If you haven’t been to south Minneapolis as of late to catch any one of our fabulous neighborhood restaurants, you are missing out, my friends!  My small hood of south Minnie is exploding with great flavor, and with so many different styles of cuisine.  It’s surely one hood you’re going to want to spend more time in once you come just one time.

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to enjoy three back-to-back rockin’ food experiences.  While Restaurant Week seemed to be the talk of the town with over 40 restaurants opening their doors for a very inexpensive way to enjoy a 2 course, prix-fixe or luncheon entree, I totally seemed to miss that conversation and completely forget about the deals that were out there all week.  So with that, I made a reservation at one of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, Cafe Ena.  And, to my surprise when I walked in on Friday nite with my rese of 6 pp, the place was hopping.  With large parties organized in every corner and a wait out the door over an hour long, I was glad that my dear friend and owner, Erin, had made room for us.

Cafe Ena has always been a great spot to enjoy delicious fresh flavors and intriguing Latino infused cuisine, so I knew my clan would be in for some wonderful food.  However, this meal on Friday nite was one of THE most delicious meals I have ever had at the restaurant.  With the Restaurant Week menu in full swing, there were some wonderful deals on the three course menu, but my heart was set on getting our table to try everything so that we could all sample Ena’s good eats.  From the mouthwatering appetizers of stacked caprese salad, fresh piled high guacamole to the spicy shrimp caribe – we were off to a great start.  Fresh flavors exploding with every bite, made my taste buds want more.  As dinner approached the table all decided on completely different entrées.  Some of our meals included a spicy rubbed pork chop, sea scallops over risotto, pan seared grouper, Argentinian Bisteca to my delicate Tilapia fish dish.  Lightly placed over coconut risotto with a sweet but spicy mango salsa, the flavors of my meal made my eyes roll back into my head.  Everyone at the table oohhed and ahhed with delight over every single bit of their plates.  And, by the time dessert rolled around, we were all sure we’d eaten too much.  Yet, were tempted with Chef Hector’s cinnamon rolled deep fried churros left on a plate of hot chocolate dipping sauce.  OMG, heaven.

From every part of our meal – the greeting, our server Alberto’s impeccable service, to the wine recommendations, to the outstanding food – there was not one thing missing from our meal.  Outstanding and 5 stars from me!

As Saturday nite rolled into the picture, we surely thought we’d been spoiled so much by the prior nite’s dinner, that we found it almost impossible to head out again for a restaurant dinner.  Yet, when we took a look in the fridge – we thought, ‘Ah, why not?’.  And never wanting to head too far, we thought we’d stick to our same neighborhood area to find some food.  Remembering that we hadn’t been in to our friend and Minneapolis Chef, Scott P’s restaurant, Corner Table, in a while we decided to stop in.  Even as I thought the city had been exhausted with diners headed out for restaurant week for the past 5 days, I was sure that Saturday would be a bit more quiet in some of our neighborhood joints.  Boy was I wrong.  With a bar packed and the crew just cleaning up after a rush of folks headed out the door from an early dinner rush, our 8:30 timing couldn’t have been any better.  We managed to find a seat at a small table by the window.  I know I’ve said this a million times, but there is not a better place in Minneapolis for pork belly, so with that said…we were in the mood.  After perusing the menu and enjoying a delightful glass of Gruner Veltliner, we had decided not only on the pork belly appetizer, but two of the evening’s specials.

Even as pork belly was on our minds, it was the specials that we ordered that ended up changing my world by the time we left.  My husband’s dish – a fresh, creamy noodle concoction with fat slices of pancetta and fresh veges was outstanding, but until we dove straight into my Chicken + Waffles.
Yep, I said.  Chicken + Waffles.  And you know of my recent experience with Ms. Gladys, Knight’s Chicken + Waffles.  I’m going to have to say, that Chef Scott’s Minnesota version of this southern recipe is one that had me licking every inch of my plate – wanting more!  The chicken was crispy on the outside, not like the Midnight Train, but yikes, do I say this?  ”Better”.  The outside, seasoned perfectly with a juicy, sublime chicken breast waiting to be enjoyed. The waffle, just as it was in Atlanta, but with teeny browned florets of cauliflower and a heavy balsamic reduction just slightly drizzled over the plate – my mouth was in heaven.  I mean, seriously.  Look out ATL, here comes MN’s Chicken + Waffles, baby! Unbelievable.  And once again, a fabulous experience of food, wine and great friends.

