SOMM SLAM 2019

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Nicholas Livingston

4 COURSES | 8 SOMMELIERS | 8 WINES | 1 WINNER

Each year the city gathers at Monello for the annual SOMM SLAM to experience the city’s most talented sommeliers sharing their perspectives on food and wine pairing along with their personal passions, with insights as to how they curate their wine programs.

This is the first time SOMM SLAM has partnered with a distributor and because of this rare ability to plumb our vast portfolio at The Wine Company, which opened onto endless opportunities, this resulted in some of the most competitive voting with no round was decided by more than six votes and one round was as close as two votes -from a pool of 80 voters!

With Jason DeRusha hosting as MC and Monello’s Mike DeCamp and Nick Vasquez creating the delectable food menu, SOMM SLAM proved all the more entertaining for its judges: Stephanie March of MSP Magazine, Jason Kallsen of Twin Cities Wine Education, and the great Nicolas Giraud of the Minikahda Club. Ribbing one another and placing side bets on their own blind tastings, they were a riot not least for Nico continually nailing blind tastings.

Contestants this year included Katy Dimick of Hola Arepa, Kathryne Cramer of Borough, Tristan Pitre of Demi, Karina Roe of France 44, Amy Waller of The Bachelor Farmer, Scarlett Carrasco Polanco of Grand Café, Ian Lowther of Red Rabbit, and Alex White of Monello.

Kicking off with a Sherry Punch competition, the geniuses at Travail teamed up against those at Jester Concepts to win the crowd with their interpretation of the Sherry Punch, a Lustau riff on this classic cocktail on this occasion as a Sherry punch. Both danced on the palate and were absolute works of art but it was Jester’s Sherry Punch that expressed more of the Sherry core ingredient and for this they won out in the end.

Dinner followed as each dish was met by two wines chosen with the deliberate assiduity unique to our best sommeliers whose palate histories and tasting experience circles the globe and makes our dining scene the award winning marvel we are proud to support by dining out every chance we get. Wines were served blind and the guest and judge votes were tallied after each round.

The first course was red snapper, salsa verde, sweety drop peppers, pickled ramps posing a spectrum of challenges to the sommeliers involved. Monello’s Alex White chose the Vecchia Modena Lambrusco by Cleto Chiarli to complement the dish anbd this went beautifully and yet Karina Roe of France 44 had a dynamic trick up her sleeve and the biodynamic Spiegel Erste Lage by Bernhardt Ott with all its mineral verve and classic Grüner Veltliner pepperiness proved the power of the terroir of Austria’s Wagram to win the course pairing.

Charred romaine heart, egg yolk pudding, focaccia, and a neonata vinaigrette made the second course. Kathryne Cramer of Borough knocked it out of the park with Peloro Bianco Terre Siciliane by Le Casematte. The Grillo//Carricante blend combined lively citrus with floral scents of chamomile…although it was Grand Café’s Scarlett Carrasco Polanco that won the round with Vietti’s Roero Arneis from 25 year old vines for its floral, citrus, and melon aromas with hints of almond.

Round III took the crowd by storm as the third course was cecemareti, arugula, Italian XO, and a fried chicken that caused quite the stir across the dining room with wishes the Monello menu might someday include fried chicken -a dish they never serve in the dining room. Ian Lowther kicked off the wine sets with the exceptional Riesling Sekt Brut by Maximin Grünhaus and this single vineyard, traditional method sparkling wine from this storied Ruwer estate was exceptional -perhaps because the dosage is none other than Herrenberg Auslese. Hola Arepa’s Katy Dimick had a strong parry/riposte however and won the third course pairing thanks to a masterful match to Heidi Schröck’s Furmint from Austria’s Burgenland fermented with natural yeasts in Acacia casks.

Ribeye, red pesto, and zucchini followed as the fourth and final course but there was a twist to this challenge as the zucchini was not only in sliced form but also as a zucchini bread involving spicy ginger which made for a real wine pairing challenge. Amy Waller of The Bachelor Farmer served forth the resplendent La Massa Toscana from La Massa//Giorgio Primo -a glorious Super Tuscan of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Alicante Bouchet aged in French oak. A dream of rich balance and structure but Tristan Pitre of Demi won this match with help from Rancia Riserva Chianti Classico by Felsina. Made from 100% Sangiovese planted nigh 40 years ago, Rancia is aged 18-20 months in French oak and awash in wild berry fruit, fragrant spices, floral charms and a mineral impression to keep it all aloft.

