If you missed the last episode to American Idol, well then you may want to order a couple bottles of bubbly and watch it with someone who taped it.

Un-freekin’-believable is the only thing I can say.  Embarrassed to admit, I watched the entire season only to be shocked with the season’s finale.

While the show was filled with mesmerizing performances including:  Steve Martin, Keith Urban, KISS, Lionel Richie, Queen, Queen Latifa, Rod Stewart, David Cook and the Black Eyed Peas with Fergie.  The show was one of the best I’d ever seen of the Idol, yet the final results were more mind-blowing than the reunion of the KISS army with Adam Lambert as their lead vocal.

If I weren’t so under the weather today, I would have been poppin’ bottles of bubb after every performance.  This is the television occasion where your best bottle of Pinot or your most coveted Cab doesn’t even deserve to be drank.  The only thing left to drink after a night like this is ‘bubbly’.

For those of you who watched as Kris Allen was awarded the title of the country’s new American Idol, I sat with my mouth dropped open knowing that this wasn’t the last I’d seen of my own personal favorite American Idol, Adam Lambert.  Dude, anyone who can rock out with KISS like that deserves his own bathtub full of bubbles!

Congrats to both who kept me watching, dvr-ing week after week, tied to the tube waiting for tonite’s results.  It was the best A I Finale to date and, still embarrassed, am looking forward to watching next year! 

Survival of the fittest they say, right?  Well, only the strong drink pink is what I say! 

Here we are again, another spring season and another vintage struggling to make folks understand in the great state of Minnesota – just how lovely PINK can be.  I watch as some of my favorite wine shops pile up on rosé, but the restaurant crowd is still a bit reluctant to put it on their wine lists.  What’s the excuse that I hear day to day? – “People in Minnesota just don’t order it”  Why?  Because they think it’s either White Zinfandel or they order it thinking it’s White Zinfandel and then are disappointed when it’s dry.  Such a bummer.  Haven’t we come to the conclusion here people, that all it takes is just a little education??  How great would it be if we could just all get together and enjoy PINK for what it is…crisp, drippin’ juicy strawberry aromas with hints of whatever the PINK is bled from – Cabernet, Zinfandel, Syrah,  Grenache, Tempranillo, Pinot Noir, Nero d’Avola or any other gosh darn grape you want to use - delish.  Well guess what, now we have no good excuse to avoid it, and one good reason to bathe in the glow of all the rosé that one can handle.  A rosé party!

Who:  A dear pal of mine, Mr. Chuck Kanski, owner of Solo Vino wine shop located on Selby Ave, St Paul is one of the biggest rosé freeks out there!  As Ze’ Master of ceremonies, he will be there.

When:  Sunday, May 31st from 2-5pm – Rain or shine, baby!

Where:  WA Frost, 374 Selby Ave, St Paul

Cost:  $20 per person allows you to try over 100 rosés

It’s a Rosé Tent Tasting – WOW!  Are you kidding?…you’ve gotta check this out!

 View the Rosé Tasting Invite!

And, if you can’t get over to the gig on the 31st, be sure to check out Chuck’s rosé selection at Solo Vino, 517 Selby Ave, St Paul www.solovinowines.com

Here are a couple that I picked up this week at his shop that I enjoyed…

Shane Rosé – Sonoma County – only 250 cases produced – $12 bottle

This rosé, a bleed of Syrah, is a nice approach for dinner.  A little deep and lusty at first for my liking, but softened up after a glass or two or three!  Sweet notes of fresh ripe watermelon and very ripe strawberry bed.  I’m guessing that it would be great with a nice grilled salmon goat cheese salad.

Domaine du Dragon Rosé – Provence – A-typical bleed from Provence Grenache and Syrah – $11 bottle

Absolutely delish and always one of my favorite rosés of the summer year after year!  Hints of fresh citrus, lite strawberry, honeydew with an oyster shell backbone.  This is your ‘throw it in a tumbler and take a nice evening walk around your neighborhood block’ kind of rosé.  Fresh and always delightful and freekin’ CHEEP, I love it. 

Tis the season to drink more of it.  After all, it is almost summer and what a better libation to enjoy than rosé?  Get after it!

Read my article from last season’s Midwest Wine Connection on PINK:    http://www.wineheads.com/pdfs/july07.pdf

I know, I know – my homework sounds awful doesn’t it?  Sitting around drinking wine and wondering how I’ll write up my next evaluation?  Sometimes it takes more than one glass to get the descriptions rolling but once they do – look out!

