Drink Archives - Page 5 of 10

Exploring Ribera del Duero

One of the most iconic and prestigious wine regions of Spain is Ribera del Duero. Ribera del Duero is located in Castilla y León, about a 2 hour drive northwest of Madrid (central Spain). Castilla y León is home to more than 300 medieval castles dating to the eighth and ninth centuries and the Duero River runs through the region and winemaking dates back 2,000+ years. The Ribera del Duero region is home to the Spanish king of red wine: Tinto Fino, a local name for the Tempranillo grape. If you’ve wandered down our Spanish wine isle in the store, you’ll know that the vast majority of Spanish wines are red, and the vast majority of those Spanish reds contain some amount of Termpranillo.

Ribera del Duero’s soil is made of chalk, stone, and clay. The temperatures shift greatly throughout the day due to elevation, and over a third of the vines in the region are over 45 years old. Most of grapes in the region are hand harvested. These factors lead to wines that are full bodied, intensely flavored, and high in quality. Ribera del Duero wines are known for their strong, dark color and dark fruit, tobacco, and vanilla flavors. Below are some recommendations for a great introduction to the region.

Protos Tinto Fino Ribera del Duero 2020

Protos Winery dates back to 1927, when 11 winegrowers in the Ribera del Duero region came together to establish the wine region. Their Tinto Fino wine is deep ruby in color, with balanced acidity and just the right amount of oak coming through. It’s a great, approachable introduction to the wines of Ribera del Duero.

Vina Sastre Crianza Ribera del Duero 2019

Viña Sastre is a family-run winery in the Ribera del Duero region. They’re famous for their old-age vines, ranging from 20-65 years of age. This wine is made from 100% Tempranillo grapes and is fermented with native yeasts. The wine shows aromas of red and black berries, and peppery spice comes through on the palate. It’s a big, rich red, perfect for holiday meals and celebrations.

Psi Ribera del Duero 2020

The Psi Ribera del Duero has an inviting and expressive nose of blackberry and spice. Its complex, concentrated fruit flavor is followed by soft tannins and bright acidity.

Cepa 21 Hito Ribera Del Duero Roasdo 2022

The Cepa Rosado is the only rosé of Ribera del Duero that we carry here at France 44. The rosado has the color of a summer sunset, and aromas of Barlett pear, apricot and Stargazer lily. Floral notes open on the palate and fade as ripe summer peach, cantaloupe, passion fruit and vanilla take hold and sail into a refreshing finish. Pair this with fish or cured meat!

Cepa 21 Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2016

The Cepa 21 Tempranillo has some spicy and smoky notes from the élevage in oak, which gives it a showy profile. It’s ripe without excess with a sweetness of fruit that coats the palate and makes it a bit jammy. There are plenty of tannins to stand up to food – the wine would pair beautifully with rich, red meats.

Vina Sastre Flavus Rueda

Just miles from the Ribera del Duero region is the Rueda region, and we wanted to point out one Rueda wine for all the white wine drinkers out there. In the Vina Sastre Flavus Rueda, Dark berries punctuated with Thai basil and cocoa establish a deep dark core. The wine has a surprisingly refreshing palate, like biting into the juicy red center of a ripe peach, which offsets spice and a medium body & structure.

November Spirit of the Month: Rye!

Jake Rollin

Jake (he/him) can be found primarily working in the Beer and Spirits departments, though he occasionally dabbles in Wine. He loves helping customers brainstorm ideas for new and interesting cocktails (ask him about his Caprese Sour cocktail), and talking all things whiskey. His fridge is stocked with a healthy combination of local hazy IPAs, Belgian beers, and Riesling, and he has an ever-growing whiskey collection.

Like it or not, the holiday season is upon us. With that comes colder weather, and with colder weather comes cold weather cocktails…the Hot Toddy, Irish Coffee, and maybe the most famous of them, the Manhattan. Obviously, vermouth plays a major role in a Manhattan, but the star of the show is whiskey, specifically rye whiskey.

The word “whiskey” in America has become synonymous with bourbon, but what if I told you that America’s whiskey poster child wasn’t even the first whiskey we produced here? Let’s go back to Pennsylvania in the year 1750. Rye was the major grain being grown due to its propensity for rapid growth in the Mid-Atlantic climate. Farmers and immigrants who had moved to the North American colonies were longing for the whiskey they were familiar with at home and attempted to recreate it using rye as the grain. The result was a whiskey with rich notes of spice, dark red fruits, and black tea. To this day, many American whiskies are produced with varying amounts of rye in the mash bill to add complexity and depth.

These days, bourbon has stolen the spotlight for American whiskey, though without rye, there is no bourbon. But what’s the difference between bourbon and rye? Much like bourbon must contain 51% corn in its mash bill, rye must contain at least 51% rye grain. Here at France 44, we often like to swap out bourbon for rye in cocktails, as the flavor profile of rye tends to be a bit more interesting and holds up better to strong cocktail ingredients, like citrus juice and liqueurs. Check out some of our favorite bottles below!

