Tune in this Saturday, November 21st – starting at 8 a.m. for some great tips on ~ Pairing and Choosing the Right Wines for Your Holiday Season!

Local Sommelier, Leslee Miller, owner of Amusée – a full service wine consulting firm, will appear on the local news channel Kare 11 www.kare11.com to share with you some of the easiest tips for bringing home some fun + original Pairing Ideas when it comes to vino this holiday season.

Amusée friend and Kare 11 host, Belinda Jensen, along with the station’s very own Erik Perkins “Perk” introduce Leslee in the Cooking Exhibition Segment of the show.  Along with wine and lots of fun eats, the group is sure to give you more than you bargained for sharing truly unique tips on how to set the perfect table for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. 

With a selection of ‘great wine finds’ for categories both Wines: $15 and under and $25 and under, Leslee shares some of her favorite inside finds and also where to find them locally!

*To find out what she chose:

http://www.kare11.com/life/recipes/recipes_article.aspx?storyid=828724&catid=59

It’s a great Saturday morning show to enjoy your cup of coffee with and really does cover so many areas of interest from gardening, cooking, libation, to local news happs – this is the spot to be this and every Saturday morning!

There’s a reason why I’m in the industry I am.  I don’t pretend to play a part other than anything that I am when it comes to being a wine drinker and I definitely never deter folks from enjoying wine for what it is ~ grape juice.  There’s a beauty to my industry that many will never understand.  The players and the posers will continue to be who they are at the end of every day.  Yet, the world will keep spinning and  we’ll all enjoy our vino for all of our very own reasons. 

As a Sommelier, I am constantly emerged in the wine world.  I don’t really do anything else by day (or night) that doesn’t involve wine.  I’m not a kindergarten school teacher by day with a wine drinking hobby that I decided to make into a small business, some crazy collector that happened upon a lot of money so decided to get into wine because my friends thought it was cool or even lay carpet by day for a couple of bucks on the side.  I am in the wine world every day, all day long – in restaurants, in bottle shops, teaching, writing and constantly tasting.  And, the truth is…I love it.

I chose many years ago to become part of the world that had me at its ‘first hello’.  After spending a lifetime amongst a family involved in small restaurants and then working and managing within many fine dining settings from the time I was a kid, taking on a degree as a Sommelier was the natural step.  The day I packed up and hiked it up to the Pac NW to take on my Sommelier degree was a tough one.  My friends thought I was crazy and my family said, ‘What are you going to do with a wine degree?’  They said I’d never make it, yet I never looked back.  I decided something that so many of us never do when it comes to career:  Follow my heart and my passion.  And today, I’m happy to say…I am so proud to say that I did.  And through my profession, the ABC’s of life have become a little bit more clear.

These thoughts ran threw my head Friday nite after teaching one of my favorite Cooks of Crocus Hill classes in St Paul www.cooksofcrocushill.com called:  The ABC’s of wine.  The class is a tough one because there is always so much fun land to travel and well, just not enough time.  If you like wine, well then… it’s just so hard to drink ALL those wines in a three hour setting!  And one of the best parts, the class is taught blind.  It evokes more folks to look into wine from a sensory style of drinking.  A ‘why do I like it, what am I tasting, how do I go about understanding my own palate?’ is really the name of the game.  With so many questions, so many wines, and just a full three hours worth of fun – it is always the most impossible class to get folks to actually want to go home afterwards.  The students always tend to linger on asking questions that intrigue them most and most importantly, share their discoveries about wine.  I tease that they all become 1% Sommelier after attending one of my classes, but the ABC’s class may just need to bump 1%, to give folks a full 2%. 

I am rewarded with amazing comments about ‘how the light went on’  for folks after my class.  Many are repeat offenders and many just coming for the first time.  Whether it is their first or their 100th ‘wine tasting’ class, students always say they walk away with something new after coming to one of my classes.  And, here’s the point…it’s fun.  In fact, it’s really fun!  There is a ton of laughing, a lot of fun comments that allow folks to be what they want to be when it comes to wine and it gives them the freedom to come up a set of tasting notes that are all their own.  I don’t want students walking out with a professional set of tasting notes after a class like this – I just want them to have fun.  And, in the end…feel empowered to drink more wine.  Any wine.  And, pick from any region or section in a local retail shop.  The intimidation of restaurant wine lists and giant retail shops, I hope after coming to one of my classes, goes away.  We also learn that the jokers who are out there hyping up their wine hobbies with a lot of $ and with a ‘what they think they know about wine’ kind of attitude, should just simply sit down.  You know why?  Because today’s wine drinkers don’t care.  They care about a great deal and almost everyday…just a good bottle of wine.  We learn that wine does not come with an attitude but with expression.  It’s a beautiful discovery that some of us learn once you weed your way past those points of extreme snobbishness and pretension. 