This weekend, I visited a local bottle shop in Bloomington – MGM Wine & Spirts, located on Old Shakopee road and (almost) the corner of France Ave.  First off, the store – a nice, clean atmosphere with helpful folks looking to help you out with questions or recommendations.  While I didn’t take the help offered, I appreciated someone asking – funny concept in retail these days – it was actually very nice. 

After my first spin around the store, I picked up a box and went to it filling up a case of travelling weekend goodies.  I was sure not to spend more than $20 a bottle and grabbed only wines that either looked interesting re: bottle image or sounded interesting re: shelf talking description.  Without digging too deep or expending too much time, I basically had put together a box that might look good from an average wine drinker’s perspective.  Good for the money and maybe looked or sounded intriguing.

Now – I haven’t gotten through my entire box of goodies just yet, but I did have three that I wanted to offer up some tasting notes on, just in case you see them yourself on the retail shelf throughout the Twin Cities retail wine shops. 

#1: Volver Tempranillo – La Mancha, Spain – Price: $14.99   My notes:  Upon opening, smelled of dark chocolate and cherries, after one half hour of being opened the wine smelled of burnt pie crust and over toasted dirty oak.  The palate was dark and tannic but not in a good way.  With an artificial hershey’s chocolate coating the mouth feel felt over saturated with a thick cherry jolly rancher bite.   Not at all pleasing, tasting very ‘manufactured’ and definitely not worth the $14.99 I paid for it – but could be worth the money if it was $4.99.

#2:  2007 ‘Old Vines’ Atteca Garnacha – Calatayud, Spain  Price: $14.99   My notes:  Aromatic notes of a freshly rained on strawberry field.  You know that smell, after a hard rain in the mid western summer, strawberry beds have a juicy, red fruit smell that draws your fingers to want to pick every last berry off the vine.  The wine was nice, soft and alluring on the nose.  The palate was similar.  It was tasty through and through.  The wine did not change much from its first glass to its last.  The mouth feel was soft, juicy and had a hint of a freshly baked raspberry/rhubarb pie straight from the oven.  Supple.  I liked it and I thought of it as a nice way to entertain a wide array of folks in the backyard.  Not to heavy and not too wimpy.  The Garnacha grape (Grenache) is one of those grapes though, soft and easy drinking.  It, generally, will never turn anyone off.   Worth the money?  I’d be happier if it were roughly $11-$12, that’s where my mouth rated it.

#3: 2006 Independent Producers Merlot – Columbia Valley, WA   Price:  $10.99   This might be the best one buck for buck – on the money, valued wine I had this weekend.  Now, I was attracted to the bottle because it looked a little Frenchy.  You could tell some artisan producers got together to produce something ‘inexpensive’ because it had that ‘creative’ look to it.  And, well because I’m a Pacific NW kind of girl I’m always looking to pick up something new from my old stompin’ grounds. 

This wine was surprising pretty drippin’ juicy – I’d almost (almost) put it into an off-dry category.  I would have preferred something a wee bit drier, but I gotta tell you, it was worth the money.  Plus, I had mine for dessert with some chocolate, so the pairing – couldn’t have been better.  The nose was very ripe red raspberry and full of cassis.  Hints of thin mint chocolate and spearmint coated parts of it, but the palate had a nice, easy to drink finish.  Again, I wasn’t expecting too much and I think because I didn’t, I liked it.  Worth every bit of the $10.99 I paid for it, but would really recommend that you put it into a dessert, last drop drinkin’ category or pair it with rich, sticky sweet cherry smoked ribs – that may do the trick.  Either way, a good wine.

Homework, wow! such a drag, huh?  Yeah, not so much.  Not a bad way to spend your Sunday.  Drinkin’ and writin’ – not a bad way to make a living is what I say.  Salut!

Saturday, May 8th – celebrated Mother’s Day early with a room full of wonderful folks raising a glass of vino to their moms.  I taught a class at Cooks of Crocus Hill on Grand Avenue in St Paul that celebrated one of the best groups of people – our moms.

With almost 50 peeps in attendance, the room swelled with conversation, laughter and an overwhelming desire to drink more wine!  Lots of great comments regarding smells, tastes and pairings – I loved it.  To me, this is just the class that makes my world of wine go round. 

While the class was only a two hour session, we did a great job of knocking down some good instruction including new world/old world wine discussion, aromatic and sensory evaluation and interesting varietal picks for summertime entertainment. 

With all that said, I wanted to highlight two wines that really made the cut for Saturday’s class.