Elijah Craig Straight Rye

With its mash bill of 51% rye, 35% corn, and 14% barley, Elijah Craig Straight Rye sits right on the lower boundary of what qualifies as a rye whiskey. What that means is that this is an ideal rye whiskey for the bourbon drinker who’s looking to get into rye whiskey. It has much softer spice notes than rye whiskies with higher rye content, but still contains enough to create a complex, rich whiskey that would be great on its own or in cocktails. Try it in an Old Fashioned!

Stellum Rye

Where the Elijah Craig is the bourbon drinkers rye, this is a rye drinkers rye. Stellum uses a 95% rye mash bill, which creates a much more spice forward whiskey. Expect notes of baking spices, spiced apples/pears, black pepper, and black tea. This rye is excellent on its own but also makes one of our favorite Manhattans.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye

This rye is a blend of 4-, 6-, and 8-year-old rye whiskies and bottled at barrel strength. The result is a beautiful whiskey with notes of toffee and mint on the nose. As it opens, expect to smell more apples and cherries along with light baking spice notes. The palate is spiced fruit forward, with rich flavors of cinnamon apple and pear, followed by more nuanced flavors of nutmeg, black tea, and cardamom. The finish is long and warming, perfect for the cooler weather. If you enjoy drinking whiskey straight, you owe it to yourself to give this one a try.

Spooky Halloween Cocktails

🎃🍹 Get ready to stir up some spine-chilling concoctions and unleash your inner mixologist because Halloween is creeping closer, and it’s time to summon the spirits of delicious, spooky cocktails. As the leaves turn crimson and the nights grow longer, there’s no better way to celebrate this eerie season than by concocting a cauldron of hauntingly good drinks. From vampire-inspired elixirs to ghostly libations, this is your ultimate guide to crafting the most spooktacular Halloween cocktails. So grab your broomstick, light the pumpkin candles, and prepare to be spellbound 👻🍸

Corpse Reviver 44

0.75oz Aquavit
0.75oz Cap Corse Blanc
0.75oz Dry Curacao
0.75oz Lemon Juice
Absinthe, to rinse (optional)

Optionally, rinse a chilled glass with absinthe (add the absinthe to the glass, swirl, and discard). Add all the other ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Fine strain into the chilled glass, garnish with a lemon twist.

Blood Moon Margarita

2oz Reposado Tequila
1oz Lime Juice
0.75oz Tattersall Sour Cherry
0.25o Simple syrup

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Fine strain into a chilled glass and serve with a lime wheel.

Zombie Brain Shot

0.5oz Midori
0.25oz Cream Liqueur (could be bailey’s, bourbon cream, etc.)
1 barspoon grenadine/cherry syrup

Add the Midori to a shot glass. Carefully pour the cream liqueur over the back of a barspoon so that it rests on top of the Midori. Add the barspoon of grenadine to the middle of the cream liqueur. Take the shot!

Midnight Manhattan

2oz Rye whiskey
0.5oz – 0.75oz Cynar
2 dashes Ango bitters

Stir well over ice. Strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Fall’s About Warm Spices & Baking… Why Not Make it Boozy?

written by Anna Glassman-Kaufman

Fall is all about apples, pumpkins, warm spices, and baking. These flavors are screaming for a little bit of liquor, to balance the sweetness and add some depth.

Before joining the world of France 44, I worked as a baker, and when I think about wines, beers, and spirits, I often think about the ways those flavors can be infused into bakes. Pairing doesn’t have to be as straightforward as drinking a glass of wine alongside a tasty treat; we can pair flavors and textures through cooking and baking. Whether mixing rum or red wine into a cake batter, soaking dried fruit with whiskey, infusing fresh fruit with bubbly wine, or mixing brandy with apples to balance their sweetness.

Much like all of you, I have a shelf in my dining room stocked with half-empty bottles, initially acquired for various purposes – a specific cocktail, a cooking experiment, or just because they looked interesting. The collection on that shelf seems to keep expanding the longer I spend at France 44, which prompted me to write this blog.

Cocktails are great, but they’re not the only creative way to use some of the bottles on your shelves. Below are some of my favorite recipes to infuse wine and spirits into your baking. Hopefully they’ll even inspire you to pick up a bottle or two of something new. And in the depths of this blog, we have cocktail recipes for pretty much every spirit you can imagine!

Here are some ways you can incorporate wines & spirits into your bakes this fall. And of course, recipes and bottle recommendations to go along.

Berries soaked in Champagne & St. Germain

In college, I spent a summer working at a restaurant in Boston called L’espalier on their pastry team. It was a Boston fine dining establishment and the job was intimidating; we used techniques and ingredients I had never heard of and plated desserts with tweezers.

There was one technique I learned in this job that I still think about. It’s nothing fancy, nothing crazy, but adds a bright burst of flavor and texture to the top of any cake or tart. Strawberries soaked in St. Germain and sparkling wine.

At the restaurant, we used the tiniest fruit baller you’ve ever seen to ball strawberries (you can DEFINITELY use whole or halved berries instead), then soaked them for 8-12 hours in a combination of sparkling wine and St. Germain until they’d taken on some of the floral notes of the elderflower liqueur and the bubbles from the wine. I included a picture here of the dessert with these little berries. I plated that one, my proudest accomplishment. When you bite into one of these tiny strawberries, you first feel the bubbles, then the sweet berry and floral liqueur come to the front of your palate. It’s a perfect bite.