But for everything written here, it was one comment that made my whole ABC’s of wine class this past weekend.  It was this:  “Don’t ever quit this job of yours.”  I asked my guest what he meant by that and he said, “You truly do what you love and for a reason.  You have a passion for this and it shows through and through.  You laugh, you smile and you just down right have a great time with this bit called wine.  Don’t ever quit what you do for a living, it would be a huge disservice to us all.”  And with that, I raised my glass.  And in the very end, I can say “Look Mom, I made it.” 

If you have not had the pleasure of coming to any of the classes that I teach at Cooks of Crocus Hill, see here for more details and public events:  http://www.amuseewine.com/html/wine_events.html  I would love to have you. 

And if you’d truly like that front row seat, hiring Amusée to come to your own home to put on a ‘wine tasting extraveganza’ for friends, coworkers or family, might just be your best bet.  Whether it’s a holiday wine tasting party, a gift certificate for a friend to throw their own party with Amusée, or just a nite on the floor drinking wine with your gal pals – Amusée will bring the party to you. 

And for those who continue to come to class after class, I thank you.  You make the difference, and you are the reason why I love what I do!  Thank you.  Salut to old friends and new!  I hope to see you all very, very soon.

Minneapolis Rock City – KISS’s new song title – at least that’s what Paul Stanley said last Saturday night when they rocked, yes rocked! the stage at the Target Center downtown Minneapolis.

Let me first start out by saying, who is this guy who writes the music reviews for our local Star Tribune?

The Title of his Review for the KISS Concert read: Hottest Band in the World still cool (to some, anyway)

www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/69495057.html

Seriously, who has the cahones to write such garbage about rock n’ roll royalty, like KISS?  Was he at the same show with the rest of us?  As the proverbial horse poo piled high within his review, he progressed to dig himself an even bigger hole in the following blog that he wrote about the band’s two new members (Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer) :

www.startribune.com/blogs/69510782.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU

Did the crowd seem to care that they weren’t the originals?  From my standpoint…no way.  The music just as heart stoppin, blood curdling, and obnoxious as ever.  The new members fit in and played their parts, perfectly!

As some wanted to discuss the desire to see the old band members back on stage, making sure the new guys fit into the band were not my concern…In fact, the most I was worried about was seeing something fall out of Gene Simmons skin-tight, nasty-ass, leather-winged costume from the 5th row/center stage!  And my fear of Gene Simmons flesh eating the crowd, soon was lost after his mesmerizing fire-breathing, leather hip boots lured me in, forcing me to watch every movement of their garnet eyes.

From Paul Stanley’s crowd pleasing taunts, to the pyro flame throwers launched from his guitar, the show was an absolute smash!  Yes, many fans were dressed in their KISS garb with probably a couple more lbs. squished into their pleathers than the 30 years prior to, but their 10-14 year old kids sure didn’t care.

I saw KISS for the first time when they came back in full make-up to shock ~ Detroit Rock City @ Tiger Stadium in 1996 with their KISS ASYLUM Tour – opening act, Stone Temple Pilots!  An absolute freak show, but seriously – has always been in my top five of concerts (as still is!)  Do I think that they had the energy this past Saturday night like they did back in 1996? ~ fo’ sho’!  And the two newest members replacing Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, played the part just as they were hired to do.  Not a flaw – even the leggy struts and the mouth movements on stage were on cue with Gene Simmons serpentine-like tongue flashing the side of Tommy Thayer’s throat.  And yet, none was more on cue that Gene’s blood-gushing classic drool.  Once having bitten the heads off bats to bleed his way through his act, this was a little safer rendition with thick red dye oozing from all sides of his 60 year old mouth.  Spectacular, I say! 

