Early August in New York is when the wine calendar gets serious: the city’s best sommeliers step out from behind the cellar door, the free tastings stack up, and the statewide awards season kicks off. This week’s headline act is a big one — a guided tasting led by a two-time Best Sommelier in America, on a rooftop wine bar six floors above FiDi. Here’s everything you need to put on your calendar.
Sommelier Mark Guillaudeu Hosts a Six-Wine Tasting at The Cloud One (Aug 12)
If you’ve ever wanted to taste through a master sommelier’s personal shortlist without a stuffy wine-snob vibe, this is your night. On Wednesday, August 12, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, Mark Guillaudeu — named Best Sommelier in America in 2022 and 2024 by Best Sommeliers of America, and part of the celebrated Eleven Madison Park sommelier team — leads an immersive guided tasting at The Cloud One Wine Bar & Lounge, the skyline-facing bar on the sixth floor of The Cloud One Hotel New York-Downtown (133 Greenwich Street, FiDi).
Guillaudeu built the wine bar’s list around visionary, climate-conscious producers, and this tasting is the list in miniature: six wines spanning California and the Pacific Northwest, two reds, two whites, a sparkling rosé, and a still rosé, each poured with a story about the people, places, and sustainable practices behind it. The evening is rounded out with a curated spread of charcuterie and cheeses — and closes with a full glass of your favorite wine from the tasting, poured to savor while you watch the sun drop over the harbor.
The pours you’ll be talking about
- Analemma Mosier Hills Estate Mencía — a rising star from Oregon’s Columbia Gorge, grown biodynamically along the river that divides Washington and Oregon. Light-bodied, with delicate rose petal, honeysuckle, and lavender over white pepper and graphite. Proof that climate-conscious farming makes for thrilling wine.
- Porter Creek Russian River Chardonnay — the bottle that helped put Sonoma’s Russian River Valley on the map, planted with the rare “Old Wente” clone prized for balance and aromatic complexity. Old World minerality meets vibrant New World fruit.
- Robert Sinskey Vineyards Vin Gris of Pinot Noir — an organic, night-harvested rosé from Napa’s cool Los Carneros AVA, fermented without skin or seed contact for a zippy, refreshing finish full of citrus blossom, jasmine, and macerated red berries.
All of this runs just $35 per person, with reservations available through Eventbrite. Seats for sommelier-led tastings at this price tend to go fast — grab yours early.
Free Saturday Tastings at Le Dû’s Wines All Month Long
Le Dû’s Wines (600 Washington Street) keeps the neighborhood’s best free tradition rolling: every Saturday from 2 to 6 PM — August 8, 15, 22, and 29 — the shop pours four to six wines, free, with the staff breaking down the producer, the region, and the varietal as you taste. It’s the perfect low-commitment way to build your own palate and stock your rack with things you actually learned about. Show up, taste, and buy a bottle or two on the way out — that’s the deal, and it’s a great one.
NY Wine Classic Awards Streams Live Monday, August 10
One night before the Cloud One tasting, the state’s winemakers get their moment. On Monday, August 10 at 6:00 PM, the New York Wine Classic Awards Ceremony streams live — free and open to anyone who loves New York–grown wine. This is the payoff of months of blind judging by industry pros: Finger Lakes Rieslings, Long Island Merlots, Hudson Valley Cabernet Francs, and Niagara sparklers all vying for top honors. It’s also a cheat sheet for what deserves space on your rack this fall. Pour something local, pull up the stream, and take notes.
Your Early August Wine Calendar
- Mon, Aug 10 — NY Wine Classic Awards live stream, 6 PM, free
- Wed, Aug 12 — Sommelier Mark Guillaudeu’s six-wine tasting at The Cloud One Wine Bar & Lounge, 6:30–8:30 PM, $35, tickets via Eventbrite
- Saturdays, Aug 8–29 — Free tastings at Le Dû’s Wines, 2–6 PM, 600 Washington Street
That’s the early August lineup — one world-class tasting, one free tasting series, and one awards show to watch from your couch. For the full rolling list of what’s pouring across the five boroughs, keep an eye on the NYCWine events page. See you at the bar.