Must be 21 years of age or older.
JOIN US FOR AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE
Join Sommelier Erica Archer and James Beard Finalist, Best Chef Northeast, Chef Damian Sansonetti, Co-Owner of Chaval, for a gorgeous scenic wine and food sail as you explore five incredibly delicious wines from Spain ... each paired with delicious regional Spanish cuisine inspired by the produce of local Maine farmers, harvesters, and purveyors created for you by this extremely talented Chef.
You're in for incredible wine education and food experience in Maine’s most colorful season as you sail through Maine’s beautiful Casco Bay with scenic views of Maine lighthouses, islands, and waterways ... all while indulging in incredible wine, food, and sailing experience. You'll walk away 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 Chef Sansonetti has prepared for you.
Menu
Baccalà
Housemade Whipped local salt cod, Lemon, Chaval’s Buttermilk English Muffins
Croquetas de Paella
Bomba Rice, Maine Lobster, garlic pimentón
Atún Conserva
Confit Maine Bluefin Tuna, “salsa brava”, red onion, garlic, Olive, sourdough
Palito de Salchicha
House-made chorizo from local pork, pimentón, orange, olives, pickled vegetables
Chuleta de Cerdo
Grilled local maine pork chop, halibut roe aioli, pepperkorn, mint
Due to the nature of this event, we regret that we cannot accommodate food substitutions.
We do recommend getting your tickets soon if you’d like to join us.
Your 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 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. Their new restaurant The Ugly Duckling will be opening in the fall of 2022.
Your Sommelier
Erica 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.