As the French Cultural Center clears room for a new year of tastings, you have one last chance to taste some of their favorite bottles.

Over the past seven decades the French Cultural Center has had the opportunity to partner with an abundance of fine institutions, vintners, and wine collectors.

And now, it is time again to make room for a new year of tastings. Join them for this fun evening of fine wine, featuring a broad selection of vintners that we know and love. This exceptional tasting will feature six wines, from various domains, regions, and even countries!

This tasting will be led by Certified Sommelier Alexandre Sojfer, resident Sommelier at La Voile Boston.

The event will start no later than 7:10 PM.

ON THE MENU

L’Ameillaud – Vin de Pays de Vaucluse – 2012 – Vaucluse, France
Smoky black and blue fruit scents are complicated by suggestions of licorice and cracked pepper. Focused and chewy on the palate, offering bitter cherry and black currant flavors and a hint of cured meat.

Tinhorn Creek – Merlot – 2010 – South Okanaga, Canada
Established by the Shaunessy and Oldfield families on the South Okanagan’s legendary Golden Mile Bench in 1993, Tinhorn Creek is a very special winegrowing project, comprising 150 acres of spectacular vineyards in two distinct areas, one on either side of the valley.

Domaine Isle Saint Pierre – Cabernet – 2010 – France
Isle Saint-Pierre is a small island in the middle of the Rhone River, just 25km south of Arles and 15km from the sea. The vineyards, planted at the very heart of the Camargue region, stretch over 170 hectares around the island.

Jackson Triggs – Sauvignon Blanc – 2013 – Niagara Estate, Canada
Pale straw colour with a lively nose of gooseberry and lemon; fruit character is replayed on the palate; crisp and dry, with light / medium body.

Réserve Durand – Sauvignon Blanc – 2015 – Sancerre, France
From a small producer in France’s Loire Valley comes this dazzling white wine, rich with grapefruit and gooseberry aromas. The estate boast mature 25-30 year old vines and a mix of chalky, silicious soils.

Château Roc de Ségur – Bordeaux – 2011 – Bordeaux, France
This ripe, smoky, wood-aged wine shows ample fruit as well as solid tannins. The wine has richness and spice, the wood well balanced by black plum and final juiciness.

Celebrate Back Bay Social Club’s 1st Annual Beer Festival on National Beer Day.

Enjoy food truck inspired snacks, live music from 12 pm to 3 pm, and the opportunity to try 12 different beers!   The lineup includes:

You’ll al receive a “Back Bay Brew Card” to you can keep track of everything you tried and giveaways and swag from the beer sponsors.

This event is 21+.

Did someone say trivia? Abso-f-ing-lutely.

Kick up your Manolos because Sex and the City Trivia is coming to MJ O’Connor’s Park Plaza. Grab your girlfriends and test your knowledge of the fabulous four. We’ll cover everything from Post-it breakup notes to the wedding that never was.

Trivia will begin at 6:30pm – teams will be registered on a first come, first served basis and will close after the first 35 teams have signed up. Teams cannot exceed 6 people.

PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING

BOSTON – CLARENDON STREET
I-90 WB ON-RAMP PERMANENT CLOSURE

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Who:  Massachusetts Department of Transportation

When:  Tuesday, August 27^th at 6:00 PM

Where:  Boston Public Library in Copley Square
Commonwealth Salon — Please use the 700 Boylston Street entrance of the Library
700 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116

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On Tuesday, August 27th at 6:00 PM, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation will join area officials for a public information meeting regarding the permanent closure of the I-90 Westbound Clarendon Street on-ramp which will take place on September 3, 2019.

This closure is being implemented following approval from the Federal Highway Administration and due to concerns over safety and effective travel at this location. The on-ramp has limited sight distance for drivers, meaning they have little visibility of other vehicles when they are merging onto the highway, and it is too short for vehicles to accelerate to the appropriate speed at the access point. The crash rate at this on-ramp is also higher than the rates at other on-ramps in the local area.

This meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (including but not limited to interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, open or closed captioning for videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats, such as audio tapes, Braille and large print), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857-368-8580), fax (857-368-0602), TTD/TTY (857-368-0603) or by email (MassDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us). Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten (10) business days before the meeting.

For transportation news and updates visit MassDOT at their website, blog, or follow MassDOT on Twitter at and Facebook.

The most wonderful time of the year calls for a FEAST and we know just the place to #WineDown in the Back Bay for the holidays!

PRE-FIXE MENU

1st Course
Four Cheese Crab & Artichoke Dip
parmesan, cheddar, cream, mayo, mustard

2nd Course
Braised Beef Short Rib
sautéed spinach and red wine gravy

3rd Course
Churros
fried churros, chocolate dipping sauce

This event is 21+.

For more about Back Bay Social, please click here.

This winter, escape Boston’s frigid temperatures for a lively evening by Terra’s warm wood-fired grill.