All you need:

1 lb fresh strawberries

¼ cup St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

1 ½ cups champagne or prosecco (we recommend Kraemer Blanc de Blancs Brut France NV)

Wash strawberries well. Halve, quarter, or leave whole and place them in a deep baking dish, Tupperware, or wide bowl. Add the St. Germain and champagne. Let it sit in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight. Use bubbly strawberries to top cakes or tarts!

Tiramisu

Next up is a classic Italian dessert: tiramisu. I wish this was something I grew up enjoying, but the truth is, Italian baking didn’t become a part of my life until I enrolled in a pastry school in Florence. We learned all the basics of Italian baking and pastry, and I soon learned that Italians LOVE to use booze in their baking. In school we learned how to make Florenine Fedora Cakes, pictured to the left here, soaked in Alchermes liqueur, and how to make the perfect Cantuccini to dip in Vin Santo wine. But the star of the show was surely the tirimisu. Light savoiardi (lady fingers) dipped in liquor and coffee, layered with a light mascarpone cream make the most decadent, flavorful dessert. And it’s honestly quite easy to make, especially if you need to prep a dessert in advance! There’s a lot of debate about the perfect liquor to use for tirimisu. I’ve used dark rum, whiskey, marsala, it really depends on the flavor you’re looking for. Marsala adds a bit more sweetness to the dessert while rum, brandy, or cognac add a bit more depth and certainly make the dessert a bit boozy. Try it a few ways, and decide for yourself which is best! Now the recipe:

Lady Fingers: You’re welcome to buy these pre-made, but they’re actually quite simple to do yourself!

3 eggs, separated
½ cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
½ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment. Using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or large bowl and whisk, beat the egg yolks, ¼ cups of sugar, vanilla and salt until pale and light.

In another bowl and with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites (get ready for a workout if you’re doing this by hand). Once the egg white get a bit frothy, begin to add the remaining ¼ cup sugar one spoonful at a time. Beat until the whites are light and shiny.

Gently fold the yolk mixture into the whites mixtures. Then sift the flour into your bowl and gently fold that in as well. Do your best to avoid deflating any air in the egg through this process.

Using a piping bag with a large open tip or a ziplock bag, pipe your batter into logs on your lined sheet trays, about 5 inches long. Give them an inch or two of space between, they will spread a bit in the oven.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden and somewhat firm. Let them cool completely before moving on.

Mascarpone Cream:

4 egg yolks
½ cups sugar
¾ cups heavy cream
1 cup mascarpone cheese

Using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or bowl and whisk, whip together the egg yolks and ¼ cups of the sugar until light and airy, and pale yellow in color.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream and remaining sugar until you achieve soft peaks. Add the mascarpone and keep whipping until just before stiff peaks. At this point, gently fold the two mixtures together.

Assembly:

Lady fingers
Mascarpone Cream
1 ½ cups strong coffee or espresso
¼ cup liquor of choice (we recommend Myers’s Dark Rum)
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Dust the bottom of your serving dish (9×9 or similar works well) with cocoa powder.

Combine the coffee and liquor in a shallow dish. One at a time, dip your lady fingers into the coffee/rum mixture. Line the bottom of your dish with the dipped lady fingers. When your base layer is finished, spread ⅓ to ½ of the mascarpone cream on top. Then repeat. You want to end with a thin layer of the mascarpone cream, and dust it with more cocoa powder to finish the dessert.

For another take on this classic dessert, check out Austin’s recipe here on our Cook Like a Cheesemonger blog!

Brandy Apples

These brandy apples are adapted from the cookbook Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. In the book, they use the apples to top a gingerbread bundt cake (my attempt at their cake pictured below), but I think they’re just as good on top of vanilla ice cream. Use them for whatever you like.

1 lb apples (Gala or Pink Lady are great)
4 tbsp unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon zest
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
4 tbsp brandy (We’d recommend Laird’s Applejack)
¼ tsp salt

Peel and core apples, then slice into thick slices (½ inch). Heat a large skillet over high heat on the stove and add half the apples. Sear for a couple of minutes until they start to get a little color, then remove from the skillet into a bowl and repeat with the second half. Remove the rest of the apples from the pan.

Over medium heat, melt the butter and add the sugar, vanilla and lemon zest. Cook for 30 seconds, then add the apples back into the pan. Cook for a few minutes to fully coat the apples and cook them to soften, but retain their shape. Then add the lemon juice, salt, and brandy. Cook for another few minutes to reduce the sauce, stirring regularly.

Serve right away to top a cake, ice cream, alongside a nice piece of brie.

Butter Cookies with Whiskey Soaked Dried Fruit

In school we learned the perfect formula for butter cookies, or Paté Sablee. The formula in weight is 1:1:2 for sugar:butter:flour. Then 10% of the total weight in egg. It’s perfect every time. I’ve translated this into cups for you, but encourage anyone who bakes regularly to buy a kitchen scale and weigh their ingredients.

