There are many things that make a ‘great pairing’ or a ‘great bottle of wine’, but none really better (in my opinion) than the company of great friends or family to enjoy it with. Last nite, at one of my many Cooks of Crocus Hill Classes – undoubtedly Twin Cities Best Wine Classes – I… Continue
…coming from our new friend, Mr. Laurent Juillot, owner of Domaine Michel Juillot. A jolly man who’s face reads passion. Passion for his property, his grapes and the end result, his wine. Proud of his heritage, but open to much of what the rest of the globe has to offer him in the way of… Continue
Croatian’s Korta Katarina Vineyard Manager and Winemaker share a moment with Sommelier Leslee Miller This week while on a trip to Croatia, Sommelier Leslee Miller, had a chance to catch up with Vineyard Manager Arsen and Winemaker Nika from winery Korta Katarina on their actual vineyard site in the Peljesac Peninsula. Two regions which are… Continue
If there’s wine region that’s been put on the forefront of the wine scene – but maybe hasn’t been ‘felt’ by folks yet – it’s Croatia. And, I think…that’s what I learned from this trip. This morning at 4am, as I waved good-bye to my new favorite country, I thought…how am I going to share… Continue
Dreamy. That’s really how to sum it all up. I said today, ‘If people in the U.S. knew how beautiful it was here (Croatia and the Dalmatian Islands), they would never vacation in Hawaii or Mexico again.’ Seriously. We flew into Dubrovnik, the ‘Walled City’, last nite. Gorgeously polished cobbled streets line the inside of… Continue
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… Continue
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… Continue
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… Continue
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… Continue
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… Continue
Barbera, a fun little red grape. Known for many centuries as the ‘peasant’s wine’ in the famed region of Piedmont, located in the NW section of Italy. While it only sits second place to Italy’s most widely planted red grape: Sangiovese – many know Barbera as a very popular easy-drinking red. When I teach classes,… Continue
While having coffee with a friend this past week, I was inspired to write a little bit about Malbec. I know, I know…it’s a grape that everyone wants to talk about. It’s almost overdone at some point in the way of commercialism but, most importantly, it’s good to understand the variances between some that are… Continue