At the end of Round IV, happily sated and excited by all the wine and food, one vote remained: the judges and the crowd had to choose the ultimate sommelier whose wine and food pairing was most complementary. While the whole night was a succession of one compelling pairing after another, the most memorable was Katy Dimick’s not least for how brave it was to put up an Austrian Furmint against so many of the most renowned terroirs but above all that it was not pummeled by the dish; the fried chicken beside it seemed light, nimble, and crisp, and the rich maritime aromas and flavors of the Italian XO sauce simply danced with the wine. In the end all competitors and judges wished each other well, raised a few more glasses of wine and then carried on over cocktails at Constantine -a memorable night of food and wine pairing to be sure!

Katy won the day and yet it truly was a win for everyone in attendance to share such a collaborative event surrounding some unbelievably talented people who clearly enjoyed gathering together under one roof. To gather so many together, working toward a common goal, gave each a chance to share their passion with others who love wine as they do and to spark new insights and understandings for everyone present. It was a high time and yet another reason we were so proud to partner with Monello to help bring this altogether. Congratulations to all those immediately involved and to all of us who benefit by the gifted, local food and wine scene that we are so lucky to have on hand every night of the week. Our advice? Book a table, plumb the wine list, and consult the somm to broaden your horizons.

MN Connection: Gamling & McDuck

Posted on August 29, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Gamling & McDuck | Napa Valley, California

THE CONNECTION:
Over a decade ago Gabrielle Shaffer and Adam McClary met here in Minnesota while working in the local wine biz -Gabe for The Wine Company at the wholesale level and Adam in the local restaurant scene here in the Twin Cities. Between a shared passion for wines of the Loire and loud music they fell hard for one another. Soon pet names followed and Gabe became “Gamling” and Adam “McDuck”. Wine runs deep in these two and before long they decided to give up their great jobs and Uptown lifestyle to move out to Napa and juggle jobs and school and harvest internships and farming… Four years later all that work culminated in Loire inspired but Californian sun-soaked, handcrafted wines and they have gone from strength to strength ever since.

THE PRACTICE:
Between her respect for deliberate winegrowers and terroir driven wines that capture their gifted sense of place, Gabrielle fit right in at The Wine Company. Today Gabrielle spends her workday as the Head Viticulturalist at Stagecoach Vineyard where she minds 200 distinct blocks subject to many variables and microclimates -like a boss! Fitting because she is the boss. When she isn’t tending world class grapes bound for 80 other wineries, she applies her Midwestern work ethic and UC Davis education to her own wines sourced from the best plots across the region ideally situated to Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc. Over the years working together Gamling has imparted all she knows to McDuck and now the partnership does most everything together.

Over the years working together Gamling has imparted all she knows to McDuck and now the partnership does most everything together.

THE WINES:
Sourcing is paramount when you are place based winemakers who do not possess their own vineyards so Gamling & McDuck are vigilant about their fruit and tend their source material per sustainable farming. In the cellar, they utilize cool fermentations to retain all the nuance they strive to ripen on the vine. Fermentations spark to life thanks to native yeasts introduced at the crush from the bloom on the grapes themselves -making these wines all the more the round result of their terroir. Moreover Gamling & McDuck eschew any additions and manipulations. This is real wine made by real people who “play excellent film soundtracks in the cellar…” Adam once explained “…all methods intent on weaving typicity and narrative into the astral helix of their wines.”

THE OFFERINGS:
CHENIN BLANC | MCDUCK RED | CABERNET FRANC

MN Connection: Frog’s Leap

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Frog’s Leap Winery | Napa Valley, California

THE CONNECTION:
Strolling along Nicollet Mall at 9th Street, one cannot help but admire the beauty of the Young Quinlan building -the once department store of local fame. Built in 1921 this font of luxuries was run by Elizabeth Quinlan -a pioneering female business owner at the time. It thrived for years but by 1985 this building was in rough shape and if not for Bob and Sue Greenberg restoring it, who knows what its fate might have been. Protecting old buildings is only one of the Greenberg’s many strengths. Did you know this Minnesotan couple are also part-owners of Napa’s renowned Frog’s Leap Winery? Yet another reason for us in the land of sky blue waters to love Frog’s Leap all the more! Who wouldn’t want local pride in Rutherford dust!