Lastly, I cannot pass up talking about the third and final south Minneapolis eatery that made my Trifecta of Good Eats for the weekend a perfect topper.  Patisserie 46, located on the corner of 46th and S Grand Ave – incidentally, right across the street from Cafe Ena.  Sundays for us are a ‘breakfast out’ kind of morning.  I’m always in need of a good coffee and a little something to nibble on before I ‘officially’ start my day, even if it is my day off.  While I’d heard many good things about this new bakery, I couldn’t wait to form my own opinion on this new hot spot.  I was beginning to wonder if Cafe Ena would rule the roost over on that tri corner, knowing from experience that the King’s Wine Bar across the street was a disastrous answer to anything food or wine in my hood.  And because I have been dying for a new Sunday morning joint, I had my fingers crossed on this one.

Fingers crossed?  What was I thinking?  These peeps need no ‘luck’ to help them out.  Our experience, again, a home run.  At 11am, the place was jam packed.  From families, couples, old folks, young folks, church goers, to hung-overs – the place was a zoo.  Yet, with the fabulous service of our new friend Erin, our server, our entire experience was a treat.  She carefully explained each pastry to us with details as to the recipe, ingredients and more.  It was almost impossible to not try everything on the shelf once she was done with us.  From their fresh made ice creams to everything in the window, it was more than tempting to spend the day there eating!  But instead, we were good and chose just a few things.  One, the Quiche Lorraine – wow.  I’m a big, big fan of quiche and I always thought my mom made the best, but…well, Patisserie 46’s was a close tie with my mom’s!   Creamy, lite and very flavorful – everything you want your quiche to be.  With a plate full of lovely cinnamon rolled pastries and croissants galore, our favorite came in the tiniest package.  

The Canelé. I’m not sure I want to say more, saving them ALL for myself!  Erin explained the brown little trinket, as being prepared from a very old French recipe.  With a dark crispy outside, she said the crinkled looking pastry was baked in a clay pot brushed with beeswax.  Yet, the inside was an eggy, spongy, rum soaked cake.  With that description, we HAD to try it.  And, can I tell you?  Words cannot possibly describe the explosion of flavor that my mouth experienced when biting into this little niblet.  A bit crunchy on the outside yes, but the inside – soft, and melted in my mouth like a buttered rum cloud.  The look on both of our faces looked like we both needed a cigarette after taking just one bite.  If one could describe food in terms of euphoria and ecstasy, this was a good way to start.  Ridiculously delightful.  And to boot, my latte was fabulous.  I’m a picky coffee drinker, so saying that the coffee is good is a big step for me.  Overall, just a wonderful experience and a great way to start our easy-going, relaxing Sunday.

So there you have it.  Three FABULOUS restaurant experiences in South Minneapolis.  I’m picky with my eats and I have to say, it’s almost impossible to walk away with three back-to-back immaculate food experiences.  It’s rare that I find two in a row, but three?  A Trifecta of Goodness.  I’m feeling so lucky, I may just play the lottery this week.

Moral of the story ~ Check out MY hood.  South Minneapolis.  It’s taking over the Twin Cities Food Scene.  With now, so many to choose from – I don’t even have to get in my car anymore to enjoy spectacular food.  I think I’ll just start walking to keep burning all this great food off!

Cheers and Enjoy!

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’.

It is the million dollar question almost every night of the week that I work.            “Have you had Minnesota Wine?”

Only to be followed up with…

What do you think about Minnesota Wine?

What Minnesota Wine would I recommend?

Do you think Minnesota Wine is as good as California Wine?

Night after night, I hear the same questions, and my answers surround the facts that encompass Minnesota Grapes as a specie.  Mostly with the fact that the Vitis Vinifera Grapes that we are used to, are not the same as the grapes that we are drinking from Minnesota.

What is Vitis Vinifera?  It is the ‘common grape’ specie that is native to mostly Old World Countries.  These grape vines, which have been spread around the globe at this point, are not generally of the grapes that we find cultivated here in Minnesota.  For instance, the the viticulture department of the University of Minnesota has become rock stars at breeding grapes that are hardy to our climate of extreme temperatures, mostly our cold winters.  While there are grapes that are native to the region, like the Concord wine that my grandmother used to make  in the basement, the U of M is cultivating grapes that are of different varieties.  Are these grapes the same that we know of in other parts of the world like:  Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc?   No, due to the fact that the grapes of this Vitis Vinifera stature would not survive here amongst our climate.  Does that mean that the wines that are made from these Minnesota Grapes are bad?  No way. 

