Flipping the switch!

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

The Wine Company to become Minnesota’s First Solar Powered Wine Distributor

Committed to sustainable initiatives at every turn, The Wine Company is going solar! As an importer with a strong focus on sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wines, it comes as no surprise that many wineries in this wish-list of a portfolio are solar powered as well. Ever conscious of the ecological impact of each decision at every turn, The Wine Company decided it was time. Why wouldn’t you? In an age of global warming and the climatic upheaval in response, migrating to solar power is the right thing to do -not only for its common sense but the dollars and sense of it.

Thanks to an enormous, exposed roof regularly bathing in daylight, The Wine Company has plenty of room to spare for two massive solar arrays totaling 188 solar panels. Altogether this solar garden is capable of 150,000 kilowatt hours -an annual output providing enough electricity to power the average Minnesota household for nearly seventeen years!

Our Earth receives more energy from the sun every hour than all the people on the planet consume every year. Sunlight provides a boundless renewable energy -not only to ripen all the grapes in all the vineyards sourced by The Wine Company but also to power their temperature controlled warehouse, offices, and entertaining areas that host every sort of educational trade tasting. Now Minnesota retailers and restaurateurs, and wine lovers at large can rest assured that The Wine Company’s commitment to the environment doesn’t end in the bottle itself but proves a raison d’etre and a shining example of what is to come.

Care to explore solar powered wineries
brought to Minnesota by The Wine Company?

Just explore some of the solar powered wineries here:

Alexander Valley Vineyards
Badger Mountain & Powers
Bethel Heights Vineyard
Carol Shelton Wines
Cline Cellars
Domaine Drouhin Oregon
Failla Wines
Frog’s Leap
Goldeneye
Green & Red Vineyard
Jacuzzi Family Vineyards
Left Coast Cellars
McManis Family Vineyards
Miner Family Vineyards
Chateau Montelena
Mount Eden Vineyards
Ponzi Vineyards
Powers Winery
Ridge Vineyards
Shafer Vineyards
Trefethen Vineyards

With these you can celebrate a brighter future powered by solar
Exemplary wineries behind some of the United States’ storied vinelands

Want Some Tots?

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

I am so hungry I could eat a horse!
Whoa there! We get it -especially around the time of the Minnesota State Fair when there is every sort of bucket and bag and thing-on-a-stick. Food pairing on the fair grounds is often limited to whatever is nearby and cold but if we had it our way, most fried foods would wind up with champagne, while sweeter foods would sing with off-dry whites or chilled tawny ports. What though for all the other MN State Fare?

Minnesota is not only the land of sky-blue waters, but also home to some notable and delectably distinct traditional foods. In addition to your cooler full of Hamm’s beer and pop (that’s soda to some of you), here are a few wine pairing ideas to get your potlucks rolling.

Tater Tot Hotdish hollers for Chardonnay
Booyah beckons for Gamay
Cheese curds call for Carignan
Jucy Lucies jam with Zinfandel
Lefse likes Chenin Blanc
Krumkake calls for Riesling
Wild Rice wants Pinot Noir
Bundt Cake beckons for the Demi-Secs
Venison fancies Nebbiolo
Jello Salad jams with Moscato
Walleye wants crisp whites
Spam sure likes Pinot Blanc
Lutefisk loves Pouilly Fumé & Grüner Veltliner
Bars are ballin’ with fortified wine
Hmong Food marries well with fragrant, off dry whites
Fresh pheasant favors aged Pinot Noir
Our favorite: potato chips charm with Champagne -which also goes well with anything-on-a-stick for you MN State Fair goers!

MN Connection: Weinbau Paetra

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Weinbau Paetra | Willamette Valley, Oregon

THE CONNECTION:
Raised in Saint Paul proper, Bill Hooper graduated from Cretin Derham, developed a taste for wine and what followed was a rapid succession through the local wine trade. Bill worked at some of our finest bottle shops and then joined The Wine Company for a passionate tenure convincing restaurants and bottle shops to champion wines made by the people tending the greatest plots on earth. Soon his passion for wine and wanderlust uprooted his wife and kids to live in his bride’s native Germany so he could learn winemaking in the Pfalz. Once they returned stateside the Hooper family settled in Willamette Valley and Weinbau Paetra was born. Here Bill grows matchless Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir with an assiduity known only to the finest in Germany, Alsace, and Burgundy.

My goal is unabashedly to craft the very finest Riesling possible.”