The point is – we all came to see KISS and…we got KISS!  In full make-up, in prime condition and shouting it louder than ever.  While I might be opposed to seeing Gene Simmon’s ‘Love Gun’ much closer than the 5th row, all of which we would not stop touching on the inside of his skin tight suit for fans up front, I would never pass up a chance to see these guys again.  60 baby?, if you can still jump, kick and harness your old ass to the top of Target Stadium and sing like a rocker half your age, then I’m down to start drinking their potion.  I tease that some of these guys are probably gurgling Jack Daniels before the show, but KISS may just surprise us all with a grande collection of Bordeaux amongst their treasured libations on the Rock N’ Roll Tour Bus?  One may never know and I’ll bet they’ll never tell.  Leave the mysteries like these to the impending minds of wine drinkers.  As to the comments about KISS being too old and ’still cool, to some’ – we’ll leave those ridiculous reveiws up to the bozos who continue to write bad music rants and don’t care to be entertained, like our buddy from the Trib.

And if you liked the show here in Minneapolis…Shout it, Shout it, Shout it out Loud!! 

I know we say it every year about this time…’the holidays are just around the corner’ but every year we let November take us over and before you know it Turkey Day is already here. And, before you can come out of your turkey slumber, Christmas hits you like a lump of coal.

While we all talk about the recession hitting us and the movement of funds are a little harder to come by – don’t let the year’s gloom dip into your holiday season and let it pass you by.

Tips for your season…

1.    Book a holiday Party this season with Amusée!

How much fun would it be to have a Sommelier in your home

for a gathering of friends, family or even co-workers in the office?

My tag line has become:  Have Wine Will Travel

Amusée can take care of all your party needs from just simply a wine party to a party filled with appetizers, artisanal cheeses, hand-made chocolates, or even a full catered dinner.  Let us save you the cost of hiring a caterer – we do it all!

I literally will come any where and at any time to put on THE best holiday party for your guests. With a fun array of international wines and/or handmade artisanal cheeses and chocolate truffles –the party can be yours ~ calling Amusée can take all the work out of it for you!

Email: leslee@amuseewine.com for a quote to your party.

2. Don’t forget to keep up on my IN THE MEDIA page.

Here is where you will find my latest PAIRING tips from pod casts/videos performed by myself and good friend from the Star Tribune, Bill Ward.

With a plethora of pairing ideas (and we promise to keep the camera still!), this could be your ‘GO TO’ spot for Holiday Pairing Ideas.

Our Holiday Pairings Video to launch within the next couple of weeks.

Stay tuned for a special blog post on PERFECT HOLIDAY PAIRINGS starting first with Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas and New Years.

3. Enjoy yourself!

Whether it’s a spendy bottle that makes your holiday special or it’s something you picked up last minute because it looked interesting…(something interesting might be ~ a fun, spicy Carmenere from Spain ~ a good one to try…Root 1 Carmenere) sit back, relax + enjoy – drink it. Drink it for fun, for gathering with friends over the season and relax.

We have all worked our behinds off this season, for one reason: to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Did someone say FRUIT?  How about fruit in a glass…

Drink up and relax + seriously, have fun this holiday season!

Bruce Hornsby, an unbelievable musician with a piano full of music ten miles long, graced Minnesotans with a stellar show on November 1st.  Including hits from his newest album ‘Levitate’ and some of his old standbys that never seem to fade like ‘The Way It Is’ – the list of songs played for the night lasted almost 3 hours worth of play.  His somehow seamless energy and intertwining melodies had the small theater of O’Shaughnessy on the St Catherine Campus in St Paul rockin’.  While most came to see the great Mr. Hornsby himself, there is no doubt that his funky crew of five, the Noisemakers, round out Hornsby’s ability to shake it up on a sleepy Sunday night in the Midwest. 

So, while tapping my foot to the sounds of one of music’s coolest legends, I found myself wondering ‘what wine is best suited for a guy like Hornsby’.  I kept thinking – pedigree, tradition, hand-crafted, unique and absolutely stellar.  With tying it in for the holidays, here’s what I came up with:  Tokaji.  A great Hungarian sweet white wine from the Tokaj region of northeastern Hungary.  Talk about hand-crafted, long lasting and of absolute hierarchy, this is it.  One of my favorite producers from the region to boot:  Istvan Szepsy.  Even as the wines under his hand share this harmonious sweetness to the palate loaded with stewed apricot and honeysuckle they also continue to hold a brightness to the over picture that keeps them fresh and succulent.  Perfect for the holiday season as the pumpkin pie hits the table and also, as rare as the wine and the producer is, can be found at my friendly neighborhood wine shop ~ South Lyndale Liquor located on Lyndale and 54th in south Minneapolis. 