To Understand Them is To Drink Them.  (That’s pretty much my motto with almost every wine!)  By drinking through them, you will then find that you can enjoy them in their own arena.  So why are so many dogging out these wines?  Because they are comparing them to their California Cabernets, or their Oregon Pinot Noirs.  To be honest, you are not comparing oranges to oranges here.  Put them into their own category as you drink them.

While many of these Minnesota Wineries are filling in their wines with juice they’ve purchased from California, like the Zinfandels or Cabernets Grapes that you know, remember that by many standards of (this state’s) wine law permit you to only use a percentage to ‘fill in’ with the native grapes that you originally started with.  So even though they may have a % of grapes that you’re familiar with, they will not necessarily ‘taste’ like the wines that you’re familiar with. 

I must say, it is a huge ‘to do’ on my list for the summer because I, as a sommelier, cannot say that I’ve been to enough wineries between Minnesota and Wisconsin to come up with my own analysis, but I have had a few in the cities that I’ve tried.  While Alexis Bailly Vineyards is one that I find to be ‘the most talked about’,  I did drive south a couple of weekends ago and right by one winery that I’ve had quite a few of, St Croix Vineyards.  The whites that I’ve had are really quite decent and found them to pair with a couple of nice artisanal cheeses for pairing. 

I suppose I come to this point, because I was hired for a wine tasting event a week or so back with a group of gals for a bachelorette party.  These tastings are so much fun.  You know why?  Because everyone comes unbiased, open for anything and ready to have fun.  The International shmattering of wines that I brought, along with a plate of artisanal cheese and handmade chocolates were fabulous, yet I could see that I had one attendee itching to show me her favorite wine.  Before we were through with the final wine in the tasting, she jumped up and said, ‘Have you ever had Minnesota Wine?  What do you think about it?!’ and so on and so forth (pretty much with the same questions that I started this blog with). 

Then she said, ‘I’d take Minnesota Wine over any wine any day, and here’s my favorite!’ 

She held up the Cannon River Winery ‘Go Go Red’  ~ the Grapes: Minnesota Sabrevois, Marquette, & Foch.  Recognize any those?  Probably not, but if you live in Minnesota, then you’ve probably tried them.

My take on the wine… Juicy, approachable, full of rich raspberry, cherry and blackberry.  Supple and might be really nice with a piece of berry cobbler or a fat slice of blue cheese.  Certainly on the ’sweet’ side, but great for those who are looking to sip something easy going.  I thought it was just fine.  Really.  And for $13, it might be kind of fun to slip into your own ‘wine tasting’ at home with friends!

Now, can I compare it to the grapes that I know that produce more acid and more body like Pinot Noir or Zinfandel?  No, but the wine has to be put into its own category.  And you know what – people love it here in Minnesota.  And apparently across the country, because it has won several awards in categories with wines of its comparison. 

I hear so many ‘doggin’ out Minnesota Wine, and it’s not a fair assessment.  Those folks are just not putting these wines in the right category in their minds as they drink them.  Whether they are made of these funky Minnesota Grapes that we’re not familiar with or of real fruit like raspberry, cherry and blackberry – they still live here and are made in YOUR community.  And what should we do with businesses of our own communities, support them.  So here’s to those Minnesotans out there bustin’ their butts to make wine.  I think we should all take another look at what’s out there and visit these wineries that are of our home state, including me!

If you’ve had any Minnesota Wines that you’ve found you like, fill me in.  I’d love some more recommendations!

Looking for all the inside gossip and juicy news in Chanhassen, MN?  

Chanhaven.com  should be your only inside source to all the hot happs in Chanhassen, MN. 

Check out the latest Chanhassen WINE news and gossip … right here! 

Ever spend a day just cruising Twin Cities Wine Shops?  Well okay, maybe not the whole day – but really, just take some time and check out some of the little shops in our area that receive a lot of ‘wine’ buzz?  It’s a ‘must do’ and something you should put on your list one Saturday afternoon. 

Because I am in front of hundreds of people a week, teaching classes or in home parties nightly, I have so many folks telling me their favorite places to shop, new wines they’ve had or new places they’ve read about.  I keep a list of the places that I haven’t been to, and when I get the time, I cruise around for the day scoping them all out.

Last week, I managed to hit up just two.  Sinful Wines in Bloomington and the Cork Dork Wine Co. in South Minneapolis.   Both places came highly recommended by either write ups or people in classes that use the shops as their local neighborhood shop.

