PORTSMOUTH, N.H. —
Strawbery Banke Museum will host Vintage & Vine, its annual “wine festival in historic style,” Sept. from 4 to 7 p.m. Presented in partnership with the New Hampshire Liquor and Wine Outlets, Vintage & Vine 2014 offers guests an opportunity to sample an extensive selection of fine wines from around the world, hand-selected by New Hampshire wine brokers, along with imaginative cuisine prepared by top Seacoast-area chefs.
Vintage & Vine emphasizes local sourcing, local chefs and the best locally-available wines. Throughout the event, guests may order wines and receive a special event discount of 15 percent off any order of six or more bottles.
The celebration features four components:
•4 to 7 p.m. — General Admission Grand Tasting. Stroll amongst the museum’s historic houses and gardens, while enjoying appetizers prepared by 30 of the Seacoast-area’s top chefs and sampling wines offered by local wine brokers.
•4 to 5:30 p.m. — VIP Grand Reserve Tasting. Sample an array of higher-end wines paired with delectable hors d’oeuvres under the exclusive VIP Reserve tent.
•5:30 to 7 p.m. — Star Chefs. Five of the Seacoast’s finest chefs take center stage at grilling stations on the main lawn.
•4 to 6 p.m. — Annual raffle and silent auction featuring distinctive items and one-of-a-kind experiences.
Vintage & Vine invites the best of the region’s chefs to showcase their talents to restaurant fans. Five are invited to be Star Chefs —a different class each year — will present their grilled creations as the focal point of the evening starting at 5:30 p.m. on grills set up center-stage on the Puddle Dock lawn. The star chefs of Portsmouth include:
•Justin Bigelow, Mombo Restaurant
•Brandon Blethen, Robert’s Maine Grill
•Kenneth Lingle, SALT
•Rajesh Mandekar, Tulsi
•Johnny Espeland, The District
•For a full list of participating restaurants.
“Each year, thanks to the efforts of the Museum’s trustees in producing this event, Vintage & Vine fills Strawbery Banke with great food, great wine and great company, all dedicated to the goal of sustaining the Museum as a place to learn and a place to gather for the community,” said Lawrence J. Yerdon, President and CEO of Strawbery Banke Museum. “Guests sample a selection of hundreds of fine wines and gourmet items created by the Seacoast’s finest chefs while mingling in the landscape of historic homes and heirloom gardens of Portsmouth’s past. Vintage & Vine is indeed a celebration of the vintage and the vine.”
Taste It, Love It, Buy It! A key feature of Vintage & Vine is the 15 percent discount offered on any six bottles or more of wine ordered at the event. The New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet brokers provide tasting notes and help guests select wines and place wine orders. A new mobile web app will help guests record their preferences and place orders during the event. Guests pay for the wine when they pick up their orders at any New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet (store locator: www.liquorandwineoutlets.com/stores/store_locator).
The Vintage & Vine Auction and Raffle features selections ranging from vacations and sporting events to jewelry and entertainment. Vintage & Vine guests bid on a photo safari in South Africa, a stay in a Tuscan villa and a Montreal getaway weekend. Other special auction items include gift certificates from some of the Seacoast-area’s finest restaurants, spa packages, children’s parties, “behind the scenes” tours with Seacoast celebrities, fishing excursions, Red Sox tickets, golf at area clubs, landscaping consultation, artwork, antique maps, tickets to performing arts events and other attractive items. The Auction offers selections suitable for groups of friends, family, as gifts and for personal relaxation. The Vintage & Vine Raffle offers the chance to win high-end jewelry, a tower of fine wines and a bouquet of lottery tickets.
Vintage & Vine tickets are available now, and are priced as follows:
Grand Tasting general admission: $45
VIP admission including Grand Tasting: $90
Designated driver admission: $15
Strawbery Banke members receive 20 percent off the price of admission. All guests must be 21 years of age or older. Ticket holders will receive free trolley service to and from key destinations within the City of Portsmouth.
All proceeds from Vintage & Vine ticket sales and the annual auction and raffle of distinctive experiences and gifts directly support Strawbery Banke’s preservation and education programs.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.strawberybanke.org or call 603.433.1100. Tweet @ SBMVintageVine.
