Mystery Wine Pairing Dinner – August 30, 2013

On Friday, August 30, 2013, our Mystery Wine Pairing Dinner Cruise will feature Wine Expert Greg Taylor of Frederick Wildman Wine Distributors collaborating with Chef Jim and Beverage Manager Rachel Pohl on the wine & food pairing.

You’ll just have to trust Chef Jim, Rachel and Greg on this one. Five courses, five different wines. $75.00 per person. Reservations required. Limited to 66 people.

Some of you may remember Greg and his wife Sharon ran Friends Lake Inn for years and now own and operate The Fern Lodge in Chestertown, NY. So you know the bar is set high if it meets Greg’s standards.

Greg “found” wine during his work with the U.S. Ski Team as a Service Rep with a large 80’s entertainment budget, enjoying pricey Bordeaux and Burgundies. After funding with the Ski Team dried up, Greg became an Independent Representative for a ski company, without any expense account. Greg was forced to delve into the world of bargain wines.

At the same time, Greg and his wife Sharon had purchased the Friends Lake Inn and began the wine collection, which has developed to one of 72 restaurants in the world with the Wine Spectator Magazine’s distinction of a “Grand Award” for their wine collection of over 20,000 bottles and a AAA rating.

Greg’s wife took the keys of the wine cellar away and sent him out into the cold cruel world to earn a living to pay for all the wine he bought. Finding his only skill was the wine knowledge he had amassed, he took a job as a Fine Wine Geek, selling esoteric wines for a small fine wine distributor called Winebow. He finally arrived at the steps of one of the most prestigious Importers of fine wine in this country- Frederick Wildman and Sons, where he is now Vice President of Sales; in charge of Upstate New York, Greg has been with Wildman for 15 years working first for the Import side of the business, then the distributor side.