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Minnesota Monthly /  Guides & Resources /  Wine & Spirits Guide /  Fall/Winter 2006 Wine & Spirits Guide

Fall/Winter 2006 Wine & Spirits Guide

BEVERAGE BUZZ

MINER FAMILY WINERY

Joining a wine club can lead to many “behind the vines” wine experiences. Members of Miner Family Winery’s “The Oracle” and “Club M” wine clubs have access to quality Miner wines, often before they’re released to the general public. Membership includes some limited production Miner wines only available to wine club members or in the tasting room.
“The Oracle” focuses on premium and limited release wines. Each shipment, six times a year, includes four bottles of wine. The average price per shipment is $170 plus shipping and handling.

“Club M” includes two bottles of select red and white wines shipped six times a year. The average price per shipment is $55 plus tax and shipping.

For more information about Miner’s wine clubs, call 1-800-366-WINE ext. 27, email wineclub@minerwines.com, or visit www.minerwines.com.

CHATEAU ST. CROIX WINERY & VINEYARD

Don’t hold the same boring holiday party year after year. Shake things up with an exciting new location—Chateau St. Croix Winery and Vineyards—a European-style winery located in the rolling hills of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. The elegance of the Chateau St. Croix is perfect for company picnics, holiday celebrations, and small wedding parties. Send an email to events@chateaustcroix.com with questions regarding special events and group reservations, or call 715-483-2556 for more details.

AURORA WINE & SPIRITS

Aurora Wine & Spirits in Chaska offers customers the unique opportunity to try before they buy at weekly wine tastings, held on Saturdays from 2 to 6 p.m.

Another example of Aurora’s commitment to customer service includes the Aurora Wine Club, a free monthly emailed newsletter detailing store specials, special wine tastings, and special events. For more information, call 952-361-9606 or visit www.aurorawines.com.

RICHFIELD LIQUOR STORE

Back by popular demand, Richfield Liquor Stores, including the Shops at Lyndale Wine and Spirits, have brought back one of their most popular promotions, the “Vikings Schedule Discount.” Each store has Vikings schedules available with an attached discount card. When the Vikings win, bring in the schedule and receive a 10 percent discount on any purchase of non-sale items. Cheer extra loud for a Vikings win so you can win along with them. Visit www.richfieldliquor.com for more information.

MGM WINE AND SPIRITS

MGM Wine and Spirits is hosting a huge anniversary sale from September 25 – October 7 bursting with specials for you and your guests. Make sure to stop in at one of their many metro locations to save big on your next holiday party. Don’t miss the Spectacular City Pages Wine Tasting, September 29 from 6 to 9 p.m. at International Market Square, benefiting the Hennepin Theatre Trust. Call 651-646-7253 to find the nearest MGM location.

SOUTH LYNDALE LIQUORS

Get to know and love a long list of great wines through the South Lyndale Liquors’ Grapevine Wine Club. Up to nine times a year members meet to taste anywhere from 10 to 12 wines as a guest speaker walks them through the experience. Past speakers include Gary Hogue of Hogue Vineyards, Todd Williams from Toad Hollow, Van Williamson from Edmeades, and Jim Bundschu of Gundlach-Bundschu.

“These wines are offered for purchase at the best price anywhere,” says Mitch Zavada, a wine buyer for South Lyndale Liquors.

In addition to the wine tasting events, Grapevine members receive a year-round 20 percent discount on all nonsale wines. Annual membership is $65, a great deal for wine lovers. For more information, call 612-827-5811 or visit www.southlyndaleliquors.com.

STOGIES ON GRAND

Cigar and pipe enthusiasts will be happy to see that Tabaccalera Perdomo has reintroduced its Perdomo Fresco, now available at Stogies on Grand. The long filler and binder tobacco is from Nicaragua, and the wrapper is a Connecticut shade-grown. Described as a “very well balanced mild to medium blend that tastes creamy and smooth,” this long filler cigar is high on quality and low on price. Stogies on Grand is located in a renovated Victorian home in St. Paul’s historic Crocus Hill neighborhood. For more information, call 651-222-8700 or visit www.stogiesongrand.com.