If there is one winery in Napa Valley that matches the philosophies of The Wine Company like a hand fits a glove, it’s Frog’s Leap.

THE PRACTICE:
If there is one winery in Napa Valley that matches the philosophies of The Wine Company like a hand fits a glove, it’s Frog’s Leap. Founded in 1982 by Larry Turley and John Williams, their first vintage consisted of Sauvignon Blanc (ferments fast, no oak needed, quick to market) and a small amount of Zinfandel. The Sauvignon Blanc got noticed by none other than the New York Times, instantly sold out, and Frog’s Leap was off and running (or hopping, as it were). Years later Larry left the partnership to open Turley Wine Cellars, and John Williams moved the winery off the old frog farm (which used to supply the delicacy to the elite of San Francisco in the early 20th century) to a historic property on the eastern side of Rutherford Valley, where it continues today.

THE WINES:
Frog’s Leap is well known in Napa Valley for marching to their own drum and holding steadfast to their principles. At times principles get in the way of business success, but the goal has always been to make the best possible wines. From dry farming to Organic and Biodynamic viticulture, John William follows his own vision regardless of market demands. Lower alcohol wines for example keep balance and “allow you to enjoy more than one damn glass!” John’s wines have never exceeded 14.5% and most of his wines fall into the 12.5% range. Williams took a lot of flack and lost some market presence for this but what goes around comes around and today, in the quest for ‘balance’ Frog’s Leap is held up as a standard bearer.

THE OFFERINGS:
CABERNET | MERLOT | ZINFANDEL CHARDONNAY | SAUVIGNON BLANC

MN Connection: Duxoup Wine Works

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Duxoup Wine Works | Sonoma Valley, California

THE CONNECTION:
Could it get any more All American than studying under a Russian winemaker? Not if it is the renowned André Tchellistchef behind the California wine renaissance and arguably the best winemaker of all time. Could it get any more Minnesotan than being Anoka born and bred? Andy Cutter even studied cooking under the venerable Verna Meyer -Minneapolis’ Julia Child so to speak. Verna was a chef who studied French cooking in France and taught cooking classes in Minneapolis for forty years. Andy Cutter knows something about quality ingredients so it is no wonder he and his wife Deborah make delectable wine. Most amazing is that they make it all themselves -just the two of them if you don’t count their dozen or so cats.

These are real people, and their wines reflect them as much as they do their terroir.

THE PRACTICE:
Duxoup Wine Works is Andy and Deb Cutter. Their winery is their Dry Creek Valley home. Making their wines proves an intimate touch at every step. Their ½ acre Gamay vineyard grows right outside their home and the other vineyards are named for the Frediani and Teldeschi families that tend them. Theirs are fascinating wines of appealing character from varieties seldom planted to the area: Charbono, Gamay, Dolcetto, Sangiovese, and Syrah. In the cellar, their 100+ barrels are not numbered but named; “Halley’s Comet” sits beside “Groucho” or “Harpo” –tipping their hat to the Marx Brothers Duck Soup, then there is “Uncle Dave” and of course “Pavarotti” named for their love of opera. These are real people and their wines reflect them as much as they do their terroir.

THE WINES:
Whether it is the Charbono planted in the 1920s by the Frediani family to the volcanic soils of northern Napa Valley or the Sangiovese planted by the Teldeschi family in the early 1900s to the gravelly clay loam of northern Dry Creek, the Cutters source exceptional fruit. Consistent quality has been paramount from the very start. Since 1981 Duxoup has remained a small production, gravity flow winery whose gentle hand yields wines that are silky, fruity, and come from venerable vineyards. The wines express not only terrior, but the highly skilled work of the two owners, both experienced and respected for their independence. At a mere 1,500 cases a year, Duxoup wines may be rare, but they are well worth the effort to find.

