my dinner with Giovanni Gaja
Surprise Dinner with Giovanni GajaEarly this summer, I received a short-notice invitation to a dinner with Giovanni Gaja at Mara restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. Usually these events have a dozen or so journalists, sommeliers, and buyers. A short-notice invitation is likely because someone dropped out. No matter, if the event is interesting and I’m available, … Continue reading
Join the French Winophiles on a Virtual Visit to White Wines of the Loire Valley #winophiles
French Winophiles and Loire Valley White WinesOctober 2025 brings our French Winophiles writers to a virtual exploration of the white wines of the Loire River valley. The Loire River is the longest river in France, extending over 1000km (600+ miles) from its source in the Massif Centrale west of Lyon all the way out to … Continue reading
Let Schiava be Your Red Wine for Seafood
Alto Adige is the Home of SchiavaThe region of Alto Adige / Südtirol is located in north-central Italy, in the foothills of the Dolomite mountains. Originally part of Austria, the region became part of Italy in 1919 at the conclusion of World War I. It is an autonomous Italian province and is part of a … Continue reading
Versatile Trebbiano Spoletino: a New Star from Umbria #italianfwt
Let’s Explore Montefalco in the SummerAugust brings our Italian Food Wine and Travel writers to a virtual visit to Umbria. Take a look further down in this post for links to all our posts. The town of Montefalco is best known for Sagrantino but a big, bold, tannic red wine is a difficult play in … Continue reading
Explore Coppo Wine Cellars with #WorldWineTravel
Coppo Wine Cellars in the Piemonte Region of ItalyOur World Wine Travel writers have an extra opportunity to explore, thanks to samples provided by Coppo Wine Cellars. Join us on October 26 as we post our impressions about Coppo Wine Cellars, the Canelli region and the Nizza DOCG. Take a look further down in this … Continue reading
Bourgogne: Sometimes Plan “B” is the Best
Sometimes Plan “B” is the Best After a memorable morning at Morey-Coffinet in Chassagne-Montrachet, my afternoon plans were a big question mark. Lunch? Where? Running just a bit late, I found there was no room at 1 pm at the one restaurant in Volnay – “service est terminé“. No! I headed out to RD974 (the … Continue reading
Minnesota Wine: Parley Lake Winery
Minnesota Viticulture Minnesota wine grapes? Who are you trying kid? It’s true, Minnesota winters are too tough for the noble wine grapes from Vitis Vinifera to survive. Thanks to some real pioneers in Agricultural Research at the University of Minnesota, we have some new grape species which can survive our winters and provide wine-worthy grape … Continue reading
Barolo visits Minnesota: Podere Ruggeri Corsini
I met Weston Hoard (the Piedmont Guy) at a Barolo class he hosted at Sunfish Cellars about a year ago. I was excited to see that Weston was coming back to town, this time bringing the winegrower from one of the Piedmont wineries he represents, Podere Ruggeri Corsini. In addition, this was to be a … Continue reading
Minnesota Visits Domaine Jean-Louis Chave – St. Joseph & Cellars
On a visit with Erin Cannon Chave, we crossed the Rhone from Tain L’Hermitage to Mauves, in the St. Joseph appellation. The difficulty of farming on the hillside (cliffside?) of St. Joseph is clear as as soon as you see the steep slopes and terraces. Cultivated for centuries, many of these hillsides were abandoned after … Continue reading
Minnesota Visits Domaine Jean-Louis Chave – Hermitage
A question came up at our Chave tasting in Minnesota: “If we’re in France, can we visit?” Erin answered that they aren’t really set up for visitors, but if we would be in France to send her an email. If she would be available, she would be happy to have us visit. Lucky us, we … Continue reading
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