Join us on a rare adventure where you experience special wines from the finest regions around the world chosen by our two unparalleled wine experts! This wine tasting offers a wonderful opportunity to experience wines from different regions of the world while also supporting the Educational Arts Team’s exceptional work in the community.

Our mission is to engage young people with arts based programs that connect creativity with critical thinking in order to stimulate personal growth and academic achievement by making their learning experience more meaningful. We achieve our mission through our arts education in-school and community programming, professional development, and through our iconic summer day camp, Camp Liberty.

Your support of the Educational Arts Team is needed now more than ever. One hundred percent of your tax-deductible contribution will make a difference in supporting our arts integration work in the community and classroom. This includes our core literacy, social and emotional, family engagement goals.

Our Expert Wine Sommeliers

Our wine tasting hosts are wine pros Erica Duecy and Mark Censits.

Erica Duecy is an award-winning wine writer and editor and Camp Liberty Parent. Currently, she is chief content officer of the forthcoming wine-discovery platform Pix and its online magazine The Drop. She's run several drink publications as editor in chief, including VinePair and SevenFifty Daily, and has worked as digital director for magazines, including Architectural Digest and Saveur. Her editorial and video programs have won more than 40 digital awards. She is a judge for wine competitions and holds the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Advanced Certification. Erica also is the author of the cocktail book Storied Sips (Random House), about the real-life stories behind the world’s most famous cocktails. She writes a snackable wine newsletter called Bottle Service, highlighting sustainable wines in unexpected ways.

Mark Censits is the founder and President of CoolVines, an independently owned 4-store chain of specialty retail wine, beer and spirits shops in Jersey City, Hoboken and Newark. Mark is a WSET-certified wine specialist with over 35 years of business experience, who transitioned from the finance and consulting world to wine entrepreneur in 2007.  In addition to building and running CoolVines, Mark also serves on the Board of Trustees for Nimbus Dance of Jersey City, runs the Powerhouse Arts & Wine Festival nonprofit and collaborates with several other area arts and education nonprofits.  In addition to being a wine lover, Mark is a musician, former Ironman Triathlete, father of 3 grown children, and best friend to an adorable French Bulldog and store mascot named Roscoe.