One- Helfrich Gewurztraminer.  Gewurztraminer, remember that grape?  Why is it that when you see it on the shelf that it’s one that you don’t always pick up.  Are you scared?  Did you forget what it tasted like?  Or, are you afraid that it’s going to be too sweet?  -All by the way, questions at Sat’s class.

This Gewurztraminer from Alsace, France – a region which lies on the eastern border just before you cross into Germany – is one of my favorites for the summer.  It’s light with a fresh citric aromatic that has a touch of white flower that floats gently across the surface of the wine.  One woman in class said that she smelled freesia flowers in the bouquet – ‘absolutely’ was my answer – again, always fun to see folks using their senses with imagination.  The palate of this wine, however, lightly floral with a hint of honeysuckle sweetness but off-dry with a nice refreshing, spring time after thought.  Clementine oranges and hints of fresh meyer lemon graced the palate with its lingering finish.  On the shelf, this wine could be found for just under $20.  2007 Helfrich Gewurztraminer – Alsace, France

The second winner of the class – Root 1 Carmenere from the Colchagua Valley, Chile.  While Root 1 as a producer is not new to the streets, their new U.S. arrival of their Carmenere is.  Root 1 has been widely known for their Cabernet/Syrah blend, rich with huckleberries and deep aromatic chocolate.  Now, with their new Minnesota release of their Carmenere, they are turning folks on to a fun dark headed grape that has everyone turning their heads.  For many years the Chileans vinified Carmenere as Merlot thinking it was a strain of the queen of grapes.  But after much evaluation and some time under microscope, the country found that their once named Merlot cousin was actually a grape called: Carmenere.  Root 1′s Carmenere is an a-typical example of the grape.  Rich and jammy like its friend Merlot, the wine carries lots of heavy, marionberry and blackberry notes – yet from a tasting perspective throws a heavy dose of smoke and alluring European cocoa powder at you.  Good to the last drop – voluptuous and slinky, just how I like my Carmenere.  Everyone loved it and the last sip was paired with a hand made truffle filled with a raspberry ganache, delish!  The 2007 Root 1 Carmenere, Chile  can be found on the shelf for no more than $15 a bottle, a steal. 

In closing, the class a smash and the wines even better – not a momma went home thristy.  Thank you to everyone in attendance. 

So here’s to you, Moms, Happy Mother’s Day and may you treat yourselves to a great glass of wine everyday!

Dear Brett,

Words cannot explain the anguish that you continue to dish onto your once, very loyal ‘Packer Nation’. 

Spoken as a true Packer fan and born and raised in a state where the blood of a Wisconsin native only runs the colors of green and gold – I am heartbroken.

We lived for years by the talent of your one armed, sideways, back handed throws.  The game depended on your mood, your hail marys and your unbelievable ability to throw with your eyes closed.  We stood by you through seasons of interceptions and gut wrenching last minute plays that lost us many chances to return to the superbowl.

But yet, we revered you still as our hero until your very last game as a Packer.  We cried the same tears you did the day you gave your ESPN speach telling us that the game of football was all that you were ever in the sport for, when you hung your green and gold number for retirement. 

We would have laid down on the tracks for you – hell, we would have kicked any one off the next bar stool just to buy you a beer.  We named streets after you, my goodness you meant so much that grown men tatooed your name and number across their chests to stand in sub zero temperatures on game day just to express their undying love for you – hey man, you could have been considered for the position as Wisconsin’s next governor. 

And now, my old friend, I’m afraid – I wouldn’t even lend you a quarter to call someone who cared.  I’m so tired of hearing your name, I turn the television channel every time your face appears.  I huff at the thought of you – as a betraying Minnesota Viking – in purple – wearing the #4 across your jersey.  Really? 

I’m a wine writer, not a sportswriter, but I figured that this was important enough to say – not enough wine could help drown the sorrow that I have knowing that I will, most likely, have to sit next year watching you stand in a position of purple.  It’s sad to say, but I will have to resort to drinking California Zinfandel to help soften the blow.  Something thick and undeniably sweet, comercialized and overwhelmingly saturated for the public’s taste.  Something with drama and without much restraint – there for the public to enjoy, yet not one that is worthy enough to hang around for the next decade.  There are a couple of California Zins that come to mind, you know the ones – started out family owned and now have used their success to sell themselves out for more…  I think you get the point.  Just as there as many good zins in the world that hold true to structure, the same is true of honest sports heroes – they are few and far between anymore.

It will be a cold damn day in Minnesota when I raise a glass of Zinfandel to my old hero – good luck, Brett Favre – Mr. Minnesota Viking – and good riddins!

Signed,

Heartbroken Packer Fan