My Book Party! My Book! My Dreams!

I bet a lot of people would put these events on their "do not miss" calendars ... if only they knew.

Can we help you help us for a little bit? There are at least four ways to get to your blog from the Minnesota Monthly website. Unfortunately, three of them are often updated incorrectly. By "incorrectly" I mean that even if they display the title of your latest post they still link to an older entry:
(1) the blue-trimmed Dear Dara box on the Twin Cities Taste page goes to the Halloween entry;
(2) the Dear Dara Blog link that shows up in the row of links when highlighting the red Twin Cities Taste box below the Minnesota Monthly logo goes to the Halloween entry;
(3) the rotating display of headlines & graphics on the Minnesota Monthly main page displays the Il Gatto headline and does in fact go there;
(4) the Dear Dara link in the MNMO Blogs box on the Minnesota Monthly main page goes, miraculously, to your latest post.

If all the links were current and correct, maybe readers could find out about the events in time to attend.

Book suggestions for a 4-year old? Nearly anything by Mo Willems, but especially Knuffle Bunny and Knuffle Bunny Too.

Thanks for the message, OH_YES. We certainly don't want to hide Dara's work! It appears Web "fairies" have fixed the problem links without me, though, or you've unearthed a browser compatibility issue, as we're not able to reproduce the faulty links.

If you wouldn't mind dropping me an email at online_editor@minnesotamonthly.com, we can look into this a bit more (and not hijack Dara's blog with technical chit-chat!).

In the meantime, you could also try a hard (shift) refresh, as possibly your cache just needs to be cleared? Thanks!

I subscribe to the RSS feed and always get the correct article when I click through.

Micawber's is right next to a great little wine store. You should combine your appearance with something there. (The Little Wine Shop).

