Passed #WSET Advanced, on to Diploma!

Wine & Spirit Education Trust – Results Are In! Back in February, I wrote about my experience in going through wine certification through the Wine & Spirits Education Trust Advanced Course.  After 8 long weeks, the results came via email today! Excuse me for a minute while I go do my happy dance, here’s the … Continue reading

Errazuriz and Los Vascos Sauvignon Blancs with seared scallop salad

Spring Arrives with Chilean Sauvignon Blanc and a Sautéed Scallop Salad

Get Ready for Spring! It seems that even in Minnesota, spring is upon us. Actually, in Minnesota, spring comes and goes several times before jumping right into summer.  We are always ready to pull out warm weather recipes and wines at a moments notice to take advantage of a warm, sunny day! Today I’m sampling … Continue reading

Mussels & Muscadet in our Imaginary Nantes Bistro #Winophiles

#Winophiles Dive Deep into the Loire Region After our initial cruise through the main wine regions of France, our French Winophiles blogging group is going back to spend some serious time in each region. Our first deep dive will the the Loire.  We’re taking a slow virtual cruise up the Loire river from the Atlantic ocean … Continue reading

Italian Wines & Non-Italian Foods: Demarie Barbaresco w/ Lamb Chops & Salad from the Grill

Italian Wines are Great with Spaghetti… Of course Italian wines are great with Italian foods, “what grows together, goes together”. Do you fall into the rut of only serving Italian wines with classic Italian dishes?  I know I’m guilty of this, in part because I love Italian cuisine whether it comes from the North, Central, … Continue reading

iOTA Cellars "phyllis" rosé

Are You Kidding Me? Rosé for OTBN? #WinePW

Wine Pairing Weekend and OTBN16 This year, our Wine Pairing Weekend group is getting together to share our individual experiences with #OTBN 2016. Please take a look further down in this post to jump to links for all our posts! Quiet Start to OTBN 2016 Are you familiar with “Open That Bottle Night“? OTBN is … Continue reading

A Molise Sangiovese with a Sauce to Make as the Pasta Cooks #ItalianFWT

#ItalianFWT visits Molise As we near the end of our 1st lap around Italy, our Italian Food, Wine & Travel group is exploring the unknown regions of Italy.  This month, we visit Molise. Long associated with its neighbor, Abruzzo, Molise was designated as a separate region in 1963. It shares some characteristics with Abruzzo, but … Continue reading

Should You Pursue Wine Certification? #WSET

My Wine Certification Story – So Far For the last two months I have been deeply immersed in studying for my first wine certification.  I just came back from a 4 day long intensive class which concluded on day 5 with a 2 1/2 hour tasting and written test.  While I feel good about the … Continue reading

Choucroute Garni: Fancy French Kielbasa & Sauerkraut #Winophiles

French Winophiles (Virtually) Invade Alsace Alsace is in the far eastern part of France, right on the border with Germany. The region sits between two possible natural borders, the Vosges mountains and the Rhine river.  As such, this little region has flip-flopped several times between being claimed by France and by Germany. As you can … Continue reading

I Need Your Help: Send Me to France with One Quick Vote!

Cut to the Chase – Please Vote for Me! OK, if you read nothing else, please go and vote for my friends and I to win trips to France!  It’s easy, as you can only vote once, and the contest closes on Feb. 26. Here’s what you do: Go to the Millesima USA Contest page … Continue reading

Perfect Wine for a Sparkling Valentine’s Day Celebration

A Romantic Wine Pairing Weekend Our Wine Pairing Weekend group has a bunch of great Valentine’s ideas for you! Slide down to the bottom of this post to find ideas for romancing your significant other! My focus this year is on dessert. Your Romantic Finish to a Valentine’s Celebration Chocolates and Cabernet Sauvignon? Don’t believe … Continue reading