 

Celebrate The Holidays With A Seasonal Brew

As the holidays near, seasonal brews reappear. Pumpkins ales, oatmeal stout, Octoberfest, and winter brews (to name a few) are available on tap and on the shelves at local establishments for only a few short months. Delicious seasonal microbrews take the chill out of the air and give us something to look forward to as summer slips into fall, and fall gives way to winter.

Many breweries start creating these specialty beers mid-summer and offer them for a limited time due to the time they take to produce, as well as brewery space limitations. (Breweries don’t want to store beer past its prime.) The fact that these brews are only offered in certain months gives beer lovers something to look forward to, adding anticipation to the beer drinking experience. And really, what goes better with turtlenecks, football season, and hearty holiday meals than a nice, full-bodied beer?

Some seasonal ales you can find in local bars, restaurants and liquor stores include:Schell Snowstorm, produced by August Schell Brewing Company, changes from year to year. Legendary Snowstorms of the past have included a cherry-vanilla porter, a mead/ale, a raspberry-chocolate brew, and Scottish ale. Snowstorm is available from November through December.

In keeping with true German tradition, Schell’s Octoberfest is brewed just once a year. This rich, smooth lager uses a perfect balance of caramel and pale malt, Cara pilsner and black malts with cascade and nugget hops to create a rich, smooth taste. It is available September through October.

While seasonal selections vary at New Brighton-based Barley John’s Brew Pub (the 2006 Winter Ale was rich and sweet, with just a hint of licorice), they regularly brew a few beers that taste especially good when Jack Frost is nipping at your nose. The Wild Brunette, Belgian-style brown ale, explodes with flavors of vanilla and almond, and the Old Eight Porter—with dark, rich chocolate and coffee notes—is a delicious meal in itself.

The Brauhaus Brew Hall in the small town of Lucan, Minnesota is a tiny brewhouse with enormous heart. Warm up with the Brau Cream Stout, a full-bodied chocolate and coffee-flavored beer, poured coal black from the tap. The Brau Extra Special Bitter is also very tasty, featuring a slight fruity aroma and a somewhat buttery malt body.

They make only one beer at Finnegan’s—the Finnegan’s Irish Amber—with 100 percent of their profits donated to the Spud Society, a nonprofit company that helps support the working poor and at-risk youth. Finnegan’s is contract-brewed by Summit Brewing Company.

Everything tastes better Up North, including the beers brewed at Fitger’s Brewhouse on Superior Street in Duluth. The Big Boat Oatmeal Stout has a smooth and silky sweetness and intense coffee flavors, with just a touch of hazelnut.

The Witchtree English Style Bitter is a medium-bodied hazy amber brown brew with a nice caramel malt flavor and a spicy/peppery hop finish. The seasonal Duluth Steam and Old Redbeard Barleywine (just two of MANY seasonal beers brewed at Fitger’s) can also chase the chills away.

Gluek Brewing Company, located in Cold Springs, offers a variety of beers that will keep you warm when the temperatures drop. The Stite Black and Tan, served in the quick chill alum-a-bottle, porter and golden amber blend together for flavors of honey, caramel, and chocolate.

A clear, dark ruby, the Jeremiah James Black Ale, brewed year-round, combines black malt with traces of chocolate and aromatic hops, and the unusual Quake Chocolate Cream Ale goes down easy, with an almost frosting-like cocoa flavor making for a very smooth, very unusual beer taste.

The Granite City Broadaxe Stout and Brother Benedict’s Bock are always available at Granite City Food and Brewery locations throughout the Midwest. Described by one reviewer as having “faint roast notes, with a touch of licorice, coffee, and chocolate,” the Broadaxe has been hailed as one of Granite City’s best brews.

The Brother Benedict’s Bock is a brown German style lager, with a medium body and a mouth-watering smoothness. Locally, Granite City Food and Brewery’s can be found in St. Cloud, Maple Grove, and Eagan.