Wine books continue to fill the stacks without number. Classics such as “Windows On The World Wine Course” by Kevin Zraly, “Oxford Companion To wine”, edited by Jancis Robinson, and “World Atlas Of Wine”, by Hugh Johnson linger on the must read list.
Now there is another to add to my personal all time best catalog. It’s “Drink This - Wine Made Simple” by Dara Grumdahl*, a novel and original approach to tasting and the topic overall. This one book will give the veteran wine buff as well as new guys on the block a guide like no other. Wine clubbers take note because this approach could add an appealing fresh dimension to future tasting events.
In her introduction Grurmdahl tells us: “Each and every wine on earth is made up of three and only three things. 1. Type of grapes, 2. Where the grapes are grown, and 3. How the grapes were turned into wine.” She asks us to think about a three legged stool, where one strut focuses on the name of a grape (Chardonnay, Merlot et al), the others on place of origin (France’s Bordeaux, California’s Napa Valley) and lastly winemaking itself.
While the book is based on these three principles, Grumdahl never loses sight of my favorite Wine Law, “What You Like is What Makes it Good”, and yet do we ever consider just what it is about what we like that makes it so?
Ratings are always individual. In the dessert category for example I award chocolate mousse a 98, and rice pudding a 90. So what is it that attracts so much controversy about the unlimited variety of wine flavors and individual preferences?
The author takes us on a tasting tour of the noble grapes of the world, including the major whites as well as the important reds. I guarantee after finishing this read, never again will the distinction between French White Burgundy and California Chardonnay, or Spanish Tempranillo and Italian Sangiovese still remain an enigma.
As one illustration, see how the author dissects the grape “Sangiovese”, more commonly known as Chianti. But why bother? Because Italy is the quintessential wine nation, and to appreciate the scope of Italian wines requires a life time. .
So let’s look at Italy’s most prolific grape crop. Many recall, I am sure, the odd straw wrapped bottles which cost about a buck each, strewn around dorm rooms of old as artful dripping candle holders.
This fairly unknown grape is home to Tuscany, a lovely part of Europe, abundantly sprinkled by vineyards and olive groves
The three legs of the stool are the grape itself, red, thin skinned and a late one to ripen, often blended with a number of partners including Italian Trebbiano to add lightness, as well as Bordeax varietals Merlot and Cabernets, among others for depth. The region is of course Tuscany. As for wine making, the grape responds well to oak, so the decision often is how long to age.
Now she advises “Stop Reading, Start Drinking!” Here is where wine clubbers need to pay close attention because this new (for me) system innovates a previous practice. Begin the shopping for plain old Sangiovese, $7 and up. Next pick up a generic Italian “Chianti” for about $10. Then shop for California grown Sangiovese, $15 and up. There are many today including Serghesio, Bonny Doon, and Rutherford among others. Now jump up a stage to Chianti Classico, about $15 and up, wine made within the Chianti region in better quality sections.
Keep the process moving with Chianti Reserva at $15 and up, wine barrel aged at least 38 months as opposed to the standard 12. Now you can see clearly where we are headed. Next purchase one of the “Super-Tuscan” cult wines (“vino-tavolo”) blended with non-Italian grapes, famous proprietary names such as “Tignanelllo”, or “Sassicaia”. These are pricey, but this is a new sort of tasting where a group “ante” becomes the purchase agent.
There’s more. Sangiovese is also made into “Vino Nobilo de Multipulciano” (such a poetic identify) at about $15 and up. Then try and find some “Carmignano” for about $20 made in the tiny sub-region north of Florence.. It is scarce so check the internet. Finally, there is the blockbuster called “Brunello” the most sublime expression of Sangiovese, which unfortunately costs a bundle, at least $50 and up, with a total aging period of minimum 4 years.
Now for a short review, we have chosen 6 to 9 Sangiovese with varying prices from about $7 to plus $50. For the average club membership (of perhaps 6 couples) this amounts to about $25 per pair, not too atrocious, and just look at the variety and depth of experience to be gained. Author Grumdahl then explains the “Step by Step” event. Designated buyers, (pick a pair) will likely wind up with about 5 or 6 out of the 9 mentioned above. Make a written list of “tasting markers” to look for, including red fruit (cherries), black pepper, spices, truffles, cedar, tea, tar, roses, leather, dried flowers, and the flavors go on, but seeing them written makes it identifying easier. She insists we cool off the wine, about 55 degrees is just right. Don’t be shocked. This is the right drinking temp for most red wine. Then proceed up the list, American Sangiovese, basic Italian Chianti, followed by the Classico or Reserva, and the big guns, the Super-Tuscan, and the Brunello.
She then asks us to reflect: “Which wine was your favorite? Which ones are worth the money? Which do you want more of in your life?” The group is now grounded in Sangiovese as never before. What will you take away from this tasting as opposed to the ordinarily gathering where the samplings are similarly priced? With this new system there will come a “bona fide” mental picture of the grape as never before, and so it goes with all the others including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Syrah, et al described in further chapters.
Again the trick with this method is not to buy a bunch of varietal or regional wines in the same price range, but rather to select grapes not only from different world arenas, but chiefly with an emphasis on quality levels. Another important change from the past: note there are no “blind” labels, all are pre-identified. This allows tasters to form a sound judgment.
Score if you like, but my suggestion is to avoid numbers and use words such as average, good, delicious, special, world class, or make up your own.
There is more to the book. Each section comes with a “Field Guide” tp help buyers shop for the tasting suggestions. Each grape is spelled out with helpful comments: For example, “Why do people love Brunello” at $50 and up? “Because it’s a sort of super-Chianti, warmer, richer, more concentrated, more powerful.”
There are conversations with many of the world’s greatest wine makers. Paul Draper is one of the godfathers of American wine. He talks with the author about “terrior”, a controversial topic for many wine fans. “The ‘why’ of terrior”, he says, is a whole series of things,,, starting with the winemaker…the vast majority of whom are not interested in terroir because they are making shoes...a commodity…”Every vineyard has a terroir it can express, the question becomes, is it something rather poor, or average, rather good, excellent, or great?” Space does not allow me citations of more than a dozen other conversations with world class wine makers.
And if you ever wondered how wines get their shelf prices, read the chapter entitled, “Money, Money, Money.”
Finally, there’s “Restaurant Confidential”. Why does the wine waiter hand you the cork? Or depending on the type of restaurant, how do I get the best values? What is the real mission of a “sommelier” the restaurant’s resident wine expert?
It is maybe to satisfy the “Wine Drinker’s Bill of Rights” a few of which are: 1. The Right to enjoy Your Own Taste, 2. The Right to Know Nothing and Get Help, 3. The right to Be Spoken to in Language You Can Understand, 4, The Right to Wine Served at the Correct Temperature.
The books ends with a wish: “a firm understanding of your rights” by the people who cater to their clients, would mean a “wine-drinkers paradise.”
^Available at any branch of our outstanding and friendly library system.

Dear Ms. Grumdahl...I pasted in a book review of your fine work...it will be published in two parts in the "Citrus County Chronicle" (Citrus County FL, circ. about 40k) next Thrudady and the week following...my weekly column is posted there in the food section of thursdays and has been for the past 15 years...I am a retired (long ago) wine business man. regards. ron Drinkhouse (yes that is my real name),,,regards and thanks for the great read.