Must be 21 years of age or older.
For those of you that have sailed with us in the past, we hope you are well. We honestly can’t wait to see you and take you on a safe, ventilated, quality wine, and sailing experience that puts you safely 6-feet distanced from other passengers. We know it’s the highlight of your Summer and we plan on keeping it that way. For those that are new to us, we look forward to sharing this incredible experience with you.
It’s important to note that we are on a different boat and a different location, and a different schedule this year. The sailboat Frances has chosen not to operate this season and we are forever grateful to Portland Schooner Company for adopting us and giving us a Summer home with their largest Schooner, Timberwind, a two-masted schooner built in 1931 by Victor Cole at Union Wharf in Portland and measures in at 96' overall. Read below for direction to the Maine Wharf (not the Maine State Pier).
COVID-19 SAFETY REQUIREMENTS OF ALL PASSENGERS
We are closely adhering to Maine’s guidelines for social distancing, sanitizing, and face coverings. Be sure to bring your facemasks. You will be required to wear your facemask for waiting in line, boarding, disembarking, and anytime you get up from your seat to use the head (bathroom). A face covering is not required while sitting and enjoying the wine sail. Please keep 6-feet distanced from others standing in line to board and while disembarking. Once we are all boarded and seated you will be able to take your facemask off for the duration of the sail while you are in your assigned seat. We feel compelled to emphasize that this is a trying time for a lot of people. This may be some passengers' first “safe experience” outdoors. It is all of our responsibility to act with others' safety, comfort, and enjoyment in mind. We are all in this together. Let’s care for one another and have an incredible experience that will be the highlight of your summer, for sure.
CHANGES TO TICKET PURCHASES
It is imperative that you buy all of the tickets for your party in one purchase so that you may all be seated together. Or if purchased separately please do make sure to include whom you would like to be seated with, in the “Is there anything we need to know” comments section at checkout. We cannot move people around after boarding as we need to depart on-time. We do not have the staff to answer emails and phone calls and re-do seating charts over and over again if this imperative detail is missed.
JOIN US FOR AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE
Join Sommelier Erica Archer and Chefs/Owners Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez of acclaimed Portland, Maine restaurant Chaval, in Maine’s most colorful season, for a gorgeous scenic wine sail as you explore five incredibly delicious wines from France ... each paired with delicious food from these extremely talented Chefs.
You're in for an incredible wine education and food experience as you sail through Maine’s beautiful Casco Bay with scenic views of Maine lighthouses, islands, and waterways .. all while indulging in an incredible wine, food, and sailing experience. You'll walk away with knowing a lot about wine, how regional influences impact wine styles and quality, gain confidence knowing how to evaluate, select, and pair wines and describe what you smell and taste. And no doubt you will taste and learn a lot about the incredible food that Chefs Sansonetti and Lopez have prepared for you.
The menu will be available on the date of the event as these Chefs take inspiration from only the freshest local ingredients. Due to the nature of this event, we regret that we cannot accommodate food substitutions.
Taste and learn about some delicious French wines you'll be thrilled to have in your repertoire
Enjoy deliciously paired food paired with each wine and prepared by the incredible Chefs/Owners of Chaval
Learn the basics of tasting or take your wine knowledge to the next level
… all while sailing on Portland Schooner Co.’s incredible 96’ schooner Timberwind in iconic Portland, Maine.
The menu will be available close to the date of the event as Chef takes his 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. 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. 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.
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.
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.
WHERE DO WE MEET?
Timberwind is located on the Maine Warf on Portland’s historic waterfront, not the Maine State Pier where we have previously departed from. Entrance to the Maine Wharf is located on Commercial Street, Portland, Maine, between Scales Restaurant (down the wharf a little bit at 68 Commercial Street) and RiRa Irish Pub (72 Commercial Street) You’ll go all the way to the end of the wharf, approximately 100 yards towards the waterfront, past Scales. You can’t miss Timberwind at the end of the dock. Please keep in mind that this is the Maine Warf, not the Maine State Pier where we have previously departed from. Please keep in mind to have your required facemask on and be 6-feet distanced from other parties while waiting in line. We’ll be on the boat setting-up and will come to get you when we’re ready to board you. You’ll receive a more detailed email a few days before your wine sail.
CANCELLATIONS/RESCHEDULES/NO SHOWS
Because of our size, cancellations affect us significantly. If we are able to re-sell your tickets we can refund your ticket price minus the $20.00 credit card transactions we have to pay OR reschedule you to a different date that has 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 are not able to resell your tickets. Makes sense, right?