With a rotating variety of specialty and seasonal beers, you never know what treasures will be on tap when you visit St. Paul’s Great Waters Brewing Company. At any given time, there are four cask-conditioned beers alongside as many as five others. The Mr. Smooth cask ale is—just like its name—smooth, drinkable, and mildly dark with floor-malted Maris Otter and caramel malt. The seasonal King Boreas Imperial Wit, Winter Carnival Ale “a ridiculously hopped winter celebration ale” and Belgian Yule Ale were all big hits at last year’s Winterfest, an annual beer-tasting event hosted by the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild.

At Green Mill Brewing Company (more specifically, the Green Mill on Grand and Hamline in St. Paul) exceptional seasonal beers include Pumpkin Ale (tastes like pumpkin pie in a glass), Oktoberfest (thought of by many as one of Green Mill’s best brews, with malty smooth flavors hinting of caramel and brown sugar), and Spiced Porter (a festive complexity of cinnamon, gingerbread, and nutmeg). The Black Raven Bock is also very tasty, combining bold chocolate malts with fresh berry accents.

Dark beer lovers will enjoy the High Point Dunkel German-styled brew offered at Uptown’s only brewpub, The Herkimer Pub and Brewery. As a true Munich-style Dunkel should, the High Point weights down the glass with a full-bodied, complex malt flavor that only the heavy-handed use of roasted malts can imbrue. Take your time getting to the bottom of this one.

Seasonal offerings include Oktoberfest, Schwarz Bier, and their strongest and rarest brew—the Doppelbock—a brown lager double the strength of their other beers.

The Lake Superior Split Rock Bock and the barleywine style Old Man Winter Warmer are great brews produced by Lake Superior Brewing Company, located in Duluth. The Split Rock Bock is a hearty, dark mahogany-colored beer, malty with chocolate overtones, brewed using five different malts. The Lake Superior Split Rock Bock is the festival beer for the annual Fitger’s Bock Fest held in March.

The Mantorville Brewing Company, located in historic Mantorville (next to the old Ginsberg Brewery) offer a seasonal Stagecoach Smoked Porter and Stagecoach Double Barrel Porter, both with nice, full flavors. The brewing is done on Saturdays and the public is always welcome to stop by.

Brewers are encouraged to create unusual recipes at the Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery, evident in the ever-changing seasonal selections on tap at the wildly popular Minneapolis institution, located in Seven Corners. Known for consistently good beer and excellent cask-conditioned ales, the seasonal choices range from the rich and robust Barrel Aged Northern Waters Smoked Porter, brewed with wood-fired grain, to the potato stout and coffee porter. The Black Water Oatmeal Stout is their strongest, darkest, most heavy beer available throughout the year. Featuring a rich roasted malt flavor with a delicate caramel and vanilla finish—served on nitrogen—the Oatmeal Stout is what great beer is all about.

The Cork Brown Ale at O’Gara’s Brewpub is a straightforward brown, with a strong malt flavor and subtle chocolate and caramel tones. The Sligo Red has a slight hint of cinnamon, featuring spicy clean Mt. Hood and delicate Saaz hops. The traditional German-style Amber Bock is mildly sweet and fairly toasty with a medium creamy body. The O’Gara family has run the business since 1941. They added the brewpub in 1996.

You can never go wrong with Oatmeal Stout at O’Hara’s Brew Pub and Restaurant in St. Cloud (the city’s first brewpub since Prohibition!), and the seasonal Oktoberfest is also excellent. Last year’s winter seasonal beer was Dubbel Trouble, a Belgian dubble brewed with Belgian pale ale and specialty malts, in addition to dark Belgian candi sugar. This delicious beer won Best of Show at the 2001 Winterfest.

Part of a chain of 29 brewpubs across the country, each Rock Bottom Brewery is unique in that individual brewmasters each create unique and original recipes. Some of Minnesota’s more interesting seasonals include the Old Curmudgeon Winter Warmer, Belgian Trippel, and Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.

Two of the year-round beers on tap at the Minneapolis location include the Big Horn Nut Brown Ale and Stillwater Stout. The Nutbrown is a medium full-bodied, chestnut colored ale with chocolate and special “B” malts lending to raisin and cocoa flavors.

