Wine Wise

Sailing on Casco Bay, sampling Italian wines and learning about them — what could be better? I recently took friends from the NYC area for a mother/​daughter experience, and our wine sail with Erica was the highlight of the weekend! Erica is extremely knowledgeable, but handles even the most basic questions with grace and poise. And she makes learning about wine so much fun! Her cruises are an experience not to be missed.

I had such a great sail out of Casco Bay on the Frances. Even in the light rain (the crew soon put the awning up) it was incredibly relaxing, and a great time. There is a ton of great cheese, fruit, crackers and nuts. Erica is so fun, and very knowledgeable — this was such a fun experience that I would recommend to anyone who likes wine!

I think wine can be intimidating. Because my wife likes wine, once took a course in wine from a local purveyor years ago, and prompts me to venture out to wine tastings periodically, I at least know more than the average joe (at least the average joes that I know) about wine. That being that I will try various types of wines, both red and white, and I know how to order wine in a restaurant if I need to.
That said, I could use a bit more tools in my wine appreciation toolkit. Erica Archer will help you with those tools.
We were in Ogunquit for my wife’s birthday and Erica happened to have a wine walk scheduled for Sunday afternoon. My wife had signed us up, but I was a bit skeptical. Four restaurants and we’d be walking? At least there would be food and wine, right?
For starters, I think anyone that at least has had a glass of wine once in their lives would benefit from one of Erica’s events. She’s knowledgeable, but doesn’t hit you over the head with all kinds of jargon, or try to impress you with just how much she knows. Her class and presentation was interesting, the wines chosen were all a bit different than I’ve had before, and each restaurant stop (Bintliff’s, La Pizzeria, Five-​O, and Roost) offered food pairings perfect for the wine.
What I witnessed that impressed me the most is that while there were all levels of wine knowledge present for our wine walk in Ogunquit, Erica makes sure that everyone is engaged and isn’t being ignored or is being left behind. That’s a skill that far too few presenters possess.
We’re definitely talking about doing one of the wine sails in Casco Bay at some point.

We spent a truly lovely fall afternoon following Erica around to four lovely Portland restaurants. The wine was uniformly good, the food was tasty, and Erica was friendly, helpful, and deeply informative. I not only had a delicious afternoon, I learned enough to walk away feeling like I know what I’m talking about the next time I taste a new wine.
I would wholeheartedly recommend one of these wine tours.

My husband and I did the wine and oyster event on a sail boat. The weather was amazing and we really enjoyed the views of Portland and Cape Elizabeth. The wine class was not over crowded and the wine and oysters were very enjoyable. I wished we lived closer so we can attend more of these events. Looking forward to going again the next time we are in town.

I preface this with two thoughts:
1. I’m not one of those people who ever drops $ 60 to $ 110 for a food or beverage event (that’s not to say that I haven’t attended them in one form or another). And it always boggles my mind when those things sell out… that many people have disposable income enough to afford these things (with nothing really to show for it after except a happy — and probably pudgier — belly)?
2. When I was in the sixth grade I wrote a report on the wines of Ernest and Julio Gallo. While not the classiest of vinos, I think that was the point I began having a serious appreciation for the longstanding history and centuries of effort that have gone into crafting this drink.
All of that being said: half-​way through my Wine Wise Event experience I was already on my phone looking to purchase another «Sunset Wine Sail aboard Frances» because:
1a. It was one of the best food or beverage events I have ever attended. So much so, that twenty minutes in I was already looking on the Wine Wise website to figure out which event I wanted to attend next!
2a. Erica of Wine Wise made me much.more.educated about the act of drinking, thinking about, explaining, and enjoying wine in just two hours than any book report every would.
I can’t speak for Erica’s «Wine Walk’s», but I can tell you right now that you’re missing something extraordinary by not treating yourself to one of her Sunset Wine Sail’s. For two hours you’ll cruise around Casco Bay tasting five wines and all the delicious cheese, crackers, nuts, and fruit you can eat. The ever-​classy and knowledgable Erica walks you through each of the wines explaining if they’re young or old (and how to tell on your own), how to smell the wine to bring out the most aroma, and what you’re looking for when you’re tasting the wine (does it feel like it’s leaving gauze on your tongue? That’s the tannins! How spicy is the back-​end of the wine — is it like white, black, or jalapeño pepper? How concentrated is the wine — does it feel thin like water or thick like syrup?), too. The crew of the Frances is fun, and do an excellent job making you feel both safe and like their home is yours. And the view? Ocean, the Portland skyline, the islands, the green, the sunsetting… it’s basically heaven.
Finally, and totally unrelated, how can you not just love life when you’re drinking wine on a windjammer during a perfect summer day when the following three things happen:
a) Another boat passes by and yells, «Prepare to be boarded!» before zooming off.
b) A party barge passes by thumping their pop music too loudly, but all the people aboard the ship stop to look at, take photos of, and wave at our boat.
c) The captain — to her crew, under her breath — says at one point, «Where the hell are we?» Which causes the crew to laugh and stealthily pull out maps (something that no one picked up on except my party since we were standing near the wheel). It made us love the young captain, Megan, that much more.