THE OFFERINGS:
CHARBONO | DOLCETTO | SYRAH GAMAY NOIR | SANGIOVESE

MN Connection: Badger Mountain

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Badger Mountain | Columbia Valley, Washington

THE CONNECTION:
Graduating from the University of Minnesota, it is no surprise Mickey Dunne enjoys playing ice hockey, fishing, and cooking. Mickey experienced his first harvest in 1987 and has been hooked on the Washington wine industry ever since. After joining Badger Mountain as Sales Manager in 1998, the brand grew from 17,000 cases per year to more than 70,000 cases per year. Can we chalk that up to his Midwestern work ethic? It certainly impressed someone because Mickey was made a partner in 2005. Passionately committed to the success of Washington wines and the environmental sustainability vision embodied by Badger Mountain Vineyard and Powers Winery, Mickey is active in the Washington Wine Commission and sits on the Steering Committee of WineWise, an organization developing a Sustainability Guidebook for vineyards and wineries.

THE PRACTICE:
Visionary and life-long farmer Bill Powers planted Badger Mountain Vineyard with his son Greg in 1982. Just six years later, well-before the word organic became trendy and then universal, Bill transitioned his 80-acre estate to organic viticulture and in 1990 Badger Mountain Vineyard became the first Certified Organic vineyard in Washington State. Produced in the premiere Columbia Valley AVA, Badger Mountain Wines benefit from an ideal location and climate, deep volcanic soil, and organic production from vine to bottle. Badger Mountain N.S.A. wines (No Sulfites Added) are USDA Organic Certified and are made with certified organically grown grapes. All Badger Mountain Vineyard wines represent their ongoing commitments to environmental sustainability and the creation of high quality wines that reflect the purest expression of exceptional fruit.

Since 1990, Badger Mountain has not used chemical herbicides, insecticides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers among their vines.

THE WINES:
Since 1990 Badger Mountain has not used chemical herbicides, insecticides, fungicides or synthetic fertilizers among their vines. Harvesting premium fruit is virtually assured by respecting these assets: a favorable location and climate, volcanic soil, and organic techniques. Using this diverse palette of organic grapes, winemaker Jose Mendoza creates a spectrum of classic varietal wines with no sulfites added. Jose’s imaginative blends result in fresh, provocative wines -each with a distinct, heady balance of fruit and floral notes, spice and earth. Badger Mountain’s NSA wines carry the USDA Organic logo and, per federal regulations, contains less than 10 parts per million sulfites.

MN Connection: Alexis Bailly

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Alexis Bailly,
Hastings, Minnesota

THE CONNECTION:
Minnesota’s original winery, Alexis Bailly Vineyards has been growing cold hardy grapes in Hastings since 1973 when David Bailly planted the first vineyard in Minnesota in that pioneering spirit that marks our northern lot. The tasting room opened in 1978 with the celebratory release of the first wines ever produced commercially of 100% Minnesota grown grapes. Today, Nan Bailly represents the second generation of the family and continues this proud heritage of making wines in the world’s most difficult climate – “Where the grapes can suffer.” After years tending vineyards that many believed would surely fail, Alexis Bailly not only proved the wines can be delicious but that cool climate grape varieties are as hardy as the people who settled the North Star State.

Alexis Bailly not only proved the wines can be delicious, but that cool climate grape varieties are as hardy as the people who settled the North Star State.

THE PRACTICE:
From this once-unlikely grape growing location in the Hiawatha Valley of the Upper Mississippi come the nationally acclaimed wines of Alexis Bailly Vineyard. Bucking the conventional thinking that no wine grape could withstand Minnesota winters, Minneapolis attorney David A. Bailly bought a 20-acre field of winter rye in Hastings in 1973 and planted it with French grapes. He took to heart the French philosophy that vines under stress produce the best fruit. What better way to stress them than our winters?

THE WINES:
His passion and his palate for fine wine meant he would not be content to just produce a wine from Minnesota, it had to be a Minnesota wine of exceptional quality. Grape varieties, therefore, were chosen not for their hardiness, but for their flavor and the superiority of the wine they produce. To survive sub-zero temperatures each vine had to be buried in the ground at the end of the season. Backbreaking work that it is, it nonetheless made his job as a winemaker easier by providing him with the quality grapes he sought. In 1978, Bailly opened the doors to the winery he designed and constructed from Minnesota limestone and white knotty pine. It also marked the release of Alexis Bailly Vineyard’s first vintage, 1977, produced exclusively from Minnesota-grown grapes. David Bailly died in 1990. His daughter, Nan, continues his legacy as the master winemaker, producing wines that have won over 45 national awards.

Introducing MN Connections

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Your homegrown fine wine distributor and importer serving the state of Minnesota since 1985, The Wine Company is Minnesota born and raised proud to spit so you don’t have to.