First stop – Sinful Wines.  Supposedly the shop had been written up when it first opened a few months back as having ‘hand-selected, boutique’ wines focused on small family owned wineries.  Being that it is the only shop in the Twin Cities owned and operated by a female, the shop received some great press upon its opening.  Thinking, “Wow, I’d love to support a fellow chica in the wine world”, I headed over.  And I must say, I never really truly ‘dog’ out shops, because everyone has their own gig.  But, wow, this shop was truly truly misrepresented by its press.  Hand-selected wines, boutique?  Not a chance.  If a free standing rack of BITCH Wines from Australia is your ’boutiquey’, dude you’re in trouble.  From displays of Gallo magnums, ‘Mommy’s Little Helper’ to racks of over the hill whites, the shop was cold and again, highly misrepresented.  A ‘close out’ table in the middle of store with white wines that are clearly over their prime was probably my last straw.  One wine I know well – Ceretto Arneis – sat in the middle of the table.  The vintage on the bottle was dead 2 years ago.  Bummer, you know why?  Because someone is going to pick it up off the table and take it home thinking that they got a great deal, drink it, hate it because it’s so over the hill and never buy Ceretto wines again.  And Ceretto, is ONE of my FAVORITE Italian wineries!  And their Arneis, get out…is delish.  But, not at Sinful Wines.   My overall experience is Boo + Hoo.  No bueno.  In fact, it’s a better liquor store with rows and rows of cheap liquor gracing its shelves including its anything but cool wine.  Sorry, not a fan.

Next stop, Cork Dork Wine Co.  After my first stop, I was thinking that maybe ‘today wasn’t my day’ for wine shopping.  Wrong.  Mr. Russell Fay, owner of Cork Dork Wine Co., changed my mind.  After spending a few minutes in the shop, quietly perusing the cool, eclectic wines pushed up against the cubical sized walls in his shop, I asked “So what’s the method to your madness of choosing these cool wines in your shop?”.  He gave me an answer that I enjoyed.  He said he had spent years in the restaurant industry within the Twin Cities, got to know a lot of wine portfolios, loved to taste wine and picked wines that he thought were kinda of unique.  “I like it”, is what I said. 

While the room itself (yep, its a room) is tiny, the choices of wine are anything from boring.  From some of my favorite wine portfolios in the city, I found some super fun, out of the way, cool storied wines.  Wines that he had all ‘written up’ with black marker on each of their propped up poster boards that sat behind each wine.  Whether it was his words or blurbs from the winery itself, they were good snippets of info.  And I, walked out of the joint with TWO cases of wine.  Super cool approach, so NOT pretentious and really helpful.  A guy with a dream that made it happen.  My only complaint, his signage out front.  I want more peeps to know about his spot and it’s a little hard to see off of Cedar Ave, where he’s located.  Snuggled in between a pizza joint and an alterations shop – he’s the guy in the middle selling wine.  Two Thumbs Up!

There you have it…The Life of a Sommelier.  Cruising the streets looking for some cool peeps to promote and in the meantime, adding more wine to a cellar that exceeded its limit over two years ago.  Where are these two cases going to live?!  Happy shopping to you all and go over and check out my new pal in south Minnie.  Salut!

Oh boy, if you missed the Sunday Funday at Solo Vino this past weekend, you may be a wee bummed out.  Let me tell you, with all things to throw in: the weather, the place, the peeps and the wine – my friend, The Chucker of Solo Vino, hit a home run with The Twin Cities BEST Rosé Tent Tasting!

Truly, it could be listed in years to come as, The Best Wine Tasting of the Season!  With only two years under his belt for the tasting, this was certainly one you did not want to miss.  Over 100 rosés from around the world were shown, from bag, box and bottle – the delicious list of gorgeous pink-hued beauties showed their skins.  The folks in attendance were draped in some of the hottest summer shades and the folks pouring were more than enthusiastic to show off their portfolios.  Truly, a big big hit!

Wines from around the globe wooed the likes of every wine drinker, but none more than the ‘Best in Show’ talk of the tent newbie!  That’s right, Croatia.  Croatia – I know, I know,  if you read my blog you’re wondering if I’m ever going to get off my soap box…  But, I just have to just show off some proud peacock feathers here for a second.  And, I have to tell you why I cannot shut up about these wines!

