(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents a fun and educational Online Italian Wine Tasting on Saturday, April 24 at 4:00pm ET. This fundraising event, held on Zoom, supports State Theatre’s fall reopening and will be hosted by New York-based Sommelier and Italian Wine Ambassador Michelle Erland. Event options include participation with or without wine delivery as well as an optional food pairing provided and delivered by Stage Left. RSVP deadline for Tasting is Friday, April 16 (Wednesday, April 14 if ordering wine). 

Options range from $150-$310 with $150 being a tax-deductible donation in support of State Theatre’s reopening. For more information or to order please visit www.STNJ.org/WineTasting or contact Linda Van Derveer at 732-247-7200, ext. 594 or lvanderveer@stnj.org.

With the expert guidance of Certified Sommelier and Italian Wine Ambassador Michelle Erland, guests will journey online into Italy’s Veneto Wine Region to explore, learn, and taste the amazing wines this region has to offer. Guest can also enhance their wine tasting evening with the selected wines packaged and delivered right to their door. The wine selected by the Sommelier can also be paired with a sumptuous charcuterie board created and delivered by Stage Left. Participation is tax-deductible and helps ensure State Theatre’s successful reopening this fall in the newly renovated theater for the 100th Anniversary Season. 

About the Host: Michelle Erland is a graduate of the Intensive Sommelier Program at the International Culinary Center (French Culinary Institute) and a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommelier’s, Americas. In 2017, she became one of the few Italian Wine Ambassadors in the United States through the Vinitaly International Academy in Verona. Erland holds an MBA with a concentration in the food and beverage sectors through Johnson & Wales University. She is a Senior Account Executive with Colangelo & Partners Public Relations, an integrated communications agency that specializes in fine wine, spirits, and food. In 2011, she founded Elle Hospitality, LLC where she has not only consulted but has hosted everything from Wine 101 classes to corporate restaurant training programs.  

About the Wine: With a winemaking history spanning over 2,000 years and 20 wine growing regions, Italy is one of the most exciting and diverse wine producing countries in the world. In fact, it is hard to travel a mile in Italy without experiencing some incredible wine. The Veneto is the largest wine-producing region in the north east of Italy, making everything from Valpolicella, Soave and Prosecco, to simple, but famous Pinot Grigio. 

During the event we will taste through a flight of wines highlighting two of Veneto's most exciting wine regions surrounding the city of Verona including: Gini Soave Classico DOC 'La Frosca' 2016; Buglioni Valpolicella Superiore Classico DOC 'l'Imperfetto' 2016; and Buglioni Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG 'L'Amarone' 2016.

About the Optional Stage Left Charcuterie Board: Attendees will have a chance to enhance their wine tasting evening with a sumptuous charcuterie board from Stage Left and paired with each selected wine by Sommelier Michelle Erland. The board features three dried sausages locally sourced from Keansburg, NJ. Four artisanal cheeses from around the world, including Saenkanter which is a three-year aged cow's milk gouda from Holland with distinct caramel-butterscotch notes, whiskey-like aroma, and the right amount of salinity. Next is Barely Buzzed, a cheddar-style, full-bodied cheese made with pasteurized Jersey milk from Utah. Followed by Prairie Breeze, a white Cheddar style cheese aged for a minimum of nine months. The texture is crumbly yet creamy with a slight crunch. Finally, enjoy Bonne Bouche, French for “tasty bite,” made with pasteurized goat's milk and inspired by the cheeses from the Loire Valley in France. To accompany the meats and cheeses, Stage Left has added candied pecans and marinated olives. The board is enough for two or more people and can be delivered by Stage Left to any address within 30 minutes of New Brunswick, NJ.

State Theatre was built in 1921 as a silent film and vaudeville palace. Recognizing the historic significance of the theater, PBS honored State Theatre New Jersey by featuring it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of 2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed at STNJ.org/History. Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in Central New Jersey and has welcomed more than six million people through its doors since reopening as a non-profit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County, and averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of more than $18 million a year. The mainstage programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross, Tony Bennett, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz, Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances.  

State Theatre New Jersey’s programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.