YOUR WEEKLY NEWS & UPDATES
Weekend Festivities:
This Weekend and Upcoming
Its all about Mom this weekend- we have the wine (and booze) for that. Dozens of new rosés on the shelf, lots of delicious bubbles to pop, and everything in between. We will have all of the good Mother's Day drinking ideas you'll need on this weekend's tasting tables.
Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 18th: The North Loop Crawl is on from 10am to 6pm, celebrating spring and our local businesses. 20+ businesses participating, and we are one of them! We will have special tastings all day, starting at noon, with discounts on tasting bottles. Pick up a passport at your first stop and cruise by for some tasting, shopping, and a stamp. Fully stamped passports are entered into a raffle at the after party. Find more information on the North Loop Spring Crawl here .
.... and for Monday, June 10th: Tasting Event with Giovanni Gaja.
The Gaja Winery was founded in Piedmont in 1859. Now in its 5th generation of family ownership, the Gaja family has holdings in Barolo, Barbaresco, Montalcino, and Bolgheri. Giovanni Gaja will be joining us on the evening of June 10 for a unique education and tasting opportunity. Details and ticket information to come - stay tuned.
BEER, BEER, AND MORE BEER

We are turning over the Tuesday Tasting Table
to some of our local brewers.
Save the dates:
Tuesday, May 14: Fair State Brewing Cooperative
Tuesday, May 21: Utepils Brewing
Tuesday May 28: Pryes Brewing Company
THE WEEKEND TASTING LINEUP
Jessica with Summer Lake Beverage will be with us tasting out a Minneapolis signature - Bootleg cocktails! Friday May 10 from 4:00 until 8:00.
Bootleg Cocktail Mix is a refreshing blend of mint and citrus made of nothing but fresh, natural ingredients with no preservative added. Its summertime in a bottle.

Friday's Wine Tasting: 4PM UNTIL 8PM
Friday's Bootleg Cocktail Tasting: 4:00PM UNTIL 8:00PM
Saturday's Wine Tasting: 3PM UNTIL 7PM


We are still finalizing the line up and we PROMISE you that they will be great bottles of wine. Please check our Facebook post Friday around Noon... and yes, there will be a secret sipper on both days! As always, all tasting table wines are 10% off.
STAFF PICKS FOR MOTHER'S DAY
Patti's:

Argyle, Vintage Brut, 2011, $26.99

This is my go to sparkling wine. Hailing from the Willamette Valley, it is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Tart, snappy apple and citrus flavors merge seamlessly with the heady yeasty scent of toasted brioche, finishing dry with a mineral edge. This wine over-delivers for the money. Not to mention sparkling wine offers the most diverse pairing ability of any wine. Take it home to share for Mother's Day or just gift it. 
Doug's :

Stirm, Kick-on Ranch, Riesling, 2016, $22.99

This is an electric, focused, refreshing dry riesling from a single vineyard in the the Sta. Rita Hills in Southern California. This is one of the coolest and windiest sites in greater Santa Barbara region and it results in this incredible, lime and mineral driven wine. This would be a fun option for a Sauvignon Blanc drinker who is looking to try something new or an eye-opening option for a connoisseur of German rieslings. 
Patrick's :

Cuvee Jean-Paul Rosé, Gascogne, 2018, $9.99

Fresh, bright, dry, and aromatic. Everything you really want in an everyday rosé for patio sitting on a warm summer day. This roséfrom the Gascony region in South Western France has these lovely, uncomplicated qualities going for it in spades, at a price that will invite you to buy cases for the whole summer.
A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Tannat, wine maker Samantha Bailey cold ferments the grapes in stainless steel to capture the delicate aromatics and fruit of red berries with dry, crunchy acidity on the finish to leave you enjoying this wine all day!
Madison's :

