WCCO Lists Amusée’s Leslee Miller as one of Minnesota’s Best
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.
Leslee Miller
Amusée
(612) 655-4839
www.amuseewine.com
Sommelier 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).
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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.
beer, alcohol, generic, tap, drinking
Michael Agnew
A Perfect Pint
3725 38th Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 724-4514
www.aperfectpint.net
Michale 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.