Lucid Camo Double Pale Ale
Lucid Brewing Company is brand new to both Minnetonka and the Minneapolis brewing scene. While still in their infancy, I believe their Camo Double Pale Ale is one of the cleanest and most well-balanced high gravity Pale Ales that I have ever seen produced locally.
Rebecca Lunna is a Wine Shop guest blogger, and has honed her tasting skills over many raucous dinner parties with friends and family.
Honig Sauvignon Blanc
I have to admit something to you. I often judge a wine by its label. It’s the shallowest and most uneducated of selection processes, but it works. Labels chock full of personality can yield wines chock full of flavors I love. The Honig Sauvignon Blanc proved that hypothesis yet again so there’s likely no swaying me from this selection method. You can gaze through the bottle’s straw-colored wine to a pastoral scene that I imagine to be a representation of this family-owned, sustainably farmed and solar powered Napa Valley vineyard. In the words of Liz Lemon “I want to go to there.”
Wine Shop customers Lucy and Kip run “The Thirsty Kitten” wine blog. Check out their recent feature on the Dusted Valley Chardonnay.
Dusted Valley Chardonnay
It’s spring time and everything here in our neck of the woods has turned green and lush overnight. The grass suddenly needs mowing, the flowers are starting to bloom and in Minnesota it’s still early for such things. So we are feeling quite an abundance of sensory delight at the exhilarating kick-off of this season of growth and re-birth.
This week, in honor of the newness of spring, we decided to try a wine we’ve never had before. In anticipation of the coming warm days, we decided white wine was in order. And, in the spirit of exploration and adventure, we decided to branch out from our usual California territory. So I headed to one of our favorite local wine shops, appropriately named The Wine Shop, and sought the expert guidance of the staff. I asked for a non-California Chardonnay made by a small, family-owned winery with a cool story. Yes, that’s exactly what I said. The staffer at the shop didn’t bat an eye as he confidently took me to the Dusted Valley Chardonnay from Washington. Sold!
Thanks to everyone who attended our first “Whiskeys of the World” seminar. We hope you had a good time–watch for more events in the future!
Also thank you to Jason from Vinocopia for hosting the seminar for us.
The Scotch line-up:
Domaine Des Lises Crozes Hermitage and Allain Graillot Crozes Hermitage
Alain Graillot and Domaine Des Lises are wines from the Crozes Hermitage Appellation in the Northern Rhone of France. These are two of the finest producers of the Crozes Hermitage, and they happen to be father and son.
Syrah is the grape of the Northern Rhone. Syrah is grown almost everywhere wine is made these days, from California and Washington State to Australia (Shiraz) and Chile. People are making and drinking more Syrah today than ever before. Today’s “New World” Syrah/Shiraz is usually big, overripe, massively spicy, and fruit forward wines, but the original inspiration for all of those wines is the Northern Rhone Valley in France. In particular, the famous appellations of Hermitage, Cote Rotie, Cornas, St. Joseph and Crozes Hermitage are some the earliest and finest examples of Syrah.
The son, Maxime Graillot’s Domaine Des Lises, is a beautiful example of a Syrah from the Crozes Hermitage Appellation, with dark, tart cherries as the prominent fruit. This is a casual wine, perfect to enjoy during the grilling season. A nice rib-eye on the grill paired together with a glass of this wine will not be a disappointment to you.
The Father’s wine, Alain Graillot, on the other hand is more in the traditional style of the Northern Rhone. It is a more complex wine, this is a wine where you get some of that meaty, “bacony” flavor with herbs and black olives, (that I am such a fan of) that are unique characteristics of Syrah from the Northern Rhone. This is a wine you want to sit down and enjoy over a long dinner; perfect for pairing with some braised beef or a rack of lamb.
Chris Geurkink
French Wine Specialist
Watch our social media sites for the latest content, updates and specials from the Wine Shop.