Immich-Batterieberg, 'Escheberg', Mosel, 2017, $31.99 

Today's wine is a throwback to the Mosel riesling of days gone by, to the day before yesterday's idea of "classic". The wines of Immich-Batterieberg, with owner/winemaker Gernot Kollman at the helm, tend towards a drier style with a focus on organic, old school, low-intervention winemaking techniques. The wines express themselves as the vintage encourages them to, whether dry or sweet. This is one of the oldest wineries in the Mosel, with a history dating back to 911. The vineyards are extreme - with terraces too steep for both horse and tractor. The Escheberg is richly textured with notes of red apple, yellow plum, fresh citrus and a serious mineral backbone. 
Quin's :

Monchiero Carbone, 'Sire', Langhe, Piedmont, 2016, $19.99

One of the highlights from our recent Vin d'Italia event, this youthful Nebbiolo is both delicious right now and has the structure to be laid down for a number of years. Intense raspberry, cherry, and dried flowers on the nose and a touch of spice on the palate. Bright acidity and smooth tannins lend well to food pairing, particularly pasta with red sauce, pizza, and pork dishes.
Dave's :

Domaine de Pallus, 'Messanges', Chinon, 2016, $17.99

Spring wine picks phase four, Return of the Red: Red wine drinkers don't just cease to exist as temperatures climb into the seventies and eighties. Of course, die hard red drinkers can sit in temperature controlled environments drinking Cab and Merlot all Summer if they choose but we Minnesotans wait so long for warm weather we really can't help but think seasonally. Enter this lovely, organic Loire valley Cab Franc. It's soft and fruity with just the right amount of tannin to go with your grilled skirt steak and veg. So, red wine devotee, don't let the heat drive you indoors. Enjoy your patio and antioxidants at the same time.
NEW ARRIVALS!

Rosé for days....and 12 more coming tomorrow not on this list!
2018 Cuvee Jean-Paul Gascogne Rosé
2018 Domaine du Pere Caboche 'Le Petit Caboche' Rosé
2018 Argiolas 'Serra Lori' Rosé
2018 Bodegas Antidoto "Roselito" Rosé
2018 L'Agnostique Cinsault Rosé
2018 Mont Gravet Cinsault Rosé
2018 Campuget Tradition Rosé
2018 Coteaux Vendemois Cocagne Rosé
2018 Domaine du Dragon Grande Cuvee Cote de Provence
2018 Gris Marin Rosé Sable de Camargue
2018 Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rosé
2018 Liquid Geography Bierzo Rosé
2018 Mas de Gourgonnier Rosé
2018 Reserve des Vignerons, Cave des Saumur Rosé
2018 Scaia Veneto Rosato
2018 Studio Rose by Miraval
2018 Villa Wolf Rosé

A few refreshing whites:
2017 Chateau de Jau 'Jaja de Jau' Sauvignon
2018 Chateau du Pere Caboche 'Le Petit Caboche" Sauvignon

So many Italians:
2008 Botromagno 'Gravisano' Passito di Malvasia
2015 Botromagno Nero di Troia
2017 Botromagno Gravino Bianco
2016 Tenuta Regaleali 'Guarnaccio' Perricone
2013 Tenuta Regaleali 'Rosso del Conte'
2015 Tenuta Regaleali 'Lamuri' Nero d'Avola
2017 Tenuta Regaleali 'Cavallo delle Fate" Grillo
2014 Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
2017 Argiolas 'Carda Nera' Carignano di Sulcis
2014 Di Majo Norante 'Contado' Aglianico del Molise
2017 Tramin Gewurztraminer
2015 Tramin 'Nussbaumer' Gewurztraminer
2017 Tramin Sauvignon
2017 Tramin Chardonnay
2016 Monchiero Carbone 'Cecu d'la Biunda' Roero Arneis

...... and more!
Thank you to all who came to the Vini d'Italia tasting on Sunday. We look forward to seeing you at the next event. And finally, we are wishing all of the moms out there a most wonderful Mother's Day!