When working at a bakery one winter, we had way too much whisky soaked dried fruit at the end of a long season of making Stollen. I mixed the remaining whisky soaked fruit into this cookie dough and made a simple whisky glaze for the finished cookies. Perfection. Might not be the most beautiful cookies, but I guarantee you they’re packed full of boozy holiday flavor.

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

Fruit

¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup dried cherries
¾ cup Whisky (we recommend Very Old Barton)

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbsp Whisky
1 tsp vanilla extract

To prepare the fruit: simply cover the dried fruit in the whisky in an airtight container and allow it to soak at least 12 hours. I typically make the fruit the night before I plan to make my cookies.

To make the cookie dough: using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly begin to add the beaten egg, mixing well between each addition. Then add all the flour and salt at once, and mix until just incorporated. Lastly, drain the remaining whiskey from your dried fruit and add fruit into your dough. Mix ot incorporate into the dough. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until completely chilled (2-3 hours, or overnight).

Once chilled, break off half the dough flatted it a bit into a round disk shape. Begin to roll your dough, using flour as sparingly as possible, but enough that the dough doesn’t stick to the counter or your pin. The dough may be a little crumbly, but try not to overwork it as that will make your cookies tough. Roll to about ¼ inch thick, and cut into any shape you like. I like to just cut into squares to avoid any wasted dough.

Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet, with about 1 inch of space between cookies. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Once cookies are fully cooled, make the glaze by sifting powdered sugar into a small bowl and mixing well with the whiskey and vanilla until smooth. Use a spoon or piping bag to drizzle the glaze over your cookies, and enjoy!

Pears Poached in Red Wine

There’s a little restaurant called Trattoria da Rocco inside of the Mercato di Sant’Ambrosio in Florence. During my time in school there, I lived right nearby and did most of my shopping in the market. Every time, I would see these stunning poached pears in their display case, which they served with a house made caramel.

This take on the poached pear is a little bit different than the one I finally savored at the trattoria, but brings out warm, rich, spicy flavors of cinnamon, clove and red wine. These are a perfect dessert to prepare in advance of a dinner party. They’re gluten free, dairy free (unless you serve with whipped cream, which you really should if you can). They’re sure to please.

4 ripe pears
1 bottle of red wine (we recommend Pavette Pinot Noir)
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
4-6 cloves
1 orange peel
1 vanilla bean, split (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional, for serving)

Start by peeling the pears, leaving the stems intact. Slice a small portion off the bottom of each pear so that they can stand upright without tipping over.

In a large saucepan, combine the red wine, sugar, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, orange peel, and the split vanilla bean (or vanilla extract).

Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely.

Once the wine mixture is simmering, reduce the heat to low. Add the peeled pears to the saucepan, ensuring they are fully submerged in the liquid. If necessary, add a little more wine or water to cover the pears.

Simmer the pears gently for about 25-30 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork. The cooking time may vary depending on the ripeness of the pears, so check them periodically.

Once the pears are tender, remove them from the poaching liquid and set them aside.

Continue to simmer the poaching liquid over low heat, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes, or until it has reduced by half and thickened slightly.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the poaching liquid to remove the spices, orange peel, and vanilla bean (if used).

To serve, place each poached pear in a serving dish and drizzle the reduced red wine sauce over them.

Optionally, you can serve the poached pears with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra treat.

Chocolate Orange Mousse

Alright, we’ve reached the end. But before we’re done, I have to give you something chocolatey. Chocolate and orange are a classic pair and fit especially well in the cold weather. I bet you all have a bottle of some time of orange liqueur on your shelf from that one time you made margaritas. Here’s a great way to use it! If you don’t already have any, we recommend Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao.

6 ounces semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup orange liqueur
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of one orange (optional, for garnish)
Fresh orange slices or segments (optional, for garnish)

Start by melting the chocolate: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. You can either melt it in the microwave using 30-second intervals or use a double boiler. If you use a double boiler, fill a saucepan with an inch of water and place the bowl of chocolate over it. Heat gently until the chocolate is completely melted. Stir occasionally. Once melted, remove from heat and let it cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of sugar together until they become pale and slightly thickened.

Slowly add the melted chocolate to the egg yolks and mix until well combined. Stir in the orange liqueur and vanilla extract.

In another bowl, whip the heavy cream until it reaches stiff peaks. Be careful not to over-whip; you want it to be smooth and creamy.

In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until they start to foam. Gradually add the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Then, fold in the beaten egg whites, being careful not to deflate the mixture. This will create a light and airy mousse.

Spoon the mousse into serving glasses or ramekins. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or until the mousse is set. Garnish with the orange slices and/or zest to serve.

The Leaves are Changing – Our Wines Don’t Have to Follow Suit

four bottles of wine sit on a coffee table

written by Ty Robinson

There’s no denying it, Minnesotans love fall. The leaves have started to change, there’s a crispness in the air in the early morning hours, the kids have all gone back to school, and the Vikings are on TV. Fall is generally when people unconsciously switch their wine brains into red wine mode. As our dinner plans change from salads and barbeques to braises and roasts, we don’t have to give up our beloved white wines. Strolling through the store there are choices left and right. I’ve got three white wines that are awesome for fall and one bonus item that just landed…so let’s take off and taste some great wines.

