And the hits just keep on comin’!  This summer has been filled with class after class, all of them knocking the hits right out of the park.  Thursday nite with our BAD ASS BBQ & BEST BUCK 4 BUCK WINES class at Cooks of Crocus Hill was no exception.  With a class over 30 peeps deep and a group ready to take on anything Q’d, we were all in the mood for a little fun.

The wines were all focused around good valued juice that packed a little more punch than the price price point you paid.  You know, something you could say you paid $20 for and no one would ever know that you paid $10 because it was that good!  With everything from an easy drinkin’ $7 Bordeaux Rosé to WINE IN A BOX (yep, you heard it right!) – the hit of the nite – all blind and the wine, which was served from decanters, was unveiled only after everyone started guessing $18-$25 for the bottle.  The box, which I wrapped in brown paper bag and labeled:  BAD ASS VINO, turned the room into a roar with my Aus Banrock Station Shiraz in a box.  Something you’d find on the shelf for about $8 a 750mL, was now in a 3L box staring us down for a total of $20 (that’s 4 bottles!)  The room applauded!

But, here was the real gem of the nite…the last pairing of our dinner.  Grilled strawberries and…you’ll have to watch to find out! 

Check out Chef Mike Shannon from Cooks of Crocus Hill and myself as we give you a little 411 on this spectacular summer pairing and unveil the wine we used for delicious Grilled Summer Strawberries and house made Lemon Sorbet!  (In HD)

Folks are always asking and I’m always trying them…from one end of the Mississippi to the other, I’m reviewing them left and right.  What are they?  Minnesotan wines.  From grapes like Frontenac, Marquette to St Croix – they’re a foxy group of characters.

Take a look as my pal, Chef Mike Shannon from Cooks of Crocus Hill, and I review a wine made in our own backyard.  Literally, kind of a ‘city made’ wine.  From Warehouse Winery - this, a blend of Frontenac with California purchased grapes: Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Franc. 

Watch as we review and then PAIR to this funky wine concoction!  In HD.

Looking for a cool wine to pull off the shelf…because of its looks?
Check this out – A Review of the 2004 Super Hero InZinerator – with, what looks like a strange Perfect Pairing!

I have to say, at one point in my life I may have been a bigger basketball fan than most guys I knew.  For those of you who don’t know, I’ve played basketball pretty much my whole life.  I was always THE biggest nerd about playing.  Playing any time of day, for as long as I wanted and whereever and whenever anyone had a ball, I was there.  Whether I was travelling to Europe as youngster, or living in NYC for my short stint, I was always hanging around someone’s bball court.  Hooping it up with the best of them.  From Central Park to the courts I grew up on in Wisconsin, basketball was ‘my time’.  My time to play, let it all out and show those boys what I had.  I wasn’t afraid of anyone taller, faster or stronger than I was because I knew I had a wicked outside shot.

But today, after one back surgery later, knees that sound like crunched glass when I bend, and a career that keeps me working from morning to night – my days of hooping are limited to shooting a bucket when someone’s kids are around with a basketball in hand.  And my love for everything ‘basketball’ is a little less, let’s say, ‘obsessive’ than it was 10+ years ago.  I still love to watch the athleticism, ability and talent of the youngsters entering the league and support my fellow female ballers from college to the pro leagues, but there’s a little something that’s changed about ‘how’ and ‘why’ we watch basketball today.  It’s not as much about the fundamental talents of these athletes anymore, it seems to be more so about the ‘show boatin’ personalities that come with the paycheck now more than ever. 