The Stillwater Stout is jet-black ale dispensed with nitrogen. Brewed with roasted barley for a coffee-like flavor and aroma, the strong hop flavor comes from Willamette hops.

St. Croix Brewing Company’s claim to fame is their Maple Ale which was introduced in 1985 as the first commercial American beer fermented with pure maple syrup. You can find their beer in bottles and on draft in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Summit Oatmeal Stout, one of Summit Brewing Company’s limited release beers, resembles popular Irish Stout but tastes much sweeter with chocolate, coffee, and caramel flavors. The seasonal Summit Oktoberfest, brewed every fall, is brewed in the Marzen style for a reddish brown color and smooth finish. The well-balanced Summit Winter Ale is brewed in the tradition of winter warmer ales, with a robust, full-bodied flavor that can take the chill out of the
coldest nights.

Coffee Bender, one of Surly Brewing Company’s limited release beers, was met with rave reviews at its introduction this summer. Combining iced coffee flavors (with the coffee roasted locally at Coffee and Tea Limited in Linden Hills) with a roasted malt overtone, this special Blender was described by one fan as a “jolt of joy for java freaks and beer geeks alike.” SurlyFest is Surly’s interpretation of a German Oktoberfest beer. A single hop lager, hopped exclusively with Summit hops, the SurlyFest was aged over 11 weeks to let the flavors mellow into exceptional taste. The year-round Surly Bender is an amalgamation of styles, with five distinct malts—including two from Belgium—giving it added complexity and depth.

Check with your favorite brewpub to see what seasonal beers they’re serving this fall and winter. For more information about how you can support local brewpubs and brewing companies, visit www.mncraftbrew.org.

Give a Gift With Spirit

Fieldstone Vineyards

Fieldstone Vineyards offers a variety of gifts for the wine enthusiast on your list, including artwork, wine glasses, t-shirts, hats, books, a trivet board perfect as a hot pad or wall hanging, and of course—wine. Fieldstone Vineyards wines are all handled berry to bottle right at Fieldstone Vineyards in Morgan, Minnesota. Pick up a bottle of their popular fruit wine, with options including Hilltop Harvest Strawberry, Apple, and Sunnyside Dry.

The Strawberry is a truly unique wine direct from Hilltop Harvest Strawberry Patch in Redwood County, Minnesota. This wine has a great ability to pair with ice cream, cheesecake or anything chocolate.

Another 100 percent Minnesota product, the Apple Wine, is harvested and crushed at Sunnyside Orchard near Pennock, Minnesota and fermented and bottled at Fieldstone Vineyards.

The Sunnyside Dry is made with the same great apples, but with a dry finish for those of you who don’t prefer something so sweet. And there are many wonderful reds and whites as well, including the Minnesota Glacial Rock Red, a dry, medium-heavy bodied fruit forward red wine made from the Frontenac grape, a Minnesota original hybrid grape developed by the University of Minnesota. For more information, call 1-507-249-WINE (9463) or visit
www.fieldstonevineyards.com.

Give a Gift With Spirit

Wine makes a great holiday gift, and the Trinchero Family Cabernet 2004, retailing for $12.99, is an excellent choice. This premium red wine is created over a 14-day maceration (part of the wine making process; the time during which the grape juice is left in the vat and in contact with the grape solids) with full extraction of the Cabernet grapes using the “rack and return” method. This method creates a fresh and fruity wine by draining the fermentation tank, removing the seeds, and returning the juice over the top of the skins. Choosing when to press and when to remove seeds can have a great impact on the final bitterness in a wine.

“This is a high quality product at a minimal cost,” says Brad Musolf, a division manager with Trinchero Family Estates. “Once you taste it, you’ll understand.” For more information, visit www.tfewines.com.

