Each autumn, the branches of apple trees and vineyard vines hang heavy with the fruits of a long growing season. Every ray of sunlight, drop of rain, and nutrient in the soil have been soaked up to produce plump clusters of grapes and swollen apples filled with the juices, tannins, sugars, and acids that the … [ Read more]
Pour It On: The porron offers a splashy, exuberant way to share wine and cocktails with friends
August 29, 2019 by
The narrow-spouted glass wine pitcher known as the porron has its origins in Catalonian food traditions, where it cuts a fine figure at spring onion festivals. Increasingly visible worldwide and affordably available online (a classic model costs less than $30), the porron is poised to change the way we drink for the better. If you’ve … [ Read more]
A Quick Guide to Cider Styles
August 29, 2019 by
You know your beer styles and wine varieties, whiskey vs. whisky, and what you want in a gin. But what about cider? By no fault of its own (we blame the Prohibitionists who torched America’s once-plentiful cider-apple orchards) cider has fallen by the wayside for many drinkers, often being shunned due to misconceptions that it’s … [ Read more]
What Do Minnesota Grapes Taste Like?
August 29, 2019 by
You’ve probably noticed our local wineries don’t grow chardonnay and cabernet grapes like their California cousins. Our wicked continental climate is only suitable for wine grapes engineered to withstand the biting cold. But in the absence of those recognizable grapes, how do you know what flavors to expect from our wines? Here are the four … [ Read more]
Bubbles That Won’t Break the Bank: A Buyer’s Guide
August 29, 2019 by
In my wine-buying experience, there’s no single purchase that can be more variable and unpredictable than a mid-priced bottle of sparkling. At around $10–20, you can get nuanced, estate-driven, interesting bubbles just as easily as industrial, one-note, sickly plonk. And if you’re a newbie to the cage-cork aisle, it can be maddening to tell the … [ Read more]
Polishing the Apple: Elevating the cider cocktail beyond a simple bar drink
August 29, 2019 by
You’ll be forgiven if your conception of cider cocktails until this very moment consisted of snakebites on St. Patrick’s Day or the mulled stuff that Uncle Randy enjoys spiking just a little too much. Before Lars Olsen was tapped to create Minneapolis Cider Company’s new in-house cocktail program, his view of the genre was even … [ Read more]
Cooking With Cider
August 29, 2019 by
When cooking, quality ciders can bring the same level of brightness, fruit, and acidity to food dishes as white or red wine. But with the wide-ranging flavors in cider—from sweet and apple-forward to dry, acidic, and funky—its utility in the kitchen is more versatile than that bottle of merlot or pinot grigio slowly losing vitality as … [ Read more]
