Wine Tasting Weekend with Kevin Zraly
January 7 – 9, 2022
FEATURED EVENTS FROM PAST YEARS
Join us for a wonderful weekend as we explore great wine, excellent music, inspiring art, and tasty offerings. Renowned wine expert Kevin Zraly of the Windows on the World Wine School will guide you through 50 years of wine culture. On Saturday afternoon Kevin hosts an exceptional tasting of some of the top wines. The weekend will also feature menu highlights in the Main Dining Room from Mohonk’s own Executive Chef Jim Palmeri and talented members of the Mohonk Culinary Team.
Physical Distancing Requirements and Maximum Occupancy Restrictions
Most of our events this weekend have two sessions of the same show. You may choose to attend one session per event. This will allow access for as many guests as possible. Between each session the room will be sanitized for the next audience to enjoy the session comfortably. We thank you for your understanding as we work to continue to make Mohonk a safe and fun environment for all.
Availability is limited. For reservations, please call .

Sissy Castrogiovanni Trio
Award-winning singer, composer and arranger, Sissy Castrogiovanni presents music from her latest album TERRA. Sissy’s musical roots are in the rhythms, colors, and flavors of her native Sicily, and radiate outward in a unique blend of African and Mediterranean influences. Her synthesis of post-bop jazz harmony and intoxicating ear for melody — all sung in her Sicilian dialect — create a truly singular voice in jazz.



Kevin Zraly presents 50 years of Wine Culture
Kevin Zraly will discuss what has happened in the wine, food, and restaurant business over the last 50 years. Back in the 70s, Americans did not drink wine. They drank martinis and manhattans, etc. and today the United States is the number one consumer of wine in the world. Join Kevin for this entertaining and informative lecture. Afterward Kevin will be signing the latest edition (copies available for purchase) of Windows on the World Complete Wine Course which includes a new 50 page introduction written by Kevin. You may choose to attend one session.
Wines of Italy with Kevin Zraly*
Renowned wine expert Kevin Zraly leads you on a tasting journey through Italy. You’ll taste 6 different wines as you learn about wine styles and developing your own taste, and discover details about acidity, tannin, oak, and fruit. Kevin leads the way, with stories, myths, and tantalizing tales of Italian wine. While you taste the wine enjoy meat and cheese plates prepared by Mohonk’s Culinary Team. You may choose to attend one session.
*Note: Pre-registration with overnight reservation is required. Guests may attend one tasting. There is a $60 per person program fee for admittance to the wine tasting. Space is limited. Persons under age 21 may not attend the wine tasting.
Vanessa Racci
Blending music through Italian and English, vocalist Vanessa Racci will compliment your wine tasting weekend with a delicacy of jazz music, Italian Style! She’ll be performing music from her album, Italiana Fresca, that reinvents Italian classics with modern jazz arrangements, alongside her recent Birdland show, Jazzy Italian, celebrating the history of Italian American influence on jazz. No matter your ethnic background, you’ll leave feeling Italian!


Art Tour Lecture: Florence, Italy
Join your lecturer Sevan Melikyan of Wired Gallery for a quick tour of museums and important landmarks in Florence, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Admire and discuss the works of Brunelleschi, Donatello, Fra Angelico, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Pontormo, and Caravaggio.
MEET OUR PROGRAM LEADERS



Kevin Zraly
Kevin Zraly is the founder and teacher of the immensely popular Windows on the World Wine School, which has graduated over 30,000 students since its inception. Creator of the famous wine list at Windows on the World (which sold more wine than any restaurant in the World), he is the author of Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, The Ultimate Wine Companion, Kevin Zraly’s Wine Journal, and his Guide to American Wine. Kevin was honored with the James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Culinary Institute of America. He has been featured in The New York Times, People magazine, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, Newsweek, and USA Today, among others. His charisma, engaging style, and love of wine captivate everyone he teaches. To learn more, please visit www.kevinzraly.com.



Sissy Castrogiovanni
Sissy Castrogiovanni has toured throughout Europe, the United States and South America, and has collaborated with numerous distinguished musicians including legendary singer Bobby McFerrin and Latin-Grammy winning producer Javier Limon. In addition she has excelled in performance with Jack DeJohnette, and Patrice Rushen, to name a few. With her expressive and emotional voice that’s been praised for its rare vocal extension, vocal control, and versatility by influential publications such as Jazziz Magazine, WNPR and Downbeat Magazine, Castrogiovanni’s soulful and powerful sound lets us discover a new universe, where her extremely rich melodies become soundscapes that transport us immediately into a world full of life and art.


Vanessa Racci
Growing up with her Barese (Southern Italian) grandfather in New York, Vanessa learned Italian American classics at an early age.
She developed as a singer in musical theater, discovered her love for jazz in her early 20’s and started performing with a trio. After her grandfather passed away, Vanessa was inspired to reinvent the Italian American classics that he taught her with modern jazz arrangements. Her mission; to keep the music alive for future generations, and in turn, her grandfather’s memory. She teamed up with Gianni Valenti of Birdland Jazz Club, NYC, producer, David Finck, and Manhattan Transfer arranger, Yaron Gershovsky, to realize her vision. The result was a sold out album release show at Birdland in June, 2017 and a very unique album entitled, “Italiana Fresca”, that reached #65 on the jazz charts. Since then, she has performed at over 70 Italian festivals, events and jazz clubs across the country and has been played on over 20 Italian radio stations across the US and Italy.


Jim Palmeri
Jim Palmeri is Executive Chef at Mohonk Mountain House. Since arriving at Mohonk Mountain House in 2007, Chef Palmeri has created an outstanding culinary experience that embraces a farm-to-table philosophy, highlighting the bounty of the Hudson Valley region. The Wisconsin native graduated from the nationally acclaimed Culinary Institute of Kendall College in Chicago and has worked in resorts for most of his professional career. A good part of it was with Hyatt Regency properties in places such as Scottsdale, Arizona; Coral Gables, Florida; Las Vegas, and even the Cayman Islands. Palmeri also worked at the Four Seasons in big cities including Washington D.C. and Chicago.


Sevan Melikyan
Sevan Melikyan’s Wired Gallery was established in May 2012 with the mission to show works by Mid-Hudson Valley artists. Located at 11 Mohonk Road in High Falls, New York, and open Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 4pm, Wired Gallery was named “one of Ulster County’s most high-profile, prolific sources of quality art exhibitions” by Almanac Weekly.
Availability is limited. For reservations, please call
When you visit for Wine Tasting Weekend, your overnight package includes:
- Three meals daily featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients from our farm-to-table partners. See our full list of dining options>
- Access to more than 85 miles of scenic hiking trails
- Yoga, Meditation, and Fitness classes
- Afternoon tea and cookies in our historic Lake Lounge
- Make an appointment to visit our Greenhouse
- Indoor heated pool with underwater music
- Guided hikes and outdoor activities with our Recreation team
- Nightly evening entertainment, special events, and more! See activities schedule>
Seasonal Activities
- Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on more than 30 miles of groomed trails (weather permitting)
- Winter hiking with MICROspikes® (weather permitting)
- Ice-skating in the open air pavilion
- Guided outdoor activities and hiking with stunning views of the Catskill Mountains (weather permitting)
À la carte experiences available to overnight guests:
- A full menu of nature-inspired treatments at our award-winning spa
- The Carriage Lounge, featuring a full bar and handcrafted cocktails as well as hyper local draft beer and hard cider
- An award-winning wine list in our dining venues
- In-room dining
- Private fitness, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness sessions
- Disc golf discs available for purchase (weather permitting)