Alexander Valley Vineyards Gewürztraminer

To kick off our fall white journey we’ll take a short flight to California. Brand new to the store is the Alexander Valley Vineyards Gewürztraminer. My grandmother’s favorite grape and the name of one of my dogs, it’s a house favorite, and very fall friendly. The AVV Gewürz has a nose that at first blush takes us to summer. Loaded with apple, citrus lychee and pears, there’s a nervy undercurrent that evokes the spices that we love about fall. Nutmeg, cinnamon and candied lemon peel pop through and on the palate, we get much of the same. This wine is a perfect pairing with the apples that you pick up from your local orchard, be it in salad, on grilled cheese or in an apple pie. The wine is balanced by a solid hit of acid and minerality that helps cut through our favorite fall foods.

Zevenwacht Chenin Blanc

Our next flight from California we head south, way south, to South Africa. South African wine is a historic wine region that is often underappreciated due to the mass-produced Chenin Blanc (aka “Steen”) of the early 1990’s. The Zevenwacht Chenin Blanc is a world away from those early South African work horse wines. Made from vines that are 40 years old and unirrigated, we get a wine that is laser focused and complex. On the nose the wine leads with a flinty almost gun smoke quality that is reminiscent of some German Rieslings, followed by white flowers, honeycomb and stone fruit. The wine is aged on the lees and uses a combination of oak, concrete and stainless steel for aging. Wonderfully complex, lots of acid, but a touch of sweetness and the roundness from the lees aging temper the acid. A great alternative to some of our Chardonnays, pair this with your roasted chicken and vegetables with a cream sauce.

Alois Lageder “Gaun” Chardonnay

To round out our three pack of fall whites let’s hop a plane to Northern Italy, specifically Alto Adige and sip on some of the Alois Lageder “Gaun” Chardonnay. This wine comes from one of the finest and most thoughtful producers in the region. This chardonnay sees about 9 months in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and oak barrels to produce a complex wine that everyone will enjoy. Classic Chardonnay on the nose with apple, stone fruit, flowers and a touch of a beeswax quality. The first sip, is light and crisp, like the first bite of that handpicked Honeycrisp apple. A medium body balances both the fruit and the buttery pastry that is hiding underneath. This would be an excellent pairing for a pork loin roast with apples and cognac sauce, or your Iron Range porchetta.

Mantensei “Kinoko” Junmai Ginjo

For our bonus bottle, we fly to Japan. Sake is a section that is often overlooked, especially when it comes to pairing with food, but it actually is brilliant with most food. Brand new to the store is the Mantensei “Kinoko” Junmai Ginjo, just look for the bottle with the psychedelic mushrooms on it. Savory and bursting with umami character, the brewer is obsessed with mushrooms and wanted to make a food friendly sake that can be enjoyed both warm and cold. Medium in body with a tannic dryness that red wine drinkers will love. This is his homage to mushrooms: the seasons we hunt for them, the dishes we make with them, their beautiful flavors and aromas and would be fabulous with your grandma’s coq au vin.

Just because the leaves are changing doesn’t mean the color of wine in our glass needs to follow suit. So, grab a fluffy sweater, your favorite wine glass, let the oven do the work and enjoy some wonderful white wines that you can fall in love with.

October Spirit of the Month: Brandy!

by Jake Rollin

With the weather starting to cool off, brandy immediately came to mind as the spirit of the month. While most people are familiar with grape based brandies (think Korbel or E&J), fruit brandies have gone relatively under the radar. However, with the wide variety of fruits that can be used to distill brandy, fruit brandies deserve their time in the spotlight!

Brandy refers to spirits distilled from a variety of fruits. The most traditional form is made with grapes, this includes cognac and Armagnac, but fruit brandies can be made with any number of fruits. Brandy dates back as far as the 14th century, when it was used traditionally as medicine, though distilled spirits made from fruit date back even further. These days, the most popular forms of fruit brandies come from apples, cherries, and pears.

While the flavor profile of grape brandies is generally rooted in an earthy sweetness, taking on vanilla and caramel notes from the barrel, many fruit brandies are often unaged. This allows the intense fruit flavors to come through, creating a unique drinking experience.

A number of classic cocktails use grape brandy as the base spirit, but fruit brandies can be easily subbed in to change the flavor profile and create a new cocktail all together. This month, we’re featuring three fruit brandies, all made from different fruits. Check them out below!

Laird’s Bonded Apple Brandy - $29.99

Laird’s is a traditional US apple brandy. Aged for a minimum of four years in government bonded warehouses and bottled at 100 proof, this apple brandy stands up incredibly well in cocktails. Its flavor profile is less earthy than its grape based counterparts, with a kick of apple spice on the finish. Try it in an Old Fashioned or a sour style cocktail!

Dampfwerk Unaged Pear Brandy - $34.99

Made from Bartlett pears, Dampfwerk’s Unaged Pear Brandy is a delicious example of fruit brandy. We recommend drinking this one straight, as the flavor profile is subtle, though it would be great in cocktails too. Beautiful floral notes are followed by subtle sweetness.

