American Friends Host Fundraising Dinner at French Consulate, New York City

On Thursday November 5, 2015, Bertrand Lortholary, Consul General of France in New York and George P. Sape, President of the American Friends of La Cité du Vin hosted an exceptional gourmet dinner benefitting La Cité du Vin. Founded in 2009 and set to open in the summer of 2016, La Cité du Vin is a new immersive, multi-media center that explores the history of wine and its important role in different cultures and regions around the world.  Located on the banks of the Garonne river in the heart of the Bordeaux region, La Cité promises to be a striking building that evokes the image of wine swirling in a glass.

The American Friends of La Cité du Vin (AFCV) was established in 2014 to raise public awareness and support for educational exhibits and cultural programming of La Cité with a focus on supporting the naming rights of the new Thomas Jefferson Auditorium. The auditorium recognizes the important role that Thomas Jefferson holds in the history of wine connoisseurship and highlights how wine has helped foster and enrich Franco-American relations. President Jefferson was not only an Ambassador to France, but he was also the first to bring excellent Bordeaux wines to the White House. The 250-seat Thomas Jefferson Auditorium will host a wide variety of cultural events including concerts, cinema screenings, panel discussions, and seminars.

Guests of AFCV and the Consul enjoyed the fine cuisine of Sebastien Baud, Executive Chef of the Consulate General of France in New York, and a selection of the finest French wines from Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Loire Valley and Languedoc.