This tasting featured two of the Island’s rising stars: Roanoke wines, presented by Operations manager Christopher Watkins, and chef Chris Gerdes (formerly of Pentimento Restaurant, now at Blackwells in Wading River). Although Roanoke Vineyards is one of Long Island’s newest wineries, its owner, Richard Pisacano, has been growing grapes in this appellation for nearly thirty years; he helped plant and maintain most of the first vineyards on the island. The parings matched premium wines and delectable tastes for an interactive and fun evening.

James Christopher Tracy, Winemaker at Channing Daughter’s winery in Bridgehampton, led The Center for Wine, Food, & Culture’s inaugural WSET class. Students graduated with an intermediate certificate in wine education from the world-renowned Wine and Spirts Education Trust, based in the United Kingdom. The 9-week class included tastings and granted certification upon successful completion of the exam.

Sommelier and instructor, Christopher Miller, led the first class of the newly launched Certificate Series at the Southampton Campus. Participants took part in a blind tasting and evaluation session where they were guided on learning how to identify wines and their place of origin by the taste, balance, and length.

Instructor Cliff Batuello, professional wine wholesaler, sommelier, and vintner, and Chef Doug Gulija from the Plaza Cafe in Southampton offer enticing and fresh suggestions for wine and food pairing. This four part series explored Old World vs. New World winemaking, blending and food pairing through guided tastings and interactive discussions.

Winemaker Eric Fry of Lenz Winery leads a first-time blending session as part of the “Inside Wine” series. Fry began his career as a microbiologist at Robert Mondavi and has been an award-winning winemaker at The Lenz Winery (after stints in France and the Finger Lakes) for two decades. This guided tasting demonstrated how different winemaking techniques affect wine, including a session in which participants created new wine blends.

Center Director Louisa Hargrave and Ursula Massoud of Paumanok Vineyards discuss how region and climate influence different wine styles in the first session of “Inside Wine” at the Main Campus at Stony Brook.

Tastings included: The world’s leading grape varietals–Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.

Rich Olsen Harbich, Winemaker at Raphael Vineyard, discusses the comparisons of wine making styles of Bordeaux and Long Island. Award-winning wines and not-yet-released samples of the latest vintage, paired with delicious artisanal cheeses, were part of this engaging evening. Richard is the author of all three federally recognized Long Island American Viticultural Areas (AVAs): The  Hamptons, The North Fork of Long Island, and Long Island.

Steven Biscari-Amaral prepares tastes of his “Island Journeys,” including fresh sashimi rolls and heirloom tomato salad, paired with specially selected wines from Palmer Vineyards, including a red bordeaux style blend from Palmer’s wine library. Chef Amaral brings the worldly approach to elegant cuisine on the east end of Long Island. His work has received glowing reviews in Bon Appetit, Food and Wine, the New York Times, and others. He was nominated “Chef of the Year” Pacific, Northwest, by the James Beard Foundation.

Peter Lessing, Executive Chef of Lessing’s Inc., and his Assistant Trey dazzled us with their spring Long Island duck and goat cheese lollipops. Wines included top Italian selections provided by Banfi Importers. Chef Lessing shared stories of his family-run business, including the rewards and challenges of being a top chef in the competitive Long Island restaurant industry. Lessings offers catering services to top establishments, including Bourne Mansion, Martha Clara Vineyards, and the Vanderbilt Mansion.

Restaurant critics have taken notice of Chef Douglas Gulija and his passion for creativity and attention to detail. His clean, deceptively simple approach to food preparation and presentation is stylish but not pretentious. With international culinary experience (including stints at the three-star Le Grand Vefour in Paris, and the Intercontinental Hotel in Zagreb, Croatia), Gulija–who appreciates the bounty of our own local gifts from the land and sea–shared his inspired flavors with us.

Chef Machiko Chiba, author of Japanese Dishes for Wine Lovers, demonstrated a few of her favorite recipes. Guests sampled authentic Japanese dishes and exciting wine pairings.

Delightful selections included Kabosha salad and thinly sliced spicy beef that were paired with wines from Long Island’s own Osprey’s Dominion. Signed copies of Chef Chiba’s book were a highlight to the evening’s festivities.

Chef Gerry Hayden, owner of Amuse Restaurant shared his culinary inspirations for some of the dishes he is planning for his new restaurant in Southold, New York.

Along with wine educator Peggy Lauber of Billington Wines, Chef Hayden paired selected wines and tasty appetizers for a evening of fun and delicious, savory surprises.

Sushi Chef Ken Lee of the ever popular Benten Japanese Restaurant in Mount Sinai, New York, prepared wonderful Japanese delicacies at the Wang Center’s first sake and sushi tasting. Chef Lee paired his selections with a diverse array of sake to complement and enhance the subtle and complex flavors of his creations.

Guests not only enjoyed an evening of exceptional sushi and sake, but also Chef Lee’s entertaining stories of being an American restaurateur.

Chef John Ross offered a bottle of 1980 Hargrave Cabernet during his recent event at the Stony Brook University campus, “Thirty Years of Food, Wine, and Integrity on the North Fork.”

Chef Ross, one of the founders of North Fork cuisine on Long Island, provided insights about the success and failures of East End restaurants. Attendees sampled tastes of his signature dishes matched with selected wines.

Noted author Christy Campbell presented a fascinating account of one of the earliest and most successful applications of science to an ecological disaster: how in the mid-1860’s French botanist Jules-Émile Planchon saved wine for the world. Planchon was sent to investigate dying grapevines in southeastern France and discovered that the vine roots were covered in microscopic yellow insects. Today, the story continues as new strains of phylloxera attack vineyards in France, California, and New Zealand.

The Center hosted a special evening for alumni at Stony Brook Manhattan in April. Josh Wesson, co-founder and wine director of the revolutionary wine retailers Best Cellars, Inc., selected a local chardonnay. Wesson believes good wine doesn’t have to be expensive; you just have to know where to look. He writes for numerous magazines including Food and Wine, and has been a featured guest on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and Moneyline.

Center Director Louisa Hargrave welcomed “The Food Maven” Arthur Schwartzfor an evening of discussion on wines and foods of renown in New York, as well as a tasting of some of his favorites. Guests enjoyed the wonderful stories from his new book, New York City Food.

Noted wine authority W.R. Tish helped shake some sense out of the increasingly complex rituals of international winetasting. This seminar, held at Stony Brook Manhattan, explored the importance of different kinds of grapes, winemaking techniques, and climates. The Center’s interim director, Louisa Thomas Hargrave, was on hand to share the experience.

A special inaugural event at Stony Brook’s Manhattan location marked the launch of the University’s Center for Wine, Food, and Culture. “New York State produces some of the most extraordinary wines in the world,” said Stony Brook University President Shirley Strum Kenny. “We know it, connoisseurs of wine know it, and those who participated in our blind wine-tasting at the Center for Wine, Food, and Culture know it.”