Schladerer Kirschwasser Cherry Brandy - $27.99

Kirschwasser is a traditional German cherry brandy. If you’re making fondue and it calls for Kirsch, this is what you want. Kirschwasser has been enjoyed as an aperitif/digestif for many, many years in Germany. Schladerer Kirschwasser is made using Black Forest cherries. It’s dry and very cherry forward, with notes of almond on the finish.

Brandy Apple Snap

2oz Laird’s Bottled in Bond Apple Brandy
1oz Du Nord Pronounced Apple
0.75oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur
1 Barspoon/tsp Simple Syrup (optional)

Add all the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until well chilled, approximately 30 seconds. Strain into a double old-fashioned glass with fresh ice. Express a lemon peel over the top, twist, and garnish.

Spiced Orchard Sour

2oz Laird’s Bottled in Bond Apple Brandy
1oz Lemon Juice
0.75oz Allspice Dram
0.75oz Licor 43

Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Fine strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.

A Few 2023 Oktoberfest Picks

It’s impossible as always to pick true favorite Oktoberfest beers and seasonal fall brews, but as September wraps up soon, we did want to get a few on your radar!

Paulaner Oktoberfest Bier

This is the Fest Beer (golden in color) that you’d be drinking under the tent in Munich right now. Only shipped to the US during the Fall. Golden, crisp and snappy. A style that makes you want to have another. One of our go-to Fest beers each year and we celebrate when it arrives.

Ayinger Oktoberfest

Our most popular selling German Oktoberfest Marzen (amber in color) and most of the staffs favorite Marzen Oktoberfest. When I close my eyes and think of what a Marzen Lager smells, looks and tastes like, this is the beer I picture in my mind. A true Classic.

Kloster Andechs Spezial Hell Festbier

We’ve been selling Andechs are a while now, but this is the 1^st time the Festbier has been available in Minnesota. A monastic brewery at the Abbey run by its monks, this Festbier has been flying off the shelf here at the store. One of the more limited items on this list. Grab it while you can. Classic is every way. You’ll love it.

Lupulin Oktoberfest Marzen

This Sauvignon Blanc is super fresh and zingy with bright lemon citrus, chalk and wet stones. It’s a medium-bodied, transparent sauvignon with a taut palate. Dry and delicious!

Downeast Pumpkin Blend Cider

A Fall limited release cider that tastes like fresh pressed orchard apple juice, pumpkin and chai spice. We sell A TON of this and it’s very hard not to like this cider. Almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face when you drink it. Drinking this outside as the leaves change color—doesn’t get much better.

Sipping Sonoma: A Visual Wine Journey

by TK Mehlhaff

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit Sonoma County in California with a group of fantastic restaurant owners from the Twin Cities. I was invited by Libation Project, a local distributor. My main objective was to gain a firsthand understanding of the wine production process, beyond what I had seen in books. I am extremely happy that I decided to go!

On the first day of the trip, we visited Vinca Minor Winery and had the opportunity to meet the owner, Jason Charles. We began our tasting right after arriving, which was a great way to start the trip. Later, we had lunch at a restaurant near Tamales Bay, where Chris Christinsen from Bodkin’s joined us to share their wines. Following that, we visited Reeve Vineyards for another tasting. To celebrate our first night, we enjoyed a BBQ and pool party with the Reeve crew. I stayed at the Reeve’s villa throughout the trip, which offered the most breathtaking view imaginable.

On the second day, we visited Larkmead Winery in Calistoga. There, we had a tasting with Joe Corsini and he gave us a tour of the vineyards. Afterward, we had lunch at Marine Layer Winery in Healdsburg with Rob Fischer and Baron Ziegler. During the lunch, we had the opportunity to taste a variety of different wines. Later on, we went to another location, Monte Rio, where we did a tasting with Patrick Cappiello. The wines we tasted had unique and interesting aromas, which added to the experience in a positive way. We concluded the day with a tasting and dinner at the home of Gail & Doris Wines’ owner, Dan O’Brien. From his backyard on the hill, we had a beautiful view of the vineyards in the distance. The night ended with delicious food, excellent wine, and great company.

On the third day, the group met with Sam Sheehan to do more tastings of Poe, Mommenpop, and Ultraviolet. Surprisingly, Mommenpop turned out to be a fortified wine and quite an interesting one to taste. After that, we visited LaRue Vineyards to meet Katy Wilson. This is where I bought the wine for my colleague’s wedding gift, which speaks volumes about the quality of this vineyard. It was a truly fascinating experience. And to top it off, we had an amazing lunch at Scribe Estate with brothers Mariani and Matt Ahern. They have exceptional vineyards and a wonderful team of chefs who prepared delicious food and dessert to bid us farewell before we flew back home.

Hats off to Libation Project for organizing this entire trip.

Overall, on this trip, I felt like I learned a lot by seeing things for myself. As a Deaf person, visual learning is important. I use American Sign Language as visual language. And on this trip, I was able to understand winemaking in a whole new way by seeing it happen firsthand – you just can’t get that in a book.

For instance, at Reeve Villa, where I stayed, I had the privilege of waking up to a breathtaking view. The elevation, fog, heat, and wind all became much clearer to me in terms of their impact on the grapes!

