Must be 21 years of age or older.
WINE & FOOD SAILS ARE BACK!
If these are not the best things going on in Portland in the summer and fall, then we don’t know what is! Sommelier Erica Archer has invited some of her favorite Portland chefs to join her for a gorgeous scenic wine sail aboard the immaculate 74’ Tall Ship Frances on a select few of our June - October 2025 Wine Sails to pair five delicious courses with five delicious wines.
Today, James Beard Award Finalist Chef Damian Sansonetti, Co-Owner of Chaval and Ugly Duckling, comes on board to prepare five delicious courses inspired by the wine selection and produce of local Maine farmers, harvesters, and purveyors, created to pair with five delicious wines.
You’re in for an unforgettable wine experience as you sail through the pristine waters of Casco Bay, with views of picturesque lighthouses, historic forts, islands, and waterways ... all while indulging in a series of five high-quality wines and food pairings with a sommelier as your guide. With comfortable seating for everyone, you can relax and fully immerse yourself in this highly-rated wine and sailing experience. You will taste and learn a lot about wine through a series of five wines; each enjoyed alongside incredible cuisine that Chefs Sansonetti and Lopez have prepared for you.
We recommend getting your tickets soon if you’d like to join us. These events sell out quickly!
Menu TBA
The menu will be available close to the date of the event as the chefs take inspiration from only the freshest local ingredients. Due to the nature of this event, we regret that we cannot accommodate food substitutions.
Your Chefs
Chef Damian Sansonetti, a Pittsburgh native, grew up exploring fresh, local ingredients, making pasta with his grandmothers, curing meats with his grandfather, and assisting his father in the family kitchen. A career in food was practically his birthright. After graduating from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Sansonetti worked at Nantucket’s Brant Point Grill and Pittsburgh’s Steelhead Grill, moving to New York to open Heartbeat in the W Hotel. Sansonetti met Daniel Boulud while working at Shallots in Midtown and eventually took a position at Boulud’s DB Bistro Moderne. Training rigorously under Chef Olivier Muller, Sansonetti became chef de banquet at Daniel and then sous chef under Jean Francois Bruel. Promoted to executive chef of Bar Boulud in 2008, Sansonetti was named a 2009 StarChefs.com Rising Star and, in 2022, a finalist for the James Beard Award for Best Chef, Northeast. Now ensconced in the burgeoning food scene of Portland, Maine, Sansonetti’s partnered with his wife, Pastry Chef Ilma Lopez (a 2014 StarChefs.com Rising Star Pastry Chef and nominated in 2018 for a James Beard Award as Outstanding Pastry Chef), to open their Italian fine dining restaurant Piccolo and in 2017 Chaval. Sansonetti was a 2022 finalist for the James Beard Award, Best Chef Northeast.
Chef Ilma Lopez has worked in some of the most demanding and rewarding kitchens in the industry, such as DB Bistro, Corton, Tailor, El Bulli, Café Boulud, and Le Bernardin. When she left New York City to the quieter reaches of Maine, Lopez found a new terrain she couldn’t resist. Arriving with a mastery of colors, flavors, textures, and spices—and a seasoned ability to work under pressure—Lopez makes classic dishes her own, with attention to micro-detail and thoughtful twists. For her work, Lopez earned a 2014 StarChefs Coastal New England Rising Star Pastry Chef Award, Has been a multiple-time James Beard top-Chef finalist, and you may have seen her name in the September issue of Bon Appetit Magazine highlighting her incredible talents when naming Portland, Maine as their pick for Restaurant City of The Year. You can find her daily at their new bakeshop and luncheonette The Ugly Duckling.
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. She 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 down-to-earth style.
