New York City - The Retreat, a non-profit that provides domestic violence services and support for women and children on Eastern Long Island and beyond, strengthens partnerships through a wine and food tasting event, hosted at the West Village home of Board Member Kathleen Tait and her husband Tony Rosenthal.

The event, led by female sommelier Judia Black, featured wines by female winemakers. The wine and food format was designed to help normalize the conversation around domestic violence, a hidden epidemic in communities across the country. "People should know that domestic violence happens every day in their community," says Jeffrey A. Friedman, Retreat Executive Director. It is reported that one in four women will be victims of domestic physical or emotional abuse. The Retreat has seen an upturn in requests for services since the economic downturn in 2008 with a concurrent decline in public and private funding. One answer to this has been to establish synergistic partnerships with other local for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

Partnership and community were a theme for the evening as attendees affirmed their commitment to further the goals of The Retreat while learning about the progress of women in viticulture and vinification. Guests were greeted with a glass of "J Vineyards" Brut Rose, then sat down to two flights of wine with complementary food pairings. The first flight was a trio of white wines including a Torrontes by Susana Balbo followed by a flight of three red wines which included "B" Merlot by Kelly Urbanik, winemaker for Bedell Cellars on the North Fork of Long Island.

According to Black, Certified Sommelier, "Wine is a great vehicle for creating community and a comfortable environment for human dialogue. And it is really exciting to learn about women turning their passion into power by taking on leadership roles in what was once a very male-dominated industry."

For more than 20 years the Retreat has been providing domestic violence services and education to families on the East End of Long Island. Programs include a residential shelter for women and children, a 24-hour domestic violence hotline, individual and group counseling, legal advocacy for all victims of domestic violence and a violence prevention education program taught in local schools.

Black is a certified sommelier and founder of enJoie, a sommelier-service company that provides wine-related services, education and marketing for private and corporate clients. Services include wine tastings, wine seminars, wine shopping and corporate gifts.

For more information go to www.jb@enjoielife.com.