What’s not to like? Great wines, great cheeses, sailing around the bay with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair, and learning more than a thing or two about vino!

I had had a weary day. Just one of those soul-​trampling, heart-​hollowing days. I had been toiling since 5am at a yard sale, hauling out the remnants of my grandfather’s home for strangers to pick over and peruse. I was dirty, I was sweaty, I was exhausted. I was two and a half hours away from Portland, baking in the sun, getting grumpier by the minute. Every time I sat down with an ache in my bones, that lactic acid scream deep in my muscles, I thought about how I would soon be on the water, drinking wine and eating cheese with my friends. It was the only thing that kept me from descending into madness on the trip back to the city. I rolled down my windows and tried to imagine myself in the glorious sunshine bobbing and rolling out at sea with a crisp wine in my hand.
I had been looking forward to the Wine Wise Sail for weeks. I had the pleasure of going on one of the sailing adventures years before with my father, just a two hour jaunt into Casco Bay on an old schooner, and it was such a fond and happy memory. The gentle rocking of the boat, the crew scrambling around the rigging yelling inscrutable things at one another over the roar of the wind. I knew that I was in for a treat to be on board the Frances. What I didn’t know was that the experience could be so much more incredible by being paired with a wine tasting-​turned-​course on Pinot Noir.
We arrived at the pier early with a number of other adventurers, thirsty for wine and more than a little hungry. Adele, one of Frances’ crew, greeted us and gave us the rundown of what we could expect, when we would board. She looked concerned, sounded almost motherly, when she asked if we had brought any layers. I assured her, puffing up my chest and setting my jaw, that I was a tough cookie and could handle a little bit of ocean breeze. Erica greeted us as soon as we boarded, handing out wine glasses and these ingenious plates with a spot cut out of the corner to hold the glass. Before we had even cleared the dock, she began explaining how the tasting would work, encouraging us all to load up on cheese, fruit, and nuts.
This was more than just a wine tasting on a boat. So much more! Erica not only gave us delicious wines but she talked us through how to judge them in a gentle and informative, non-​judgmental way. This is a woman that loves wine and loves to share her passion with others. Wine tastings can be intimidating, particularly for someone who is a novice, but Erica made it accessible. And she gave us delicious wines to taste and try, encouraging us to find our own voice to describe what we were drinking. I had so many light bulb moments, learned so many things about what I was drinking and what I did and didn’t like about wines that I was able, just the next day, to go to the store and buy a wine with incredible confidence.
This is a thing worth doing, whether you are a resident or a visitor. I cannot recommend it enough!

Today my wife and I took the sunset tour aboard the Frances, a beautiful 74 sailboat. The evening began by being welcomed aboard with a nice selection of cheeses, nuts and crackers to enjoy as the crew caste off. We then had a chance to learn about and taste 5 different wines while touring the harbor. Ocean air, amazing views of the coast, yummy cheeses, and learning so much about Pinot Noire. The owner Erica Archer has really made learning about wine fun and approachable.