The French Cultural Center Offers a Guided Tasting of the Finest Wines
Join the French Cultural Center as they kick off their 2018-2019 season of tastings with panache! For this event, they’re turning their gallery into a stylish tasting lounge, in a first of its kind setup that promises to be the beginning of a new series of tasting events. Sommelier Alexandre Sojfer will lead guide you in comparing five delicious champagnes on their sweetness, domains, and balance of Chardonnay versus Pinot.
Guests will also enjoy a special tasting of Crémant de Limoux, Domaine Collin, sparkling wine produced in Languedoc Roussillon.
Wines will be accompanied with light hors d’oeuvres and bites.
The tasting will start no later than 7:10. Thank you for your understanding.
WHAT YOU WILL BE TASTING
Jacquesson – Cuvée 740 – Extra Brut
The NV Cuvée 740, based on the 2012 vintage, is superb. Rich, ample and creamy, yet with striking translucence, the 740 has it all. A classic Jacquesson Champagne, done in the house’s contemporary style.
Bollinger Brut – Special Cuvée
A blend of current vintage stock with reserve wines aged in magnums, Bollinger’s Special Cuvée is consistently one of the top multi-vintage blends from Champagne.
Le Mesnil Grand Cru – Blanc de Blancs
Le Mesnil is the name of perhaps the best Growers Cooperative Champagne House in all of Champagne. Beginning in 1937, they now draw on the resources of 553 different growers, all of whom have their vineyards in Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger, one of just 17 Grand Cru Vineyard (out of 318 vineyards in the region).
Billecart-Salmon – Brut Rosé
Billecart-Salmon believes that an early harvest yields more elegant, delicate champagnes.
Moët & Chandon – Nectar Impérial Demi-Sec
Moët & Chandon has been the champagne of success and glamour since 1743. Renowned for their achievements and legendary pioneering spirit, Moët & Chandon is synonymous with both cherished traditions and modern pleasures and has helped celebrate life’s most triumphant moments for more than 270 years.
ABOUT ALEXANDRE SOJFER
A Paris native, Alexandre is passionate about wine. He became an expert on the subject while working and studying across the globe—from France and England to Hong Kong and, of course, the USA. His dedication to the study of wines granted him immediate success and he became a Certified Sommelier in 2016.
Join Solas on Boylston Street for the first dinner of their Whiskey Wednesday series!
Enjoy an evening of dinner, drinks and laughs, while learning about the whiskey we all love, Irish Whiskey! Boston’s finest Irish Whiskey Ambassador, Cathal O’Connor, will share his expansive knowledge; while Solas Sous Chef, Alex Galvis, will speak on the inspiration behind her delicious three course meal. Slainte!
Cocktail (Half) Hour:
Featuring Kilbeggan Single Grain
First Course:
Irish Soda Bread Crostini – local bleu cheese, apricot mostrada, sorrel
Paired with Kilbeggan Single Grain
Second Course:
Coffee Rubbed Rack of Lamb – barley risotto, cirtus bok choy, fig butter
Paired with Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Third Course:
Cinnamon Apple Tart – vanilla bean ice cream, caramel
Paired with Tyrconnell 10yr Sherry Finish
PLUS, a Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish Whiskey toast to end the night
Lookout for details on part two of their series January 30, where they will sample whiskeys from all around the world!
Eataly’s 2nd annual Wine and Cheese Festival will make you say “what New Year’s resolution?”
Guests at this tasting festival will receive an all-access pass to wander through the entire store and taste a variety of artisanal cheeses and 20+ premium wines. At each station, you’ll learn about the characteristics and stories behind each cheese you’re enjoying and every wine you’re sipping directly from passionate experts. Experience an evening as the best of both Italy and New England come together with cheeses and wine sourced from top local and Italian producers.
Don’t miss this indulgent trip to Italy—without ever leaving Boston—for a Winter Wine and Cheese Fest designed by some of the best cheesemongers and sommeliers in the business!
All-Access Bracelets are $60
Ticket includes food sampling and tastings of 15+ cheeses/salumi and 20+ wines.
Due to the nature of the event, Eataly is unable to make menu substitutions to accommodate allergies or dietary restrictions.
All guests planning to consume alcohol must be able to produce valid government-issue identification to prove they are 21 or older.
By very popular demand, Porto has released a SECOND seating for Rialto’s Pop Up Dinner
Please join Porto Boston for a second seating on Sunday evening January 27th for a Rialto Pop Up Dinner prepared by Chef Jody Adams. Enjoy light bites and cocktails from 6-7pm, followed by a reminiscent 5 course dinner of Rialto inspired favorites paired with our selection of Italian Wines. Tickets are limited and are required to attend this event!
MENU
Find the planned dinner menu below (subject to slight change)
01. Grilled Oysters
Andouille sausage, garlic toast
02. Lobster Cavatelli
red and green tomato sauce, saffron, hot lobster oil
03. Slow Roasted Duck
balsamic vinegar, braised escarole, green olives, rosemary
04. Grilled Beef Rib-Eye
roasted garlic potatoes, arugula, endive, truffles
05. Hot chocolate Crema
coffee-hazelnut ice cream, blood orange
** Please note, unfortuntely, they are not able to accomodate substitutions for this event.
Join Solas on Boylston Street for the second dinner of their Whiskey Wednesday series!
