Sail page to everyone attending with you so that everyone is adequately prepared and on time... or early!!
We receive many of the same questions very frequently. We have taken the time to write thorough answers to frequently asked questions on our FAQ page. Please look there for immediate answers to many questions.
CANCELLATIONS/RESCHEDULES/NO SHOWS
Because of our size, cancellations affect us significantly. It’s not always possible that we can see your correspondence on the days we have events as we have our attention entirely on our events that day. If you are able to reach us, and we can re-sell your tickets, we can refund your ticket price minus the $20.00 per ticket credit card transactions we have to pay OR reschedule you to a different date with availability (there is no credit card transaction fee in this case). You are always welcome to send a friend or family member in your place or sell your own tickets. Just make sure we have the ticket holder's email address so we can send them the event notifications, so they are aware of where to find us, and any day-of weather-related notifications. There are no refunds or reschedules for no-shows or if we cannot resell your tickets. Makes sense, right?