Try one out and experience greatness.  If you have any Hornsby, don’t be afraid to try them both on for size (the wine and the tunes) – surely, it won’t disappoint and might even have you tapping your foot before your glass of liquid gold disappears. 

And to you, Mr. Hornsby, thank you for an outstanding performance and rockin’ new album.  It’s sure to be a part of my holiday mix as the season comes with entertaining and late night dinner parties.

As hard as this is, I have to sadly admit to the fact that well…Brett Favre just isn’t mine anymore.  While it’s a hard pill to swallow and I’m not one to keep my ’sports’ feelings to myself, the gain of my once ‘beloved’ quarterback to the opposing bench has been one of the hardest sports facts to accept.

The game on Sunday was a big one and much anticipated from the end of many Packer’s fans.  In the window of my front door hung the infamous #28 Viking jersey of Adrian Peterson.  In my house – the Vikings and the Packers benches are split.  My husband, a crazy Vikings fan and me, well just an overly emotional and committed fan of the Green Bay Packers.  Little did he know that before kick-off had launched, I hung a well-read: “RIP” sign under the jersey.  All in good fun of course and in good taste for the Halloween weekend.

Neither my side jabbin’ sign or my killer pot of white chicken chili made for the game, did the trick for bringing all the love or juju to the Green and Gold sidelines.  So, I’m forced to answer the question left by what seems, a crazed Vikings fan, asking “What kind of wine pairs well with crow?” left in a blog comment weeks ago.

If you keep up on my blogs, you’ve read my mouth-running banter declaring my love/hate relationship for my FOURgotten Packer, Mr. Fav-re.  In the ‘So Long, Farewell’ blog entry written after Brett told Childress that he’d remain ‘retired’ the FIRST time- I ran my mouth long and hard saying ‘at least I’d never have to see (him) in purple…’  Soon after, I received a comment from a blogger asking for my pairing for CROW.  Argghh.   Even after clicking the ‘accept’ button to post to my blog, which almost broke my finger off, I have not had the gusto to answer until tonight.

I had my pill and swallowed it hard today after listening to every side conversation from the gas station to my gym about how ‘We (the Vikings) were the Packers worst nightmare.’  So here it is…

‘Eating Crow’ according to Wikipedia says this:  Eating crow (archaically, eating boiled crow) is an English-language idiom meaning humiliation by admitting wrongness or having been proven wrong after taking a strong position. Eating crow is presumably foul-tasting in the same way that being proven wrong might be emotionally hard to swallow. Eating crow is of a family of idioms having to do with eating and being proven incorrect, such as to “eat dirt”, to “eat your words”, “eat your shoe” or “eating humble pie”.

To ‘Eat Humble Pie’ says this:  To eat humble pie, in common usage, is to apologize and face humiliation for a serious error. Humble pie, is a term for a variety of pastries, originally based on medieval meat tripe pies.

My answer:  Dirty, dirty, dirty is in every description of the remark I’m forced to ’swallow’.  So my well thought out pairing is this: Sangiovese.  There’s not a better down-right dirty grape than Sangiovese.  And, one with some Italian substance, is there a better answer?  One of my favorite Chianti Classicos (the region from which Sangiovese is King):  Villa Cafffagio. Lots of dirt, yet rich with ripe, red fruit and substance.

Another one of my Sangiovese favorites, just in time for turkey season: Gaja Ca’Marcanda Promis.  Mr. Angelo Gaja is the grande papé of Italian wine.  The wine, from his Tuscan property and single vineyard estate:  Ca’Marcanda.  The wine is a combination of Sangiovese, Merlot and Syrah.  The palate is absolutely mesmerizing.  Just gorgeous.  With an ‘06 vintage to boot, the wine is full of depth, hearty bacon fat and lush fruit, yet restrained with red cherries and loads of spicy, meaty DIRT.  Can be found on a restaurant list for…$80-$90.  Ouch, I know but- well worth the price.

There you have it, Mr. EAT MY CROW Vikings fan.  Even as I swallow my comment, my remarks remain the same and still lie on the side of my new favorite quarterback, Aaron Rogers.  Give the guy a break, can ya?  And in the meantime, have a glass of delicious Sangiovese and take a seat my friend, the season isn’t over yet…(this discussion is to be continued)!