I remember, in fact, the day that LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony both signed their contracts out of high school.  It was such a big deal…Wow! kids out of high school straight into the NBA.  It was a big deal, along with the day on Michigan Ave in Chicago when they BOTH showed up at the Nike store signing their own shoes for the public.  I remember it being a huge deal, because I was there.  But it was then that I remember thinking, ‘Wow, which one of the boys will be the most successful?’ and ‘Where will these two guys go from here?”.   Funny thinking back, because now we know.  When an entire night of television is devoted to ONE guy’s decision as to where he’ll play ball, I now think – what is wrong with our priorities!  Not to mention, here we go again.  Could this have been any more BRETT FAVRE to anyone else besides me?  And P.S. – Does the decision have to come with 47 Mineral Water Commercials, or an actual ‘count-down’ box on my screen to tell me when LeBron was to announce his decision?!  But guess what, we were sucked in.  Just as everyone else in the sports world was, we too sat (shamelessly) in front of our television awaiting the facts.  And today we’re right back to where we thought we’d be, knowing that King James will suit up in a Miami Heat uni this fall. 

While basketball certainly wasn’t my first priority last nite, it seemed to take up a good chunk of my evening (thanks honey!).  So to add a bit more excitement to the night, I thought about today’s blog and its inevitable title:   What Wine Would Be Fit for a King?  King James that is… 

Rustling through the cellar, searching for just the right wine to hold court against the LeBron hype, I stumbled across a self labeled 2007 Korta Katarina Plavac Mali.  Nika, the winemaker for Korta Katarina, slipped me the bottle upon my visit to Croatia in March.  And since, have been holding on to it for the perfect time to drink it.  How could this have not been any more perfect?  With a 2006 Korta Katarina Plavac Mali already open, I thought…what a perfect chance for a side by side comparison tasting. 

Here’s what I found and I’m not really sure I should say more than this (but I will):  LOOK OUT SPECTATOR! 

A wine that could totally and single-handedly put Croatian wine on the map.  While most of you know that I am already a huge fan of Korta Katarina Winery and their current 06 Plavac Mali – this, my friends is true testament as to what our Eastern European friends are up to. 

My notes:  The wine is deep with back notes of depthy dirt, minerality, smoked cedar, licorice, dried prunes and dried herbs.  The fruit is not as overt as the 2006, even as the alcohol levels exceed its previous vintage.  The alcohol is masked by this intense dried herbal element, mashed in with supple pruned fruit, delicious dirt and earth smells along with amazing lifted notes of vanilla.  And the palate, just like you were drinking the stars…sorry Dom, Croatian Stars that is.  Lush on the palate, yet dry and perfectly balanced with silky interwoven tannins, supple fruit as was on the nose and mouth-watering goodness.  Oh my.  Could be one of my favorite wines this summer.

And as I sat savoring, oohhing and ahhhing over my new love – alas King James’s announcement came… 

And I thought, finally a wine… perfectly fit for a King, even a King James (that is).  Yum.   Can’t wait for you all to try it (next vintage)!

Check out this, newest post by my pals at Chanhaven. 

If you’re looking for something to do today – come to this spectacular CROATIAN WINE EVENT!

…That Chappellet Winery , one of my most favorite California Wineries!, is powered on Solar Energy? Very cool, right? 

Chappellet.   If you’ve ever been to Chappellet, you know exactly what I mean by saying (period).  They are a world-class Californian winery with a stellar reputation, outstanding property and amazing wines to boot.  My pal, Steve Tamburelli, the winery’s general manager, comes to visit the Twin Cities often and with always so much enthusiasm, passion + professionalism for the winery, that it’s virtually impossible not to fall in love with the Chappellet’s story and pedigree.  While I could go on and on about the love that I have for the story, the land, the winery and its wines…let me show you how this winery’s commitment is truly unique.  I was reminded yesterday via TWITTER of Chappellet’s Commitment to Agriculture and Winery Practices, with the fact that Chappellet is lovin’ this hot summer sun and all the energy that it has to give…back to the winery.  Their twitter yesterday showed a gorgeous pic of their solar panels shining bright in the Napa Valley Sunshine.

Chappellet Fact:

•  In 2008 Chappellet unveiled an ambitious solar project. Comprised of 960 individual solar modules capable of producing approximately 280,000 kilowatt hours per year, this 20,000-square-foot solar photovoltaic system generates enough energy to offset 100 percent of the winery’s PG&E bill. Over a 30-year period it will have the amazing environmental benefit of reducing greenhouse gases by 4,513,275 lbs. In practical terms this is the equivalent to planting over 40,000 trees.

