Tasting: Wines of la Francophonie with Alicia Barrett

As part of Festival de la Francophonie 2026, join us for a special wine tasting featuring bottles from around the French-speaking world!

Guests will enjoy a complimentary welcome cocktail followed by a seated tasting experience led by sommelière Alicia Barrett.

Doors at 6:00 p.m. for a welcome cocktail. Tasting at 6:30. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Please communicate any dietary restrictions to us at [email protected] by Wednesday, March 11. Tickets are non-refundable after March 11.

Explore wines from French-speaking regions across the globe—from classic appellations to unexpected, lesser-known corners of the wine world.

Attendees will learn how to blind taste wine using clues from the wine’s aroma and structure rather than reputation or price. Together, we’ll practice objectively assessing quality, identifying clues of climate and place, and separating style from status.

This tasting is designed for curious wine drinkers—no prior blind-tasting experience required—and offers a rare opportunity to discover new favorites while sharpening your palate and celebrating the French language around the globe!

About the Sommelière

Alicia Barrett is driven by a passion for crafting exceptional experiences through thoughtful, immersive wine education. With a background that bridges hospitality, retail, and nonprofit leadership, she brings a unique blend of business acumen and teaching expertise to the wine world.

Her journey began with a transformative trip to Burgundy that sparked a lifelong passion for wine and inspired her to pursue formal training at the global headquarters of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) in London. After returning to the United States, Alicia worked as a sommelier at the InterContinental Hotel Chicago and in fine wine retail while earning her WSET Diploma in 2020, a distinction held by just over 10,000 individuals worldwide.

As Head of Wine Education for Binny’s Beverage Depot, the Midwest’s largest wine and spirits retailer, Alicia spent six years developing one of the country’s most comprehensive retail wine education programs. She trained nearly 2,000 employees across 45 stores, elevating product knowledge, service standards, and sales performance across the company. Alicia also served as a WSET Instructor for the American Wine School. Her work has taken her around the world, collaborating with winemakers and trade professionals to design engaging, accessible, and commercially relevant wine education experiences. 

Presently, she is the Chicago-based educator for the U.S. Champagne Bureau training sommeliers, trade professionals and hospitality students at DePaul University on behalf of the region. She has founded her own company, Wine Connection, which specializes in bespoke wine tastings for corporate and non-profit clients.

About Festival de la Francophonie

Festival de la Francophonie is the Alliance Française de Chicago’s annual flagship festival, featuring a vibrant lineup of free public programs over the course of the month of March—the official Mois de la Francophonie—celebrating the world’s French-speaking cultures. AF-Chicago is honored to partner with cultural organizations and government institutions across the city to offer high-quality cultural experiences and a forum where people of all ages and backgrounds can discover and connect with the cultures, customs, and language of the Francophone world, to promote lifelong learning and cultural understanding.

Getting Here

The Alliance Française de Chicago is one block from the CTA Red line stop at Chicago Avenue. Best bus routes are the 22 on Clark and the 66 on Chicago Avenue. A Divvy station is located in front of the 54 W Chicago Ave entrance.

Parking Information

$12 for 12 hours at InterPark at 100 W Chestnut St. Validation is available at reception.

Photography Notice

Please be advised that students, members, and attendees at cultural events or programs may be photographed, and these images may be used for marketing purposes.