October 6, 2011
On the hunt for vino…
Dizamn, what’s a girl got to do to get some wine around here?? I mean, don’t get me wrong – I am loving Minneapolis and all it has to offer. But as a California native {and apparent vino lover enthusiast addict?}, it’s a hard adjustment to not have wine accessible 7 days a week, at every major grocery chain, and even at your favorite Target. Yikes, I sound like I have dependency issues… lemme re-phrase :: Minnesota has weird state rules.
And maybe that’s why there isn’t really an overt wine culture here in MPLS. That’s fine, it doesn’t make me like the city any less… it just means that I’m up for the challenge. You heard me. I think there are, oh, maybe five wine bars in this ‘hood??? Or fine, thirteen according to Yelp {which bt-dubs includes bakeries that categorize themselves as wine bars. ??. *shrug*}, and I intend on visiting all of them.
Instead of wine bars, Mpls has well, bars. And a HUGE Happy Hour culture. It’s awesome – it means super cheap bar tabs, just the right amount of vino to hold you over til dinner while leaving enough productivity in your system to actually do things when you get home, and quality hang-out time with friends + co-workers. The downside is that Minneapolis hot spots tend to have the same wine options menu after menu. Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc, Sterling Merlot, Canyon Road Cab, and let’s not forget… Sutter Home White Zin. I’m not complaining – there’s always a decent choice for 4 bucks a pop {and in a town where 2 Buck Chuck is really 3 Buck Chuck… that’s a steal!}… it just gets boring after awhile to see the same bottles across different restaurants.
Hence, my wine bar challenge.
First stop :: Spill The Wine. I’m not going to lie… I went here first because I had a Groupon I needed to use. Despite the ho-hum online reviews, I had high hopes for this place. It’s in a great neighborhood, the menu looked promising, and hell – it’s a wine bar. That already adds some points to my books. Sadly though, there’s nothing to rave about here. It’s the classic marriage of a great business concept + high potential, weighed down by meh poor execution. Sorry for being tough, but staffing happy employees is just Business 101. Our cranky pants server couldn’t give two poops if we were ever going to come back. Luckily I had great company which made for a great day of vino tasting. And the wine list was better than our Happy Hour haunts – you have the fancy pants Rombauers, the typical Pine Ridge, and a few fun surprises like Sokol Blosser Evolution. We tried the featured flights, all of which highlighted three wines from different vineyards – Luna, Middle Sister, and Wine by Joe. All left coast wineries, which I appreciated… but it just made me wish I was sipping a Jessup flight.
Until my next wine bar stop, I’ll amuse you with my current obsessions ::
Keurig Coffee :: After brewing thousands of cups of coffee both professionally and 
leisurely, I never ever in a million years thought I would care for a Keurig Coffee maker. I like the art of brewing damn good coffee. But alas, we have a Keurig in my office with an endless amount of K-Cups at our disposal, and I’m totally hooked. I actually look forward to my morning rendezvous with this machine. Incredible.
Nike Women’s Dri-Fit :: Weird but true – until this week I have never run in a long sleeve 
shirt. Granted, I never ran in climates that needed long sleeve shirts… but this weekend it was 45 degrees before sunrise and I decided that a long-sleeve shirt might be a good idea. I busted this Nike top out for the first time ever and I swear it made me run harder, faster, longer. Best. Top. Ever. It was a personal heater and cooling system all at the same time. Who knew that Dri-Fit is really a legit technology? Amazing.
Kid Cudi | Man on the Moon :: 
What the what – how did I totally miss this album??? I’m two years late to the party, but holy crap this is one work of art. It fills my guilty pleasure of rap, pop, and new wave electronica. Me likey.
Only 15 days til my next Jessup tasting… stay tuned 
*Xo.
Jess