Sweet, right?

You know what else…

• In the early 1980′s, Chappellet was the first to plant cover crop – literally terming ‘sustainable’ long before it became a ‘trendy’ word to use in the U.S.
• 90% of their estate vineyards are farmed ORGANICALLY
• All of their mechanical equipment use 50% Biodiesel

For more details on their commitment to full stewardship and to honor the natural integrity of property visit Chappellet’s Sustainability Page.

And if you want more, you can watch the vineyard LIVE and take a peak at their solar panels online through their web cam.  Pretty cool stuff.

Thanks Chappellet for sharing that bit of LOVE with us – you have a slew of fans here in The Twin Cities!  Keep those gorgeous wines comin’.

Shake n Bake, I’m back from the Hot State of Georgia!  Hope you all had a chance to catch up on my stops and eats along the way while in Atlanta.  With so much good food to enjoy, a fabulous five days of relaxin’ + great friends to enjoy it all with – our trip to Atlanta was a success.  And the best part, we finished our trip off with a little more Sting.  So yes, we’re back on the Sting trail, but this time with some great LIVE CLIPS from the concert, very close up!  Check out these very up close and personal videos of Sting and the Philharmonic Orchestra (aka:  ’The Queen’s Orchestra’ – For more on the Twin Cities Show…See Sting Blog Below).

I’m still searching for the perfect wine, in fact…I’ve had a lot of great recommendations, all from HUGE Sting fans, but I’m still on the hunt to satisfy completely, MY Sting/Wine Connection.

Monday, June 28th – we had the distinct pleasure of being ‘wow’d’ for the second time this summer – all in one week – by the Great Mr. Gordon Sumner, (aka: Sting) this time from Chastain Park, just inside the city limits of Atlanta, Georgia.  With a whoppin’ 95+ degrees and well, the humidity so thick you could cut right through it, and the amphitheatre bursting at its seams with 6,000+ peeps, the surroundings were some of the best I’ve seen a large act perform. (Well, outside of Red Rocks- that’s a hard one to top.) The crowd equipped with hand fans, many with personal misters, the sticky humidity and heat had you wantin’ anything but red wine, sorry guys.  In fact, the big hit of this hot summer night in Atlanta called for the south’s Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka.  While I’d most likely like a crisp cool glass of white wine, the Firefly was surely the ticket for cooling this Sting Crazed Crowd down.  Not that you couldn’t order a full bottle of wine in a plastic ‘yard’ (hello, Vegas!) at the amphitheater, our clan was all on board for something just a little more “south” if you know what I mean.  The show was great, all within the first ten rows of seating, Sting was front and center shakin’ his 58 yr old pa-too-ti with no shame.  While I was looking for a little something different than our Minneapolis show, just one week before, the exact same concert was played down to song order and stories.  All fine and still fab, but I could have used a set list change.  Yet then again, how many peeps travel from MSP to ATL in one week to see Sting?

Tonite as I write, I am sitting with a fat glass of Rioja.  One of my favorite Spanish producers:  Montecillo.  An old school favorite with depth, dirt and personality.  It’s a kind of ‘ra-cha-cha!’ booty shaker.  In fact, I’m enjoying a little sheep’s milk, Garrotxa cheese with my Rioja, while hummin’ “Desert Rose” – how appropriate!  Maybe that’s what Sting needs for pairing… a booty shakin’ wine?  Let’s stop pretending we’re all so serious after all – we’re here to just enjoy ourselves, right?  So maybe Sting needs something that makes you ‘Shake n’ Bake’.  Not just a little, but one that really gets the blood flowing.  And, I’m sticking with that as my final answer…does he need red or white?  I’m not here to say.  It’s up to you after all – so pick up that wine that makes the booty shake and get it going, because Sting can entice anyone to shake it once you’ve watched his hips sway to and from….am I right, or am I right?

Drink What You Like and Like What You Drink!

Check out these LIVE performances from Chastain Park, Atlanta, Georgia – June 28, 2010 – ALL in HD!!