This winter, escape Boston’s frigid temperatures for a lively evening by Terra’s warm wood-fired grill as you indulge in rustic food and Tuscan wine pairings! On January 30, award-winning Chef Dan Bazzinotti invites restaurateur and salumi producer Chef Cesare Casella to take over the Terra grill.

The five-course menu will revolve around seasonal ingredients and pork used from a whole pig raised at Chickering Farm – a demonstration of the versatility of this rich meat and the beauty of utilizing an entire animal. Guests will enjoy smoke-kissed plates (like house-made sausage and tableside prosciutti carvings by both chefs to start the meal) designed by Chef Bazzinotti and Chef Casella – a partnership made all the more special due to the duo’s personal connection and love for salumi.

Stay tuned for the full menu!

At this dinner, you will:

• Indulge in five courses of Tuscan-inspired, pork-centric dishes brought to you by award-winning chefs
• Learn about the importance of using whole parts of food
• Enjoy Tuscan wine paring with each course
• Experience the magical ambiance of our rooftop restaurant, Terra

To learn more about Terra, please click here.

Beverage Director Gregg Guertin takes you back in time to the way wine used to be.

During the next Terra Wine Dinner, Eataly’s Beverage Director Gregg Guertin takes us back in time to the way wine used to be—before the addition of pesticides, chemicals, and additives to today’s agriculture.  Each wine pairing during this multi-course dinner will be an expressive, unique, and raw example of grapes in their truest form so that you may taste distinctive characteristics of the grape varietals while appreciating terroir and the growers’ techniques. Along with natural wines, you’ll enjoy biodynamic wines—bottles which are made with a holistic view on agriculture and balance the resonance between vine, man, earth, and stars.

Just like the wine, the five courses prepared by Terra’s Executive Chef Dan Bazzinotti will also draw from primitive roots of cooking and ingredients while showcasing Terra’s wood-fired grill as the main attraction. These dishes will utilize meats from local farms using organic and sustainable methods; wild and sustainable Massachusetts seafood; and local, organic, and foraged fruits and vegetables showcased in their true form to create the perfect pairing with each wine.

During the dinner, you will have the opportunity to learn about the ingredients and stories behind our wines and food directly from our experts. Chef Dan will take you on a journey through all the dinner’s ingredients including the Frantoi Cutrera Primo organic olive oil from Sicily used in the preparation of local seafood; the Country Hen eggs that give our housemade pasta its bright, yellow color; the local, humane, non-GMO meat raised at Chickering Farm in Westmoreland, NH; and our fresh produce from local farms, foragers, and purveyors who strive to keep the quality intact.

Book your seat for another installment of a Terra Wine Dinner under the stars. Stay tuned for the full menu!

At this dinner, you will:

• Indulge in five courses featuring local, organic, sustainable ingredients cooked over the Terra fire
• Enjoy natural & biodymanic wine pairings with each course and learn about the distinctive characteristics of grape varietals
• Meet and chat with Executive Chef Dan Bazzinotti and Beverage Director Gregg Guertin about the stories behind each ingredient and wine pairing
• Experience the magical ambiance of Eataly’s rooftop restaurant, Terra

For more about Terra, please click here.

The north remembers, TRIVIA IS COMING!

Trivia kicks off at at 7 pm and all teams are welcome

During the event, Back Bay Social will be offering a $10 build-your-own-burger.

The winning team will take home a $100 gift card.

This event is 21+.  There is no cover.

If you have a larger group and would like to reserve space for your party, please email info@backbaysocial.com

As Renata said, I will NOT not win trivia!

Trivia kicks off at at 7 pm and all teams are welcome

During the event, Back Bay Social will be offering a $10 build-your-own-burger.

The winning team will take home a $100 gift card.

This event is 21+.  There is no cover.

If you have a larger group and would like to reserve space for your party, please email info@backbaysocial.com

Ascend to Terra for a multi-course dinner under the stars (with wine pairings!) for a culinary tour of the valley.

Ascend to Terra for a multi-course dinner under the stars (with wine pairings!) for a culinary tour of the valley with one of the region’s most celebrated producers: Nino Negri. The former winemaker’s daughter herself, Sara Maule, who now resides locally, will guide you through this captivating landscape and introduce the traditions of Valtellina.

The Valtellina is an Alpine valley in Northern Lombardy, just below the border with Switzerland, that was carved out by the mighty river Adda.  The valley lies in between the Rhaetian Alps to the north and the Bergamo Alps to the south.

Nino Negri, located in this very valley, was established in 1897 is one of Italy’s most celebrated producers in the Valtellina.  The winery operates to this day in a centuries old castle, and uses the original cellars with natural underground temperature control to age their wines.

Each wine will be perfectly paired to savory courses like Pizzoccheri alla Valtellinese, a traditional Alpine pasta dish. You will dive into flame-kissed flavors of the seasonal ingredients prepared over Terra’s famous wood-fire grill as you discover the stories and history behind the dishes and wine.

Get your tickets for this magical night of vino, food, and a storied tour of Valtellina—without leaving Boston—on April 1st!

For more about Terra, please click here.