Sunday was why.  With over 265 people in attendance, the excitement built around a four foot table of three Croatian wines from Korta Katarina Winery.  Katharine Anderson Groethe, daughter of winery founder and sole importer and distributor of the Korta Katarina Wines here in the Twin Cities, along with myself, Sommelier for the winery – poured the winery’s Plavac Mali Rosé, Posip and Plavac Mali red.  And to be honest, we couldn’t get folks to leave our table!  It was so exciting and contagious.  By mid way thru the event, the word of the Croatians had spread all the way around the tent creating a line for folks to try these Dalmatian beauties.

With a Rosé of Plavac Mali, the wine was round with lush, strawberry field, watermelon pulp and dark bing cherry fruit.  Great, as we said, from everything in your salad, goat cheese, to a lovely fish on the grill.  Next, the winery’s white wine, Posip (pronouned POSHIP), was truly the hit of the party.  The Posip grape only grown on one spot in Croatia, the island of Korcula, is a lovely floral, aromatic, ripe melon fruited goodie.  Down to the last drop, it’s a backyard sipper and an elegant first course, through and through.  Lastly, Korta Katarina’s Plavac Mali.  If you’ve been following my bits, you know that the grape has been traced back to having one parent of Zinfandel.  It has a spicy, dark, meaty first impression that leads you into a palate filled with lovely notes of ripe raspberry, cherry and blackberry.  So good with meat on the grill to an aged Pecorino cheese.  And let me tell you, all agreed! 

Korta Katarina, ‘Best in Show’ again!  Stay tuned for more Summer Tastings listed on Amusee’s Event Page ~ you never know where these fun new wines will pop up again, stay tuned!

I say this almost every season that I’m in New York, but I just love New York this time of year!  What a wonderful, colorful, glamorous city.  There is truly nothing like it in world, well… unless you’ve been to Hong Kong (that’s another blog entry). 

Just this week, I spent a couple of days in the city hanging with a fun group of new Croatian pals and drinking Eastern European wine.  Not a bad job, right?  There is, as I’ve learned with Eastern European culture, so much to understand about the history, beginnings and taste of this culture and its wines.  Introducing the new wine kid on the block, Korta Katarina Winery, to a group of first generation Croatian Americans is both, as I found, exciting and also jam packed with interesting comments.  Especially in a very vocal location like New York.  After trying several of these bottles and thinking back to my first YOUTUBE video on Amusée’s CRUSH PAD where I tried some of the best producers of the country, I realize that there is so much more that I now know about this place called:  Croatia. 

Like New Yorkers, Croatians are proud.  They are rare folks who talk so romantically about their culture, the land, the original grapes and its people.  Everyone holds their hands in forms like the Italians, you know pinched fingers, expressing their points.  And, I love it.  The same is true of so many in NY.  Sometimes maybe too vocal, but always very passionate when they speak.  Good Mid Western girls were taught to never interrupt, which really wouldn’t get you anywhere with this crowd, so you have to ‘express’ your own points in between their breaths. 

And while NY is a place where every single rare bottle of wine can be found, they too have some wonderful neighborhoods that support the Eastern European wine category with its inhabitants in full force.  For one, the neighborhood of Astoria.  A very cool spot.  Folks with open markets, nationalities of every spectrum, and languages that are heard from one end of the store to the other.  It is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of Queens, which now you can imagine a bit more the streets and corners if you’ve ever been to the area.  And funny as it is, when in Seattle a couple of weeks back, I had a conversation about an Italian restaurant located there.  A few Master Sommeliers spoke of this great Italian restaurant, delicious food and great wine located in Queens.  Wouldn’t you know it, I ended up there while on this trip!

Ponticello Ristorante.  While we did not have time to eat, you have to know that it will be the first place on my list the next time I’m in the city.  The owner, Pepe, is one cool cat.  A native Croatian passionate about his wines, food and his restaurant spoke to us about his culture, New York and well, many other subjects.  His passion for selling Croatian wine was evident and it was so fun throughout the day(s) listening to everyone’s take on the country’s main red grape:  Plavac Mali.  The grape as I’ve come to learn it is rich with fruit, high in feisty tannin and ridiculously complex with layers of dirt, minerality and crunchy dried herbs.  I can now say, I’ve tasted some very inexpensive ones (and not really my favorite) to some very good ones.  Knowing of course, that Korta Katarina is my first pick on the shelf, there are others that display the same fruit yet different underlying layers of earth and spice.  I feel like my palate and my mind have been taking inventory on this grape now for weeks.  It’s very cool how each of them really is so different.  From its native area of southern Croatia and the Dingac and Postup Vineyard Sites to the Island of Hvar – each has its own story to tell.  There is so much to learn. 