THE PRACTICE:
During his time in the Pfalz, that stretch of the Haardt mountains that carry on from Alsace when they cross the border into Deutschland, Bill confirmed firsthand that the basis for all great wine is the soil from which it grows -but also a great deal of hard work. His days studying and apprenticing in Germany involved every sort of grueling task one could fit into a ten hour work day; from every kind of vineyard and cellar work, to wild Biodynamic preparations like scooping out a freshly decapitated bull head along a riverbank to fill it with oak bark in preparation for winter. Now that Bill is back in the USA, one might say Paetra produces wines using traditional European techniques on American soil to great effect.

THE WINES:
“As little as possible, as much as necessary.” Bill credits much of the final style as “determined not only by the weather, but also by the labor per-formed in the vineyard…It is my firm belief that the cellar is no place to mask bad farming. Over 90% of my time is spent in the vineyard and my acreage contracts stipulate that I can farm the vines. No matter which Riesling you prefer, I assure you that we have been uncompromising in our effort…I use the same traditional techniques here that I used in Germany both for farming and in the cellar. Though tried and true in Europe, many of these have never before been used in the western hemisphere. My goal is unabashedly to craft the very finest Riesling possible.”

THE OFFERINGS:
RIESLING | PINOT BLANC

MN Connection: Powers Winery

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Powers Winery | Columbia Valley, WA

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:
Second generation winemaker Greg Powers has a deep affinity for Columbia Valley and its viticulture. Growing up in the region’s spectacular farm country he helped his father Bill plant and manage Badger Mountain Vineyard. Today, Greg carries on the family traditions of sustainable farming and the passion-ate production of exceptional wines. Sustainability here is no mere window dressing but a core value. The winery is solar powered; the vineyards are certified Organic and Salmon Safe; the tractors run on biodiesel; the people all earn a living wage. Under Greg’s leadership, Powers Winery has been recognized as a “rising star” by Wine Spectator, and as one of the “50 Great U.S. Cabernet Producers” by Wine Enthusiast.

Under Greg’s leadership, Powers Winery has been recognized as a “rising star” by Wine Spectator.

THE WINES:
Powers wines are creatively blended and crafted to showcase Washington’s distinctive vineyards and diverse microclimates. Deeply rooted in long term relationships, Powers sources a variety of high quality fruit to produce compelling wines of uncommon depth, complexity and harmony. From the sun drenched Wahluke Slope they work with Butch and Jerry Milbrandt of Milbrandt Vine-yards, and Mike Roskamp who oversees Cougar and Coyote Vineyards. In Horse Heaven Hills it is Paul Champoux of Champoux Vineyards, and in Yakima Valley it is Scott Greer of Sheridan Vineyard and Harold Pleasant of Harold Pleasant Vineyard. Back home in Columbia Valley, it is the Monson family of Goose Ridge Vineyard and Mike Taggares of Tagaris Vineyard and organically grown Arete Vineyard. These are the people and places behind Powers.

THE OFFERINGS:

MN Connection: O’Shaughnessy

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

O’Shaughnessy | Napa Valley, California

THE CONNECTION:
Connoisseurs of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon know O’Shaughnessy as one of the great benchmarks but they might not know Betty O’Shaughnessy Woolls hails from Minnesota, having spent her childhood growing up in a rural farming community. After college, she raised a family while building a career in real estate investment and development in Minneapolis. Her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for food and wine inspired her to venture from her cooking school in Minneapolis to creating a winery in Napa Valley. In Napa, Betty fell in love with the beauty of the land, the vineyards, and the climate. In 1990, she landed in Oakville with a parcel of land, including vine-yards and a home site. Betty reconnect-ed with her deep-rooted appreciation of the soil and the bounties it brings.

In addition to the winery, Betty remains an active volunteer and philanthropist in the community.

THE PRACTICE:
Over the next few years, additional vineyards on Howell Mountain and Mount Veeder added to the source available for varieties of grapes. The new century brought a cave, grapes crushed into wine and a design for a winery structure. The project completed in time for the harvest of 2003. In addition to the winery, Betty remains an active volunteer and philanthropist in the community. In 2009, her community involvement expanded to include an exciting new role as Trustee for Napa’s Queen of the Valley Medical Center. Among the vines O’Shaughnessy has proven itself an estate winery unto itself, synonymous with its 120 acres of vineyards split between renowned terroir in Oakville, Howell Mountain and Mount Veeder.

THE WINES:
Over 18 years in the ground the vines on Howell Mountain have established deep roots. All the Bordeaux blending varieties are grown on several different root stocks and clones to optimize flavor: Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec, Carmenère, Gros Verdot -even St. Macaire. Steep terraces on Mount Veeder cause those vines to struggle for nourishment and moisture producing clusters with small berries and intense flavors both powerful and elegant with the telltale lavender and violet tones that emanate from this property. Oakville spans 30 acres surrounding the home where they grow Old Wente Clone Char-donnay, 809 and 548 to provide the backbone of O’Shaugnessy’s complex, dramatic blend. These are American treasures worth treating yourself to when you encounter them because they are as rare as they are wonderful. O’Shaughnessy Napa Valley, California. In addition to the winery, Betty remains an active volunteer and philanthropist in the community.

