Holiday gift guide 2011: For the oenophile Vita.MN Article: November 24, 2011 By Christy DeSmith, photo by Tom Sweeney Forged in the crucibles of the West Coast wine industry, sommelier and event planner Leslee Miller recently returned to her native Midwest to launch Amusée, a wine consulting and events firm. Check out her plum wish… Continue
Girls & Grapes are back at it! We figured that since the holdiays are so close, we might as well squeeze in a number of opportunities to drink great wine. Below is a recap of an evening spent touring ‘blindly’ the wines of Spain. Under tin foil until the last of the tasting notes were… Continue
Looking for a fun wine event to attend with friends and family this week? Help support our local community and friends at the Como Park Zoo & Conservatory this week with a wine event! Como Friends presents the ultimate wine-tasting experience, Bouquets. This annual fundraiser supports improvements at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Guests will enjoy… Continue
Girls & Grapes Gear up for the Wines that will Grace our Thanksgiving Tables in just a few short weeks! My fabulous group of girls that love grapes does it yet again. With a slew of fabulous foods to snack upon and a whole gaggle of grapes to indulge – my small tasting group of… Continue
Below – a super cool interview with one of my favorite Spanish producers, Jorge Ordonez. The interview taken with The Shanken News Daily and passed on by my good pals of The Wine Company here in the Twin Cities. Ordonez features a number of well-structured delicious wines – all fabulous for their price-points. One in particular that… Continue
It’s not all that often that we hear anything beyond “who the winemaker” is anymore when tasting wines out of California. I’m not saying that it never happens, but often I feel this ends up being the case when tasting some of the golden state’s more cult-styled wines. After living almost 4 years in Oregon… Continue
Now after many days of recovery under my belt, I’m finally able to share what was The Biggest Cabernet Day Ever within my household! With a whopping 20 hungry, Cab lovin’ foodies in attendance and a backyard set only for the finest of September days – the 7 course feast that I designed and cooked… Continue
Time is just flying by these summer months! And as I would love for the August summer clock to tick a bit slower, I still found myself these past few weeks counting down the days to our Girls August Tasting Nite. Blogs past recap our past events, yet none can seem to truly encapsulate the amount… Continue
You’d think I went kicking and screaming, I was so ‘unenthrauled’ with going to the John Legend/Sade concert last nite at the Target Center downtown Minneapolis. My husband, an avid live music fan, bought tickets to the concert months before and had become increasingly more excited about the event than his own birthday in a few… Continue
Once a quarter friend Michael Agnew, Cicerone of A Perfect Pint, and I teach a joint culinary beer/wine class at Cooks of Crocus Hill with our good pal, Chef Mike Shannon, the school’s culinary director. With every class we teach, the crowd seems to get bigger and the wait list just that much longer. Folks line… Continue
Still looking to put together that perfect Summer Supper? Look no farther! We have your answer for an entire menu of fresh, fun summer ingredients, all the way through to their recipes. Not only are we going to share with you one terrific menu HERE, but we’re going to share some of our favorite summer… Continue
I love throwing a good flat iron or flank steak on the grill in these summer months. Whether you serve it with warm tortillas, over fresh salad greens, or just as is – it truly is one of my favorite summer suppers. Salt n Pepper does just fine – however, I often love to throw… Continue