As I write this, it is April 26th, 2022, day eight of my Covid journey. Right now, it’s 8:30 am. I hear Angela starting to wake up, coughing and hacking. Spencer is still out for the count, getting a good night of sleep … his recovery is going very well, but he’s still testing positive and…
We lost one of the greats in the wine world, a person unknown to many wine drinkers in America but hugely influential in his region (Northern Rhône) and the center of one of my favorite personal wine stories, Alain Graillot. He was 77 years old. (Here’s the Wine Spectator obit.) In the 1980s, while well established…
The Black Dog Wine Bar and Cafe in Lowertown St. Paul has closed. This is not just another restaurant closing. Not by a long shot.It was a 23 year run for Black Dog, closed from a combination of the pandemic, the labor shortage, rent on pretty ample space, and simple exhaustion trying to keep it…
I had not been on a plane since the pandemic began, so I couldn’t pass up an offer from Southwest Airlines that I learned about through Thrifty Traveler: register for the promotion, take one round trip flight this season, and earn unlimited two-for-one status for travel this January and February. (For those that don’t know…
I love to keep bottles that mean something to me. Yes, I probably have more empty bottles sitting around than I should, but every bottle I keep has a story and I’m starting a new segment here about these special wines and the stories behind them. All bottles I show are the actual bottle from…
Hey Jason – Do you have a favorite wine quote? I do. And it’s verbose. “We believe that authentic wine, which is the prerequisite for fine or great wine, comes out of a nexus of connections. Flavor connected to soil, forming the basis of terroir. People connected closely to the land they work. Entire families…
What happens when you’re a wine lover in one of the most popular destinations in the country? As you read this, we are just landing from a glorious seven day escape to Florida. We had never been to Florida before, much to the amazement of friends. We love the desert, and Arizona is our normal escape…
First, a little background on the business of wine bars. There is probably no harder way for a restauranteur to make money than to open a wine bar. Unlike a coffee shop, you can’t take it to go. Unlike a taproom, you’re making far less margin. And unlike the beer world, you can’t down three…
