Looking to build a Wine Cellar?  

In my most recent column with Artful Living Magazine, I share tips on how to store, show off and share your wine collection.  Amusée’s cellar building partner, Foxwood Cellars, and I come together to show you some fabulous examples of transitions from closet to cellar in this informative piece.

(Page 202-203)

Thanks to my friend, Susan, for passing this on!

Best Sommeliers In Minnesota

October 24, 2012 11:00 AM

The role of a Sommelier, a wine steward with exceptional knowledge and specialized training for wine, is a profession filled with many interesting professionals, not to mention heartfelt stories from people who started out in them. You may think that countries like France and Italy produce the ultimate pioneers for wine around the world. However, Minnesota is home to more than a dozen wineries and enthusiasts of the grape-based libation. To be a Sommelier, you have to be trained and certified. What they do exactly is identify what meals are best with what types of wine and educate wine fanatics on how to get the most out of every sip. This list calls out the best Sommeliers in Minnesota who are full of knowledge about the beloved beverage.

(credit: Jean-Pierre Muller/AFP/Getty Images)

Leslee Miller
Amusée
(612) 655-4839
www.amuseewine.comSommelier Leslee Miller practices this unique profession and is certified through both the International Sommelier Guild and the Court of Master Sommeliers. She has her own business that can be found at www.amuseewine.com. She offers a plethora of wine events for any willing to learn or taste. Miller has worked as a certified Sommelier for eight years and believes wine has to be fun for folks and enjoyable for different kinds of drinkers. Her work includes other areas like cooking and wine classes, corporate functions, private in-home events, fundraising, auctions and restaurant consulting. She is also an international winery consulting and national wine writer.

Gina Holman
Wayzata Wine & Spirits
747 Mill St.
Wayzata, MN 55391
(952) 473-7191
www.wayzatawineandspirits.com

Gina Holman has been working in the restaurant business for 15 years now. She currently works as a certified Sommelier and general manager at Wayzata Wines & Spirits. She arrived at the prestigious and elegant locale in 1994 where she worked at almost every post within the business. She completed the International Sommelier Guild Diploma Program in 2009 and traveled many parts of Europe to learn about regional foods. Holman is a firm believes that when it comes to which wine is the best, it’s a matter of personal preference and should never be frowned upon. She enjoys old-world wines, Pinot Noir and a favorite meal of her’s to make is a traditional chicken Coq au Vin to enjoy with family or friends (with a glass of wine of course).

Related: Best Wine And Cheese Bars In The Twin Cities

Vincent Negret
Cannon River Winery
421 Mill St. W.
Cannon Falls, MN 55009
(507) 263-7400
www.cannonriverwinery.com

Cannon River Winery is located between Rochester and the Twin Cities in the heart of Cannon Falls. This unique winery accommodates all kinds of specialty wine shoppers and experts alike. Vincent Negret, the wine maker and enologist for Cannon River Winery, believes the best wine is sold and made in this small town. When it comes to wine tasting or what is the best brand, it really comes down to the individual. The winery carries 22 different types of wines that are grown locally and the locale offers a beautiful facility with live music and a large selection to choose from.

(credit: Jupiter Images)

Michael Agnew
A Perfect Pint
3725 38th Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 724-4514
www.aperfectpint.netMichale Agnew, unlike the other Sommeliers in the business specializing in wine exclusively, has been noted as Minnesota’s first Certified Cicerone (beer Sommelier). His served as a National Beer Judge with the Beer Judge Certification Program and was deemed a unique award-winning brewer. He writes and publishes a monthly column on beer for the daily newspaper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Prior experience includes acting, directing and producing along with a decade in the food business.

Related: Best Wine Bars In Minneapolis

Anthony Carranza is a freelance writer covering all things Minnesota related to tech, social media, news, and local happenings around the Twin Cities. His work can be found at Examiner.com.

Want something fun to do on a Sunday nite?  Go check out my Argentine pal, Franco Meschini.

You’ll love his charming acoustic sound.

After listening last nite for the first time to my interview with The Conversation Hub and its host/creator Marc Vaillancourt, I thought…

‘Wow!  For the first time in a very long time – I was interviewed for more than just ‘what to drink’ – when it comes to wine.  How exciting!’

Not that every single media opportunity isn’t exciting, it is!  But when someone asks you really some of those – ‘How did you get into this crazy business?’ and you flow with an interview that really allows you to tell your story without time constraint – it truly bears a sense of reality and  honesty when it comes to one’s personal profession.

One thing that I have learned in my more recent years is…

The more honest you are with people, every single person that enters your life, the more real you present yourself.  With fault, with mistakes, without ego – allowing your whole self to show.  To be honest, there is more then to love about another.  It makes us all just a little bit closer, showing a side to reality that many just don’t allow for on a daily basis. 

With that, I suppose it’s become my mantra as I dive deeper into this World of Wine.  If you’re not able to relate to wine on a personal level then how will anyone ever begin to understand it?