There were a lot of GREAT wines I tasted. I would recommend the Reeve Ya Moon Pinot Noir – it has a very light body yet it drinks lively! Another great wine was the Reeve Libertine #8, a red blend. It is made of Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet, and small amounts of Cab Franc + 1/6 previous vintages. The nose shows aromas of eucalyptus, oak spice, tart black cherry, and gentle spice. The palate has a presence to it with cherry, blackberry, oak, and spice.A couple more suggestions:

2021 Blood Root Rose of Pinot Noir: great wine for summer; refreshing and light to drink. I picked up flavors of strawberry and raspberry and fresh lemon zest with little herb of bay and thyme. This edition of rosé comes from three vineyards located in the Russian River and Sonoma Coast appellations.

2019 LaRue Pinot Noir Rice-Spivak: This wine is tasty and enjoyable! It showcases strong notes of cherry and cloves, which are derived from 20 months of aging in French Oak (33% new). The wine offers a plethora of aromas, including black cherry, strawberry, and raspberry. I also detected earthy notes of mushrooms, with hints of violet and vanilla. The flavor is incredibly satisfying, with red fruits such as cherry, pomegranate, and strawberry, as well as hints of forest floor and toasty oak. The acidity and tannins of this wine complement each other nicely, resulting in a smooth and long finish.

Marine Layer has all great varieties and one that stands out is the 2021 Aries Chardonnay. Usually I don’t like Chardonnay but I really enjoyed this one and wanted to share it for those of you who are skeptical of Chardonnays. Light straw in color with strong aroma out of the glass, fragrant of lemon peel, green apple, along with a subtle nuttiness. On the palate, the wine hit a lot of notes of citrus from lime to orange with fresh acidity and stony minerality. You can detect vanilla spice and nutty honey from aging in barrel.

2021 Gail Doris Cabernet Sauvignon is one of my favorites. Very expressive aromas of eucalyptus, violet, and cocoa are balanced by the tannins and acidity in the wine. Flavors of blackberry, violets and blueberries were also revealed on the palate very well. The wine was fermented in stainless steel then aged for 20 months, sur-lie, in neutral oak barrels and bottled unfiltered.

There is a whole new world for people who want to learn about wine and the wine industry, I highly recommend you travel and take a wine tour! It is worth your time to explore and understand better about how to grow grape and make wine. I want to share my story to educate people that as a Deaf person, I can enjoy wine in many languages. If I can, I am sure you can find a way to enjoy wine as well, it’s never too late! Don’t let any barriers stop you from living to the fullest!

We LOVE Hard Cider!

by Melissa Waskiewicz

As anyone who has read my blogs (opinions) before, you know that Milk and Honey is the local cider that introduced me to the world of local cider and craft cider as a beverage. I still feel the love for them and all cider they create. But for this blog, I wanted to introduce you to the other local cider makers you can regularly find in our cooler.

We carry an average of 12 local (MN and WI) cider makers in the store. Each brings something different to the cooler and many of them have seasonal flavors that come and go. This gives us a great variety of ciders to choose from that can’t be found elsewhere while giving us all a chance to enjoy local goodness.

Easton Cider is based out of Minnetrista at Minnetonka Orchards. They are one of the newer cider makers and are in very few retail locations. We are one of those lucky few and currently carry their Apple Blend and Blueberry Blend ciders. If you like Blueberry, you will enjoy their Blueberry Blend.

Keepsake Cider is based in Dundas. All of their ciders are wild fermented which means they leat the natural yeasts on the apples do all the work rather than adding a produced yeast. We carry seven of their ciders currently. Their Sunset Dry is a treat! It is cider aged on grapes and berries.

Loon Juice is in Spring Valley. They promise no loons are used in the making of their cider. We currently are carrying their Flagship, Extra Juicy, and Honeycrisp Haze. This is a great choice for people who like sweet cider without a lot of excess sugar.

Maiden Rock comes from just across the river in Stockholm, WI. They have been growing apples that they make into cider for almost 25 years. We carry their Honeycrisp. It’s on the sweet side, and quite refreshing.

Milk and Honey can be found in St. Joseph. They have been making cider for 12 years and are definitely one of our most popular brands. At this time, we have eight of their ciders, including their new non-alcoholic cider. Something fun to try from them would be their Bagnum which is 1.75L of still cider that really shows how closely wine and cider are related.

Minneapolis Cider Company is, as you can guess from the name, here in Minneapolis. Their urban cider house is a great place to visit (and play pickle ball) when you have a chance. In the meantime, you can grab one of their five ciders we are carrying to take home and enjoy. Their Brut makes a great cidermosa (mimosa using cider instead of bubbly wines.)

Number 12 Cider is another urban cider house we have here in Minneapolis. They started out on a farm and came into the city to expand their tasting room and their production. Five of their ciders can be found in our cooler these days. Siren is really unique with its use of pomegranate in the cider.

Restoration Cider is another WI maker based in Madison. It is a Veteran owned company that donates a percentage of proceeds back to saving streams. They have a Driftless Dry, Door County Cherry, and Central Sands Cranberry. The Cranberry is a tart cider that is perfect for sitting by a bonfire.