Surdyk’s

However you choose to toast the holidays, let Surdyk’s, a Twin Cities institution, help you do so with style and grace. Not only does the Midwest’s largest liquor store have an unrivaled selection of wine, liquor and sumptuous liqueurs, Surdyk’s also boasts the regions largest variety of imported and domestic beer. Then there’s the spacious walk-in humidor and Surdyk’s crown jewel, the cheese shop, with specialty cheeses from around the world, gourmet packaged goods, and ready-made delicacies. Surdyk’s service is excellent (Food-ees and enthusiasts who “walk the talk” with—as one customer said—”no snob factor whatsoever”) and the seasonal sales are second-to-none.
For more information, call 612-379-3232 or visit www.surdyks.com.

 

How to host a successful holiday dinner party:

• Prepare a guest list and send out invitations no less than three weeks in advance. This gives your guests plenty of time to RSVP and gives you a chance to prepare. The comfort of your guests is your number one goal.
• Make dishes that are easy to prepare. Unless you’re confident in your cooking skills, don’t try to make a recipe for the first time. Try to plan a mix of make-ahead recipes and those that only require last minute baking. If you’re having a dinner party on a Friday night after work, consider cooking a ham or roast beef in the crock pot. Don’t try to make a labor-intensive meal while guests are arriving. You don’t want to be standing over a hot stove while your friends arrive.
• Create inventory of how many chairs you’ll need, service pieces, cutlery, plates, decorations, etc.
• Shop for necessities and clean your house a week in advance of the party, so you’re not scrambling to get everything done at the last minute.
• If planning a flower arrangement as the centerpiece, make sure it is no more than about 5 inches high. Your guests will want to see one another from across the table.
• Remember that a white tablecloth and white candles will go with any color flower you choose, eliminating the need to match your flowers with the rest of your tabletop décor.
• If you feel overwhelmed, hire a caterer or party planner.

THE ULTIMATE KETEL ONE JAVATINI

1 ½ oz Ketel One Vodka
1 oz Kahlúa®
1 oz Espresso
Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Serve straight up in a cocoa-rimmed martini glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

THE ULTIMATE KETEL ONE CHOCOLATE MINT MARTINI

1 ½ oz Ketel One Vodka
1 oz Godiva® Dark Chocolate Liqueur
½ oz Baileys
Splash of Peppermint Schnapps
Chocolate Syrup
Shake with ice in a cocktail shaker. Drizzle chocolate syrup inside a martini glass. Serve straight up. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

For additional recipes, visit www.KetelOne.com to request a complimentary copy of The Ultimate Ketel One Cocktail Guide DVD. This film provides education on the essentials of setting up a home bar, the creation of fresh cocktail garnishes and the preparation of 10 ultimate Ketel One cocktails.

CAFÉ ROYAL

1 1/2 oz Patrón XO Café
Strong brewed coffee
Freshly whipped cream
Cocoa powder
In a heated coffee mug, add Patrón XO, fill to within 1 inch with coffee, top with freshly whipped cream. Dust with cocoa powder.

BEE STING

1 1/2 oz Patrón Reposado Tequila
1/2 oz Marie Brizard Crème de Cassis
1/2 oz clover honey syrup
Juice of one lime hand extracted
2 oz. fresh squeezed blood orange juice
In an ice-filled mixing glass, add ingredients; shake until well blended. Strain into an ice-filled 14 oz. goblet. Garnish with blackberries and red raspberries.

BUTTERY TWIST

Butterscotch candies
1 1/4 oz Patrón XO Café
3/4 oz Bushmills Irish Cream
Splash of Butterscotch Schnapps
Fill wine goblet halfway with ice; top with butterscotch candies. Then combine all additional ingredients in the glass and serve.
MADRAS
1 part Bombay Sapphire
2 parts cranberry juice
1 part orange juice
Orange slice
Pour ice over glass. Garnish with an orange slice.

FRENCH MARTINI

1 part Bombay Sapphire
1 ½ part fresh pineapple juice
Drizzle of premium raspberry liqueur
Shake ingredients vigorously with ice and stain into a chilled martini glass.

GOLD RUSH

2 parts Bombay Sapphire
1 part mango Schnapps
Splash orange juice
Splash pineapple juice
Splash sour mix
Splash tonic
1 part energy drink
Mango slice
Shake first six ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with energy drink. Garnish with a mango slice.

10 Recommended Tête-de-Cuvée Champagnes

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