2018 Memphis Brooks Wine + Food Series Announced

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Food and wine lovers are invited to celebrate the amazing events of the 2018 Memphis Brooks Wine + Food Series – the premier, longest-running wine series in Memphis March 22-May 19.

The series continues the tradition of bringing together vintners and award-winning chefs for a series of five fundraising events. All proceeds support the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art’s flagship arts education programs to the Mid-South community. The 2018 series is presented by First Tennessee Foundation/ArtsFirst and Lexus.

The series begins with an exclusive Meet the Winemaker dinner on Thursday, March 22. Guests at this sold-out event will enjoy a festive happy hour in Memphis’ hottest new restaurant by Chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, The Gray Canary, and meet award-winning sommelier and winemaker André Mack of Maison Noir Wines. Guests will then settle into seats in the restaurant's private dining space for a family-style dinner and a tasting led by Mack. He has been featured in major publications, such as Food and Wine, Wine & Spirits Magazine, The New York Times, Women’s Health, Ebony, and Wall Street Journal.

For the first time in the series’ 26-year history, the official kick-off party—Brooks Uncorked— March 23 includes an appearance by the featured winemaker. Mack will share several varieties of his wine during the party. In addition to Maison Noir Wines, Brooks Uncorked guests will be treated to tastes from some of the city's hottest restaurants, signature cocktails, stocked Buster’s Bars, a silent auction, and live entertainment by Mark Stuart.

The third event of the series is the exclusive Luncheon with the Masters May 18. Participants will join award-winning chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman in Downtown Memphis at Catherine & Mary’s for lunch at noon, paired with wines from Billy Weiss and North Berkeley Imports.

This year’s featured vintners for the Grand Artisans’ Dinner May 18 on the Terrace at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art include representatives from Domaine Della, Devil Proof, Spire Collection, and Peay Vineyards. The 2018 award-winning chef team includes Andy Ticer, Michael Hudman, and Ryan Prewitt. Wines from the featured winemakers will be showcased alongside a five-course dinner from our award-winning chefs.

The James Beard Foundation named Ticer & Hudman semi-finalists for the Best Chef: Southeast award for three consecutive years in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The chefs were nominated in 2015, 2016, 2017 and most recently in 2018. Prewitt is a James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: South in 2014 for his restaurant Pêche Seafood Grill in New Orleans.

The series’ culminating event, the Grand Auction, takes place May 19 under the tent on the plaza of the Brooks Museum. Guests will settle into their seats for the evening live auction of more than 50 lots, including rare and high-profile wines, exotic destinations, fine art, jewelry, tastings, and private dinners. Guests bid on these items while enjoying the wines and the company of the featured vintners and an abundance of food from Paradox Catering and Chef Jimmy Gentry. This is a high-energy live auction, with all proceeds going to the museum’s education programs.

2018 Memphis Brooks Wine + Food Series dates and events:

Meet the Winemaker at The Gray Canary

5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 22

Meet winemaker André Mack and enjoy a family-style dinner at chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman’s newest restaurant – The Gray Canary. SOLD OUT

Brooks Uncorked at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

6:30 p.m. Friday, March 23

Join us for one of the most-anticipated parties of the year, featuring winemaker André Mack, tastes from some of the city's hottest restaurants, signature cocktails, a silent auction, and live entertainment.

Tickets prices are $100 per person before March 20, $125 thereafter.

Luncheon with the Masters at Catherine & Mary’s

2 p.m. Friday, May 18

Enjoy a lunch featuring food by chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman and wines from Billy Weiss and North Berkeley Imports.

Tickets are $300 per person.

Grand Artisans’ Dinner at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

6:30 p.m. Friday, May 18

Enjoy this exclusive and intimate dinner, where wines from the featured winemakers will be showcased alongside a four-course dinner from our award-winning chef team.

Tickets are $750 per person, which includes admission to the Grand Auction.

Grand Auction at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

5 p.m. Saturday, May 19

Raise your paddle and your glass to the event that only gets better with age.

Tickets are $150 per person or $2,500 for a reserved table for 12.

Memphis Brooks Wine + Food Series is the museum’s premier fundraising endeavor. Dollars raised from this season of events makes the arts accessible to children and adults across the Mid-South. Over the past 26 years, the series has contributed approximately $5 million in net revenue to the Brooks, which directly supports the museum’s award-winning educational and community outreach programs. The museum is a privately funded, not-for-profit institution. With less than 12 percent of its budget provided by government funding, the Brooks relies on the generosity of individuals, foundations, and corporations for support to meet operating costs and other expenses.

The chairs for the 2018 Memphis Brooks Wine + Food Series are Emily and Bradley Rice and Sarah and David Thompson. The 2018 Memphis Brooks Wine + Food Series is presented by First Tennessee Foundation / ArtsFirst and Lexus of Memphis. It is sponsored by SouthernSun Asset Management, Buster's Liquors and Wines, North Berkeley Imports, The Peabody Memphis, Hauber Family Foundation, UBS Parker Wealth Management Group, A2H, Inc., Morris Auction Group, Bradley Rice/The Fischer Company, Campbell Clinic, Dr. and Mrs. Roy Bors-Koefoed, Dixon Hughes Goodman, Kitchens Unlimited, Mr. and Mrs. David Thompson, and Charlie Hanavich.

About Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Founded in 1916 and located at 1934 Poplar Ave. in historic Overton Park, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is home to Tennessee’s oldest and largest  major collection of world art.  More than 10,000 works make up the Brooks Museum’s permanent collection, including works from ancient Greece, Rome, and the Americas; Renaissance masterpieces from Italy; English portraiture; American painting and decorative arts; contemporary art; and a survey of African art. The Brooks Museum enriches the lives of our diverse community through the museum's expanding collection, varied exhibitions, and dynamic programs that reflect the art of world cultures from antiquity to the present. For more information about the Brooks and all other exhibitions and programs, call 901-544-6200 or visit www.brooksmuseum.org.

Media Contact:

Karen Davis

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Office: 901 544 6219

Cell: 901 206 8810

Karen.Davis@brooksmuseum.org

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