Sociable Cider is the first to make cider in the city. They have a very large variety to choose from that includes a handful of regulars and rotating seasonals. We have seven of their options available. If you want to have a last taste of summer, grab some Beach Cruiser Tropical Cider before it’s gone!

String Theory comes to us from a private orchard in WI. They spend three years (!!) producing each bottle of cider for our consumption. New to the market, we are happy to have them join our selection. We are carrying the three offerings they have which are Pirouette, Picnic, and Meadow Lark. The staff all varied on which their favorite is, so you can get one of each and let us know what you think.

Sweetland Orchard is down in Webster. Gretchen and her team have been making rustic ciders for years and we are proud to carry six of them. You can taste the orchard in each sip. The Cherry Rhubarb is a great cider to bring to gatherings and share with friends. Fun fact – our Cheese Shop is a drop off location for their CSA! Want to sign up?! Click Here!

Wild State is located in Duluth. They are full of flavor and fun! We currently have six of their ciders available. They have a great variety pack that you can get if you can’t choose which individual flavor you want.

Though not available for a few more weeks, we do have one more local cider coming back to the store. Crispin is making its return to the market thanks to Minneapolis Cider Company. They will launch with their Original, an Imperial (higher ABV) and a Mango Mimosa. Look for those in the cooler in October!

Of course we have a lot of great national and international ciders as well as these locals, but I want to make sure you know what you can get from “your own backyard” in the cider section.

September Spirit of the Month: Bourbon!

by Jake Rollin

September is National Bourbon Heritage Month, so we thought it’d be a great time to make bourbon our France 44 Spirit of the Month!

The history of bourbon can be traced back to when European colonists first settled in America. They brought with them a love of distilled spirits, but lacked the ingredients to make what they had been distilling in Europe.

Corn, however, was abundant in America and gradually began to be used for distillation. Early American whiskey consisted of mainly rye with corn as a secondary ingredient. By 1770, the bourbon we have come to know began to take shape and corn became the main ingredient.

Today, “bourbon” is defined as a spirit made in the United States (not just Kentucky) with a mash bill of at least 51% corn. The whiskey must be aged in new, charred oak barrels, though there isn’t a requirement for how long it must be aged. For a label to read “straight bourbon,” the whiskey must be aged for a minimum of two years. Terms like “bottled-in-bond” are simply stricter requirements beyond the base requirements.

The bourbon “mash bill,” which is essentially the grain recipe for whiskey, varies from brand to brand, but is generally made of corn, rye, and malted barley. Wheated bourbons contain wheat rather than rye and generally have a softer, sweeter palate.

Bourbon was named the national spirit of the US in 1964. There are a huge number of brands and producers, all with varying mash bills and styles, and countless cocktails are centered around bourbon, including classics like the Old Fashioned and the Mint Julep. Below are some of our favorite bourbons, both for sipping straight or mixing into a cocktail!

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon $34.99

Four Roses is based in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and was officially founded in 1888, with its current distillery being built in 1910. Four Roses has ten distinct recipes they use for their bourbons with various four-letter combinations (OESK, OESV, etc.) The Small Batch offering combines four of these ten recipes and is aged between six and seven years. The result is a smooth bourbon with rich caramel and soft notes of ripe red fruits. This is one of our favorites for cocktails but it’s excellent to sip on as well.

New Riff Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon $44.99

New Riff is a relatively new distillery in the bourbon world, established in 2014. However, don’t let that fool you; this bourbon is just as nuanced as any of the big brands. Following the guidelines laid out by the Bottled-in-Bond act of 1897, New Riff bourbon is aged a minimum of four years and bottled at 100 proof. Their high rye mash bill creates a wonderfully complex palate with rich notes of caramel and vanilla followed by a lasting finish of clove and white pepper. Try it in your favorite cocktail or on its own, we think you’ll love it.

Calumet Farm 16yr Bourbon $164.99

Calumet Farm was a dominant name in the horse racing world long before they stepped into the bourbon arena. In 2013, Calumet launched their line of bourbons, specializing in whiskies with age statements of eight years or more. Their 16 year offering is the oldest one they’ve offered yet, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Rich smoke leads on the nose, followed by lighter aromas of toasted almonds, with cherries and citrus revealing themselves as the bourbon breathes. Light rye spice followed by deep fruit flavors dominate the palate. The finish is soft, with light smoke and toasted wood notes. This is a true masterclass in bourbon that any afficionado should treat themselves to at least once.

The Peachy Keen Bourbon Sour

Bourbon and peach are one of those flavors combinations that always seems to be a crowd pleaser, and this is no exception! Four Roses Small Batch brings a wonderful base of caramel and vanilla that, when combined with the peach, creates almost a peach cobbler flavor. The lemon juice lifts everything with bright acidity, and the simple syrup makes all the flavors pop and adds some body to the cocktail. Perfect for the last few weeks of beautiful Minnesota weather!

2oz Four Roses Small Batch

1oz Lemon Juice

0.75oz Mathilde Peach

0.5oz Simple Syrup

Add all the ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake until well chilled. Fine strain into a rocks glass with ice or straight up into a coupe. Garnish with a lemon wheel.