3:00-5:00 (2:45 Boarding) | Maine State Pier | Portland, Maine

Must be 21 years of age or older.

WINE & CHEF SAILS ARE BACK!

If this is not the most exclusive, luxurious dinner reservation you have all summer, we don’t know what is! Sommelier Erica Archer has invited some of her favorite, highly-awarded chefs in Portland to join her on a select few of our season-long wine sails to pair five amazing courses with five delicious wines.

Today, Chef Chris Gould, chef and owner of the nationally-recognized and James Beard Award nominee for Best New Restaurant, Central Provisions will come on board to prepare five delicious courses of his signature cuisine inspired by the produce of local Maine farmers, harvesters, and purveyors, created to pair with five delicious wines pairings.

You're in for an incredible wine, food, and sailing experience as you sail through Maine’s pristine Casco Bay with scenic views of Maine lighthouses, islands, and waterways. 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 Gould has prepared for you.

We recommend getting your tickets soon if you’d like to join us. These events sell out quickly!

Menu TBD
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.

About Your Chef

Chef Chris Gould began his culinary career at the age of 15 as a summer dishwasher and prep cook at the Bethel Inn in Bethel, ME. When asked to return the following summer, he said yes, but only as a cook on the line. He spent the following summer on the line working sauté. When it came to deciding where to go for college, his chef Steve Stone pointed him toward The Balsams Hotel in Northern New Hampshire. The Balsams had an accredited ACF (American Culinary Foundation) apprenticeship program where Chef Chris trained under several Certified Master Chefs and Bakers such as Chef Roland Henin, Chef Phil Learned, and Chef Steve James.

After graduating from The Balsams, Chris landed in Boston in 2006 and started working at Clio Restaurant as a garde manger cook; within a year he was chef tournant including taking on the position of sashimi assistant at Uni Sashimi Bar. In 2009, he helped Chef Ken Oringer and Chef Jamie Bissonnette open Coppa Enoteca as the opening sous chef. Later that year Chef Oringer had Chris return to Uni Sashimi Bar as his chef de cuisine where he spent the next three years. He also met his wife and business partner, Paige Gould at Clio and in October 2012 the two moved to Portland, ME. 

Chris and Paige spent two years making Central Provisions a reality, and in February 2014 they opened the doors to national acclaim, including being nominated for best new restaurant in the nation by the James Beard Foundation. Three years later they opened their second Portland restaurant, Tipo specializing in Neapolitan pizzas, pasta, and small plates.

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.

Cancellations, rescheduling requests, no-shows, and weather policies:
Please see our policies on the Get Ready for Your Wine Sail page or our FAQ page.

What else?

1. 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.

2. Please review our Get Ready for Your Wine Sail page.

3. 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!! 

4. 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.