While Minnesota Nice might keep us from boasting day in day out, we have a great deal to be proud of in the land of 10,000 Lakes. Minnesota is not only home to the headwaters of the Mighty Mississippi but Wheaties, Aveda, the Juicy Lucy, Scotch Tape, Bisquick, Post It Notes, HMOs, the stapler, the armored car, the Better Business Bureau, the skyway, the shopping mall, the Bundt Pan, the pop-up toaster, Rollerblades, the snowmobile, Spam, rice cakes, and Snickers among countless other candy bars… Minnesota is an innovative hotbed of all sorts!

We hosted the first open heart surgery and the first bone marrow transplant. Minnesota is even the Birthplace of Waterskiing which should not come as a surprise when one in six of us own a boat and Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline –more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined. It is a special place indeed…but did you know that we also gave the world several accomplished wine folk involved in some of the best juice that belongs on your table?

Join us over the coming blog posts where we will highlight but a few of our favorite MN ties to wines worthy of your cellar. So don’t be a goose –it is Duck Duck Gray Duck after all; be nice and learn more about what connections make us Minnesotans so special on the wine front.

The Wine Company welcomes SakéOne!

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Our love and portfolio of premium sake stretches back over 20 years at The Wine Company. Together with keen eyed retailers and restaurateurs, our enthusiasm helped build Minnesota into a land of sake connoisseurs.

Importing delectable sake is essential to this but we owe much of this success to working with chef driven restaurants who embrace its endless food pairing opportunities. Fortunate for everyone, sake is no longer the reserve of sushi and kaiseki restaurants alone. Sommeliers today recognize the breadth of experience offered by sake and sake alone. For this the most dynamic drinks menu today provides guests everything from Honjozo to Junmai Daiginjo –often as tasting flights for people to play and explore food pairings themselves. Is there any better way to note distinctions and find one’s favorites than with glass in hand?

Thanks to tastings and classes, Minnesota has enjoyed a groundswell in sake interest across the retail market as well. Bottle shops large and small enjoy a devoted sake custom. Some drive the business with their own newfound passion while others are amazed at how much sake they sell simply by presenting a varied assortment in their chilled section. There is a thirst and if it is met with premium sake it is a bug people catch for good.

Joining forces with SakéOne, The Wine Company is thrilled to widen our stable of premium sake. Those imported from Japan include our long standing partner Hakutsuru and add the sake from the Murai Family, Kibo, Kasumi Tsuru, Yoshi no Gawa, Sakémoto, and Tombo –an illustrious pantheon of Kura –each a boon in its own right. Every bit as thrilling are SakéOne’s very own craft sake brewed in Forest Grove, Oregon since 1997. Since then Momokawa, Moonstone, and G Saké have won more awards than any other sake company in America.

Here’s to raising our glasses high to domestic sake, the best kura of Japan, this newly forged friendship with SakéOne, and to building on Minnesota’s growing enthusiasm –Kanpai!

Welcome to the new website for The Wine Company

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Jason Kallsen

Our new site is now live, and we’ve had an incredible response from around the world (and especially from our hometown fans in Minnesota). Some of you have privately asked us a very interesting question: What is a wholesaler/importer doing with a website like this?

It’s a good question, and we think there is a good answer.

In today’s society, the flow of information is instantaneous. On top of that, when it comes to wine, there is quite a bit of misinformation, pompousness, and general bragging going on. We intend, at least with our world and our wines, to be a source of consistently clean and concise wine discussion as part of this information river. We want to introduce you to what we do, who we represent, and what we stand for.

Who are we writing to? Well, you, of course. You’ve read this far, and that shows you are interested in what we are doing. Maybe you’re a consumer (with good tastes … you’re on our site! ;)). Maybe you’re a retailer or restaurant in Minnesota. Maybe you’re a winery we represent, or one looking for new distribution. In the end, who we are talking to are what we call “wine influencers.” If you love wine and the stories and community it brings, our site is for you. We aim to educate and enlighten.

Welcome to our new website. Be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed so you don’t miss a thing. We constantly post on Facebook, and even more so on Twitter. For the truly ambitious, check out our You Tube page, or our Pinterest boards.

Most importantly, thank you for your interest in The Wine Company. We do things a little different here, and we want to share it with the world.