Hornsby’s visit to St Paul, Nov 1st, deserving of a great wine!

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.