THE OFFERINGS:

CHARDONNAY | CABERNET

MN Connection: Miner Wines

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Miner Wines | Napa Valley, California

THE CONNECTION:
Wineries spark romance -not only because winegrowing proves an enormous endeavor on one’s own but all the sweat and tears are more rewarding when a person has someone with which to share the fruits of their labor. After growing up in Minnesota, Emily Miner went to Santa Clara University and soon after was managing the tasting room at Oakville Ranch where she met Dave Miner. They fell in love and in 1998 Miner Family Winery was born. Marriage soon followed and before long they started a family. Miner wines rocketed to high acclaim. Riedel and Miner partner to showcase varietally specific stem-ware. Bon Appetite names Miner among the “Top Five” All-American wines and Wine & Spirits Magazine honors them as a Top 100 “Winery of the Year” They made it!

THE PRACTICE:
A dynamic family owned winery tucked into the eastern hills of the Oakville appellation, Miner rests right in the heart of Napa Valley. Defined first and fore-most by a sensational portfolio of wines, these wines consistently characterized by and committed to individualistic style and uncommon quality. In only a few short years, Miner identified, sought and secured a number of California’s finest vineyard sites to produce and showcase a wide array of varietal wines. Each wine is crafted in a style to encapsulate the distinctive elements and the indelible fingerprints of their respective vineyards. This combination of excellent vineyard sites along with passionate and thoughtful winemaking injects the necessary components for creating profoundly joyful wines.

REMEMBRANCE:
In 2011 Emily lost a four-year battle with lung cancer which Dave has said “she fought with dedication and conviction.” The diagnosis was a shock having never smoked cigarettes. Her loss shook all who knew her as she was one of the warmest people in a wine industry. In 2016, Miner released “Emily’s Cuvee” made in tribute to her and to continue the fight against cancer. 10% of all sales go to The V Foundation for Cancer Research. More than $1 million has since been raised in Emily’s name. “Throughout her fight, she lived by the mantra ‘Never Give Up’ and was a passionate spokes-person for cancer funding. A wonderful person inside and out and her spirit will live on in us as we continue to fight for a cure.” Please visit The V Foundation at www.jimmyv.org.

Never Give Up.

MN Connection: Lang & Reed

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Nicholas Livingston

Lang & Reed | Napa Valley, California

THE CONNECTION:
From serving as President at Auction Napa Valley or all the time he spent at Inglenook, Caymus, and Clos Du Val, you might assume John Skupny a son of the Sunshine State but we at The Wine Company like to think Minnesota taught him all he knows. Growing up in Golden Valley, John spent his formative years on the ice playing hockey for Edina East when we were the home of the North Stars! Since 1996, John and Tracey Skupny have owned and operated Lang & Reed in St. Helena with their sons Reed and Jerzy and daughter Alex. Since realizing the potential of Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc as varieties that can stand on their own, Lang & Reed has proven what a pleasure these can be.

THE PRACTICE:
As Lang & Reed near their 40-year mark in the wine industry, they have come to view winemaking as the intersection of art and science, with the end results aimed high at bringing pleasure. To achieve this, the Skupnys work with simpatico grape growers who collaborate with them plant the appropriate clones to their given soil types. Lang & Reed even adjust the growing techniques so the fruit develops as they like it and all comes together to bring out the most desirable attributes in each varietal wine they craft. With this exacting attention to farming, the concept of terroir can manifest in a wine. The fermentation and aging techniques that they employ produce wines of substance and structure with correct varietal expression.

Since realizing the potential of Cabernet Franc and Chenin Blanc as varieties that can stand on their own, Lang & Reed has proven what a pleasure these can be.

THE WINES:
Over the years, Lang & Reed has worked closely with half a dozen vineyards to insure they harvest the finest ripe and balanced fruit. These vineyards stretch across the North Coast of California, with an emphasis on Napa Valley, Alexander Valley and Lake County. Early on they set out to present a wine that was “true to type”, a varietal wine that showed ‘typicity’ – boldly saying “Cabernet Franc” Over two decades they have sussed out just the vines they need -even sourcing from specific rows in vineyards that cover a diverse array of growing conditions, most recently vineyards north of Napa Valley in the hills of Lake County. Expanding their search to Mendocino, Lang & Reed continue to apply this same exacting criterion for varietal expression in their Chenin Blanc.

THE OFFERINGS:
CABERNET FRANC | CHENIN BLANC | CABERNET FRANC 19.5 LITER KEGS

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.