[one week on the wall; july30...(links)]

[Photo via If Charlie Parker Was A Gunslinger...] It’s almost August?  Where did 2010 go all of a sudden?  I can’t stomach the thought of Autumn being just around the corner, but here’s something to ease my mind.  If you are one of those people who like Minneapolis and like consuming food, then you’re in [...]

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[saint clair vicars choice pinot...(tastingnotes)]

I have a love/hate relationship with Pinot Noir.  Other than Cabernet Sauvignon, there’s probably no tougher grape to find reliable versions of under $20.  It’s so finicky in the vineyard that expert cultivation requires more attention to detail than a library full of Where’s Waldo.  Burgundy in this price range?  Forget it.  Oregon Pinot at $15?  Not happening.  There are some [...]

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[sea salt, sea salt run...(wineinthesun)]

I’m not sure there’s a more bucolic setting in the Twin Cities to enjoy a glass of wine than Sea Salt – the sun shining in the middle of Minnehaha Park, the falls rushing in the distance, the smell of Frank’s Red Hot and Old Bay Seasoning wetting your appetite, and a $6 Sauvignon Blanc [...]

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[one week on the wall; july23...(links)]

[photo via Terry Richardson] This is really Two Weeks On The Wall as I was on vacation all last weekend.  So, here’s an extra long set of links for your consideration; 200 Year-Old [and still drinkable!] Champagne found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea [read Dr. Vino's take].  It’s thought to be Veuve Cliquot from [...]

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[case ibidini insolia...(summerwhites)]

I’ve written here before about my love for Insolia – the native Sicilian grape also called Ansonica in Tuscany [Also often spelled in both cases with a s/z swap, Inzolia and Anzonica].  Good Insolias can have a deep golden color, often with lemon, orange and almond notes, and nicely perfumed.  They are dry wines, perfect [...]

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[george washington and Claret...(wineinhistory)]

Every so often, I come across historical anecdotes that cast historical figures in a light not seen in your standard 7th grade history text, because of their associations to Wine.  It’s well known that our Founding Fathers were, by modern measures, pretty serious drinkers.  John Adams was known to drink hard Cider every day at [...]

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[the full bottle wine glass...(thingsIneed)]

Thanks to my good friend @alspur for alerting me to this brilliant piece of wine novelty.And the official G Sheaves FTW award goes to this snarky Amazon.com customer review.

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[Marchesi di Barolo Barbera Monferrato...(funwithoak)]

Back in March, some journalists, bloggers and wine aficionados were invited to Piemonte in Northern Italy for a meeting intended to show off the prowess of that region’s second most important grape: Barbera.  It’s a grape that has fallen out of fashion and many attribute it to the misapplication of French Oak aging [That certainly [...]

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[mohua sauv blanc & pinot gris...(2wines1brand)]

Let’s talk for a moment about cat pee.  Anyone who has sniffed a wine from the Marlborough region of New Zealand knows what I’m talking about – that dank, musty, vegetal smell that winos call akin to Fluffy missing the litterbox.  It’s a polarizing taste - people usually either go crazy for it or they believe something to be seriously [...]

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[one week on the wall; july9...(links)]

Sorry about the lack of posting this week – I’ve been pretty busy.  I’ll have an article or two this weekend, though.  To tide you over, here are a few things for your consideration: Primus rocker Les Claypool in an interview about his Claypool Cellars Purple Pachyderm Pinot Noir [via, 1 Wine Dude] Summit releases Unchained Series [...]

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