Wine Tasting Weekend with Kevin Zraly

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.