Why travel around the world to try new whiskeys when we have them all right here at Solas? Come join Solas for an evening of dinner, drinks & laughs! Beam Suntory’s Maggie Sinclair will share her expansive whiskey knowledge; while Solas Sous Chef, Alex Galvis, will speak on the inspiration behind her delicious three course meal. Slainte!
Cocktail (Half) Hour:
Featuring Canadian Club (Canada)
First Course:
Cucumber and Blood Orange Panzanell – pumpernickel crouton, thyme honey
Paired with Toki Japanese Whiskey (Japan)
Second Course:
Smoked Pork Shoulder – farro & stone fruit salad, shaved brussel sprouts
Paired with Basil Hayden’s Dark Rye (USA)
Third Course:
Pear Banoffee Pie – graham cracker, dulce de leche
Paired with Tyrconnell 10yr Sherry Finish (Ireland)
PLUS, a Japenese Gin Roku toast to end the night!
Lookout for details on part three of their series February 6, where they will sample luxury scotch!
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.
Didn’t get your invite to the Oscars? It’s just as well because the Ellie Fund is hosting their 23rd Annual Red Carpet Gala the same evening with an epic awards watching party and tasting event.
On Sunday, February 24th, head on over to the Fairmont Copley Plaza to join Boston’s top movers & shakers in a celebration of film, philanthropy and food from some of the city’s best chefs. You’ll have the chance to meet Stefano Zimei of Chopps American Bar & Grill, Delio Susi of Sulmona, Patrick McRell of Our Fathers, Tatiana Rosana of Outlook at the Envoy, Sean MacAlpine of City Table, Stan Hilbert owner of Forage, Efe Onoglu of Nahita and Brian Mercury of Oak + Rowan.
In addition to the chef stations, there’ll be a cocktail reception, silent & live auctions, streaming of the awards show straight from Hollywood, dancing and live music. The night is all in support of the nonprofit’s mission to help breast cancer patients with transportation, light housekeeping, grocery assistance and more. Tickets are $300 per person, and you can reserve an entire table if you’ve got a group of eight — get more details and find the tickets this way.
Photos and text from Boston Chefs
Join the French Cultural Center for an intimate dinner and conversation with renowned opera and Broadway star Renée Fleming.
About Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is one of the most highly-acclaimed singers of our time. Winner of four Grammy® awards, she was presented with the National Medal of Arts by President Obama in 2013. In 2014, she became the first classical artist ever to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, and she has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Diamond Jubilee Concert for Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
Renée earned a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the 2018 Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. Her recent tour schedule has included concerts in New York, London, Vienna, Paris, Madrid, Tokyo, and Beijing. She is heard on the soundtracks of the Best Picture Oscar winner The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and as the singing voice of Roxane, played by Julianne Moore, in the film of the best-selling novel Bel Canto. As Artistic Advisor to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, she spearheads a collaboration with the National Institutes of Health focused on music, health, and neuroscience.
Renée’s most recent album Renée Fleming: Broadway was released in September by Decca. She has recorded everything from complete operas and song recitals to indie rock, jazz, and the soundtrack of The Lord of the Rings. Among Renée’s awards are the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, France’s Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit, and Sweden’s Polar Music Prize.
http://www.reneefleming.com
About Mosaïque
Cultural programs are at the core of the French Cultural Center’s mission to promote the vibrant growth of Francophone cultures and the French language in New England. From art exhibits, concerts, and film screenings to author talks and children’s workshops, we continually seek to welcome experts in various cultural fields to provide a window onto the diverse cultures of the Francophone world.
Support Cultural Programming in Boston
Gifts made in honor of the Mosaïque Award Ceremony are 100% tax-deductible and provide critical support for cultural programming at the French Cultural Center.
Make checks payable to: French Cultural Center
Mail to: French Cultural Center
Attn: Joyce Grippen, Director of Development
53 Marlborough Street
Boston, MA 02116
An evening of remembrance, community, and support.
In light of the recent fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, the French Cultural Center will host an evening to honor and celebrate this iconic landmark.
Professor Antoine Picon of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design will join us for a presentation on the marvelous architecture of Notre-Dame de Paris, including what was lost in the fire, and its significance today.
The 25-minute presentation will be followed by a reception with light refreshments. Guests will have the opportunity to make a donation to support restoration efforts – from $5 to $5,000, every dollar counts!
All donations will benefit the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, an organization dedicated to restoring this iconic cathedral.
Click here to RSVP.
Fresh Paint is Copley Society of Art’s largest and most important fundraiser of the year.
Come score original works of art by over 70 artists in our silent auction, as well as various raffle prizes.
Interested in becoming a Fresh Paint sponsor? Email CoSo at info@copleysociety.org for more information. Individual sponsorship opportunities for Fresh Paint will include your name on the gala program and their website.