Though my trip to the great city of New York was short and sweet and filled with many more interesting ‘blurbs’, ones blog shouldn’t probably go on and on and on.  So I end with my favorite part of New York, because it’s always a place I manage to make it to while there. 

Central Park.  Where the horse carriage aromas seem to fill every corner of the park, to the colorful street vendors that make your walk visually entertaining, it is the most rare piece of land in any one city.  The trees are now in bloom, the color of green is almost neon in some spots and the open fields in the park’s center, I’m sure, have already been used for Sunday afternoon frisbee throwing and late afternoon picnics.  It’s such a beautiful spot, and truly…as I said like no other place in the U.S.  I can’t wait to go back. 

Cheers to my new Croatian and Russian friends and thanks for your warm and very generous New York hospitality!

A girl after my own heart!  I took some time this weekend to hang out with one of my favorite people and close pal, Miss Kate, for a little 101 in swirling, how to ‘hard sell’ wine and ‘how to say sommelier’.  I wouldn’t mess with her.

She’s good, CUTE and is the first in MY family to say ‘Sommelier’ right!

 (IN HD)

Thursday night, days after my birthday, I got together with girl friends to celebrate my ‘wonder years of the 80’s’ in real rockin’ style.  Ever wonder how a sommelier spends her birthday?  Some years it’s spent drinking those crazy spendy bottles from the cellar that are only allowed to be touched just a couple times a year, some years it’s baseball games as my bday always falls on someone’s home opener, some years it’s kickin’ it in the backyard with friends and family, some years it’s a must that I ski out west due to those awesome mountain spring snow storms and some years, it’s eating jelly beans because the day falls on Easter.  But this year, I went so far as to celebrate twice!  Once on the day of my birthday, with a fabulous Argentinian wine tasting (www.famigliameschini.com) with friends and family and once with a group of my favorite gals – Roller Skating!

Roller Garden, ever been?  It’s a nice little spot over in St Louis Park that celebrates roller skating with only the best.  They have a variety of nites to skate to that range from Disco to R&B.  Thursday nites are R&B and, I can now say from experience, that is one of THE best nites to skate.  The roller kids that come to play, after 8:30pm for 25 + over (yikes, that was us!), are pretty darn serious.  The rhythm, the motion, the skating…awesome!  And, the music along with some of the rink’s characters – untouchable.  Only the best come to skate and show their moves.  Unfortunately, the birthday girl had little to no skill.  I guess my days of acting as ‘roller queen’ (when I was 12) are only memories that I can live with. 

Because Roller Garden prohibits alcohol, and thank God they do, the Roller Girl group that I went with decided to ‘quench our thirsts’ with a little pre-game app and bubbly hour.   Now my gal pals, they like ALL kinds of wine.  They don’t always go for one color over another.  They seem to, for the most part take a sip of everything from the cellar when the wine flows at my house.  But there is one type of wine that is never passed up when the girls come to play…bubbles.  Bubbles are a favorite of mine and well, has to be some what of a prerequisite as a fav if you’re friends with me.  I thought I’d share a few that we had pre-roller skating that helped to loosen the clan up, not to mention were ALL fabulous for a beautiful spring nite!

Schramsberg Brut Rosé:  One of my absolute favs.  And, really can’t be touched (in my opinion) when you’re talking California Sparkling.  L-O-V-E.  That should say enough.  Soft, supple with a slight hint of freshly ripened strawberries.  Yum.  And, on the shelf for under $40, I love it.

Argyle Brut:  This was my ‘house wine’ on Sundays when I lived in Oregon. And, it’s still a favorite American Sparkling for me.  Crisp, clean, appley and very reminiscent of Oregon varietals.  Lite, clean and refreshing.  Perfect for any occasion.  One of the best American sparklers for under $30. 

Bollinger Special Cuvée:  While the Frenchies are hardly every affordable any more, this one is good for a special occasion and won’t necessarily break the bank.  Bollinger.  That should say enough, right?  Creamy, yeasty, full bodied with hints of toasted brioche and more.  It’s like sippin’ the stars, oh wait! that’s Dom Perignon…but still, delish.  The Bollinger, on the shelf for roughly $60.  A very nice wine for the price and one of my favorite true Champagne houses.