Courtesy of Darin Kamnetz
Winters can be long here in Minnesota, but they don’t have to be boring. Break out of your seasonal slump and join Minnesota Monthly for the 26th Annual Food & Wine Experience, a night of fine wine, craft beer, spirits, delectable bites, and Minnesota-made products March 7 & 8 at Target Field.
Considering getting tickets? Here’s what you should know.
Grand Vine Tasting
We’ll kick off the weekend with Grand Vine Tasting, an intimate, high-end wine tasting with gourmet bites and live music, Friday, March 6, at Bat & Barrel inside Target Field. Grand Vine Tasting is 6:30-9 p.m. and will showcase the best wines ($20 and above) from vineyards around the world. The separate ticket is well worth its price in unlimited samplings of hand-selected wines and catered bites to last the night.
Food & Wine Experience
Ever bought a bottle of wine based on the label only to dislike the taste upon sampling? Us, too. That’s why we created the Food & Wine Experience, a delicious weekend where you can sample countless styles of wine from all over the world and maybe even find a new favorite. Not only will you have unlimited samples of wine, but at our four breakaway seminars, you can learn how certain wines are made and the proper way to taste them.
How do you know which wines are the best? We take that seriously around here. We host a private “best of” competition prior to the Food & Wine Experience to determine which vineyards come out on top. Only wines that will be at the event can enter, and through a blind tasting, judges in the wine community pick their favorites. Look for this medal around the bottles to know which ones were chosen as this prestige tasting.
Not a wine connoisseur? No problem! The Food & Wine Experience features enough craft beers, spirits, and tasty bites from award-winning chefs across the Twin Cities to keep you satisfied all afternoon. We’ll also have some retail opportunities for brands you might not normally see in stores. Come prepared to take home more than memories.
Delectable bites:
- Belgioioso Cheese
- Calvin & Cleo’s Bloody Mary Mix
- Coco, Bee & Nut
- Creature Comfort Hot Sauce
- Frankie’s Pizza
- Granite City Food & Brewery
- Kerrygold
- Maddy & Maize Gourmet Popcorn
- Minnesota Beef Council
- Minnesota Pork Board
- Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot
- Silver Springs Foods
- T-Rex Cookie Company
- The Tomato Vine
Beverages:
- Bravazzi Hard Italian Soda
- Bud Light Seltzer
- Calvin & Cleo’s Bloody Mary Mix
- Carlos Creek Winery
- Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery
- Codigo 1530 Tequila
- Don Julio
- Duluth Coffee Company
- Duvel Moortgat USA
- Frey Vineyards
- Indian Island Winery
- Itz Spritz
- Jackson Family Wines
- Ketel One Vodka
- Painter Creek Winery
- Round Lake Vineyards
- Spooky Craft Cocktails
- Villa Bellezza Winery
- White Claw Hard Seltzer
- Willamette Valley Wineries Association
Retail:
- Big Green Egg
- Hippy Feet
- Koselig Candle Co.
- Lavish Lips
- Northern Drift Co.
- Sota Stick Co.
- Stable Gallery at Madden’s
Can’t wait to secure your spot? Purchase tickets for Grand Vine and the Food & Wine Experience here.