Here is it – all of me – Why wine?  Why this Love of Wine?  and What are my connections when it comes to Life with Wine. 

#41 For The Love of Wine with Sommelier Leslee Miller by ryanl

Listen to the audio from Leslee’s segment on the Michele Tafoya Show w/ John Hines on WCCO Radio.

Talking wines for Valentine’s Day – what wines go with the kind of date you’re about to have… Super fun!

2-14 Leslee Miller on wine by ryanl

Looking to find a few fun things to do for the remainder of the winter and into the spring? 

Named some of the Twin Cities ‘Most popular things to do for Singles, Couple and even Families’ (sorry, adults only!) 

Shake a tail feather and get on it, these classes sell out fast!

Check out a number of Fun Classes here through May…

Leslee offers a few of her holiday favorites and says, “Splurging is fun, yet keep in mind–there are a zillion great wines to choose from that won’t necessarily break your budget.” We’re all ears as she describes two whites, two reds, and two sparklers for all types of tastes.

LESLEE MILLER’S PICKS AND DESCRIPTIONS

Whites
Sokol Blosser Evolution–Willamette Valley, Oregon, $15-$18
A perfect bottle of white to fit any personality. A combination of nine white grapes, this wine is inviting, with notes of white flower and round musk melon. A fabulous treat to pair with the salad course and Christmas cookies.

William Fevre Chablis ‘Champs Royaux’–Burgundy, France, $19-$23
A delicious “white wine” way to spoil even the snobbiest wine drinkers. It’s 100 percent Chardonnay, but clearly not your Californian drinking Chard–quite the opposite in fact. Crisp with notes of brine and bright lemon and lime. Perfect with a cheese plate, amazing with light bites for snacking, and delicious for sipping.

Reds
Famiglia Meschini Malbec/Syrah–Mendoza, Argentina, $10-$12
Who doesn’t love Malbec these days? This one is even better blended with a bit of Syrah. Minnesotans Eugenio and Teresa Meschini bring you this great holiday buy that is lush with juicy notes of blackberry yet structured with concentrated flavors of earth and smoke.

Antinori Tignanello–Tuscany, Italy, $80-$90
This is truly a splurge–a fabulous treat for anyone who loves wine. A pretty serious mouthful with notes of cigar box, dirt, and ripe cherry fruit. A great wine for someone who collects wine or, better yet, a perfect pairing for the Christmas table. Antinori, famous for his Super Tuscans, offers this top-notch blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet and Merlot.

Sparklers
Deinhard ‘Lila’ Sekt Brut–Mosel, Germany, $12-$15
Looking for a fun way to bring in the New Year without breaking the bank? I love surprising folks with this wine. Made with 100 percent Riesling, this dry sparkly is the answer to your holiday budget. Perfect for mistletoe smooching or holiday noshing–it’s crisp yet round with notes of honey and ripe pear.

Ruinart Rosé–Champagne, France, $72-$80
Pink and bubbles, in the same glass? Yes, please. One of Champagne’s most luxurious bubbly’s and certainly one of my favorites. Perfect with oysters, caviar, or chocolates. A real gem with rich notes of creamy strawberry that’s also dry wtih green apple and toasted brioche flavors. Pamper yourself this season!

See the entire article by Marsha Trainer here:  City Pages Article.

According to this article, Twin Cities Monster Based Restaurant Group, Parasole, just dumped a cool $4 mil to open their newest venture: Uptown Cafeteria and Support Group. 

The restaurant, which just opened last nite (June 15th), has been renovated to compete as “Uptown’s Coolest Restaurant”.  Really?  I’m anxious to hear what everyone has to say.  Of course talk was just as big just under a year ago when Parasole opened IL Gatto in the same building, bringing folks in from all over the city to check out Calhoun Square’s newest face-lift from its previous Figlio.  With a campaign ad focused on a very bad kitty, the group may have thought about dumping more into their culinary renovation than their billboards.  After going once, personally I never felt the need to go back.  I was more impressed with Figlio’s $2 Sloppy Joes than I was with the $20 fish entree I had at Il Gatto.  Not so bueno. 

With an area of the city that’s filled with restaurants already, I’m curious to see what this new $4 million space has.  Will the food be just an un-impressive as Parasole’s latest two gigs:  Il Gatto and Burger Jones, or will this be their next big jack-pot?  Only time will tell.  Everyone, I’m sure, will head out and check it out but how long with the honeymoon period last for this new venture?

I’m hoping that they did something right with this project, I’d love a restaurant in uptown with something ‘new’ to eat and with a decent wine list. 

If anyone’s been or has a review on the Cafeteria and Support Group – send me a comment, I’d love to hear!  Besides, what’s the ‘Support Group’ all about anyways?  Maybe they needed it for themselves…  Someone PLEASE fill me in here.