NEW YORK, January 21, 2020 – Leading online wine purveyor Wine Access is thrilled to announce its role as wine curator of SIDEWAYS THE EXPERIENCE, presented by Alexander “Sandy” Marshall/Close Quarter Productions (Network) and the Peccadillo Theater Company. Adapted by Rex Pickett from his acclaimed novel Sideways, the inspiration for the ensuing eponymous Academy Award-winning film, SIDEWAYS THE EXPERIENCE will be an immersive gourmet food and wine event integrated with a stage production.

Wine Access will be curating a wine program that brings California wine country to Manhattan’s West 46th Street, and has partnered with celebrity caterer Mary Giuliani to develop an innovative menu for this hybrid theater event. Directed by the Peccadillo’s OBIE-Award winning artistic director Dan Wackerman, the stage production will be offered in a strictly-limited engagement, from Thursday, February 20 through Sunday, April 12, 2020 at the Theatre at St. Clement’s (423 West 46th Street, New York).

The film version of Pickett’s Sideways novel debuted in 2004 to rave reviews and continues to resonate with wine consumers around the world. In a phenomenon known as the “Sideways Effect,” the film adaptation influenced an entire generation of wine consumers and affected cultural change within the wine industry itself. The film is largely credited with driving growth of the Pinot Noir category in the United States.

“Wine Access is dedicated to connecting people with wine through inspiring storytelling,” says Vanessa Conlin, Head of Wine for Wine Access. “So when the opportunity arose to produce SIDEWAYS THE EXPERIENCE in partnership with Alexander “Sandy” Marshall, the Peccadillo Theater Company, and Mary Giuliani, we jumped on it. This unique combination of theater, food, and wine will bring a new, informative perspective on wine to the audience, which is how we always strive to interact with our members.”

SIDEWAYS THE EXPERIENCE offers an immersive pre-show event, during which guests will be invited on stage to partake in a wine tasting modeled after the Santa Ynez wine trail, as depicted in the novel and film. Wine Access will be curating the wine tasting experience with a variety of wines from some of California’s top vineyards, including Russian River Valley Chardonnay, Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County Pinot Noir, and Napa Valley Merlot. The wines will be accompanied by a creative, gourmet menu from Mary Giuliani.

SIDEWAYS THE EXPERIENCE will celebrate its opening on Sunday, February 23 at 8:00 PM at the Theatre at St. Clement’s and will run on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 8:00 PM through April 12. Tickets to SIDEWAYS THE EXPERIENCE are priced at $175.00 (the play and the pre-show, “Tasting Room” food and wine event, as well as a special offer from Wine Access for $50 off purchases of $150 and more), $75.00 (the play and two glasses of wine), and $55.00 (play-only). For more information and to purchase tickets, visit sidewaystheexperience.com or call OvationTix at 866-811-4111.

For media inquiries, please contact Andrew Garsetti (agarsetti@colangelopr.com) or Josh Zoland (jzoland@colangelopr.com) of Colangelo & Partners.

About Wine Access (Wine Provider) – https://www.wineaccess.com/
Wine Access was founded on the philosophy that the barrier to the world’s best wines isn’t price, it’s access. For over 25 years, their sourcing team has traveled the globe’s wine trails in search of the world’s finest wines. With over 50 years of combined experience, the team seeks rare wines made in small quantities, then shares their experiences with their members, enabling them to tell the stories behind the wines they serve to family and friends. Every wine sold must be approved by an impressive judging team that includes a Master Sommelier and Master of Wine candidates. The team prides itself on only offering wines that over-deliver on quality compared to price, simply unmatched by the wines in many brick-and-mortar stores as well as other online retailers.

About Mary Giuliani (Food Curator) – http://marygiuliani.com/
Mary Giulinani is an author, party and lifestyle expert, and founder and CEO of Mary Giuliani Catering and Events. Her newest bestselling book Tiny Hot Dogs: A Memoir in Small Bites, is currently being developed into a scripted sitcom for television. Mary has appeared on “The Barefoot Contessa,” “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America” and is a regularly featured guest on “The Rachael Ray Show.” Mary’s first book, The Cocktail Party (Eat, Drink, Play, Recover) debuted in 2015. Mary is a graduate of Georgetown University where she received a degree in English/Theater.

About Alexander “Sandy” Marshall (Producer)
Alexander “Sandy” Marshall is the American end of the Close Quarter Production team. Along with British business partner, Giles Cole, Close Quarter have produced more than 30 shows in the UK and USA, including the 5-time Tony-nominated play Network starring Bryan Cranston and this Broadway season’s Hangmen. In London, the pair have produced A.A. Milne’s The Dover Road, Giles Cole’s The Art of Concealment, about the life of Terence Rattigan, And in the End: The Death and Life of John Lennon, written & directed by Marshall and Shakespeare’s Venus and Adonis. Off-Broadway, Close Quarter produced, and Marshall directed, Thinking In Person and Jadoo, to unanimous raves. In the Windy City of Chicago, Close Quarter produced several plays including, Short Guys With Glasses, Bending Minds & Bending Dreams, Pasteboard Warrior, and Fooling Buddha (the latter two also directed by Marshall). Their upcoming The Big Sleepover at the White House (about Churchill’s 1941 visit with FDR) written by Cole is slated for a London production, fall of 2020. Sandy, a two-time Emmy® Award winner (seven nominations), has also won the CINE Golden Eagle, Gold Medals at the New York Film and Television Festival, and the Benjamin Franklin Award for his epic biography about his legendary magician father, Beating a Dead Horse: The Life and Times of Jay Marshall. Fifty years in show business has not dulled his enthusiasm to find the truth that hides in the darkened corners of his craft. Sandy lives in the Chelsea section of New York City with his talented wife, singer / songwriter / producer, Susan Palmer Marshall and their two ginger cats, Macallister and MacGregor.

About the Peccadillo Theater Company – https://www.thepeccadillo.com/
Founded in 1994, The Peccadillo Theater Company is dedicated to the rediscovery of classic American comedy and drama, particularly those works, which despite their obvious literary and theatrical value, are not regularly revived. Peccadillo concentrates on the era of the so-called well-made play, a period of sparkling wit and sophistication in comedy as well as deepening realism in the drama. Taken as a whole, this work represents nothing less than the American experience itself in all its contradictions and screwball energy. The mission of The Peccadillo Theater Company is to restore these buried gems to their rightful owner – you, the American theatergoer. In recent years Peccadillo has broadened its mission to include original plays and musicals with an “old-fashioned” regard for heightened language and word play.

Press releases are generated outside of Spirited magazine and the information contained does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Spirited or its parent company, Sonoma Media Investments.