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Hi everyone –

Earlier this week I had a fantastic tasting with a favorite importer, The Sorting Table. This is a company I know well, being that I was part of the kickoff team when they first entered Minnesota in 2006. It’s a company with high standards, great brands, and most importantly — they are professionals.

What do I mean by “professionals” when it comes to wine importation and representation? A few key things:

First, when I talk directly to their wineries and ask about The Sorting Table, every winery has great things to say about them. Communication is quick, payments are on time, shipments arrive in America with no issues. This is huge.

Second, when I meet with the Minnesota rep for The Sorting Table, Steve, it’s always a good use of my time. Tons of info, lots of education, and high-level business conversations about how things are going in other parts of the country. No BS, no weird sales pitches. You’d be amazed at how many winery and import reps fall flat when it comes to this.

Lastly, the quality of the producers they represent is incredible. Check out the list here: https://www.thesortingtable.com/producer-by-region/. And their website is so clean, clear, and informative. Again, it’s amazing how many other importers make finding information a chore instead of a pleasure.

Want to learn more about the role of importers, and get a list of our favorites? Check out our upcoming webinar on the subject, coming November 6th. More info here.

We tasted through about 15 wines in this meeting, from crisp and lively Spanish whites all the way through powerhouse Napa Valley Cabernets. But two wines stood out, and when I found out how little was currently available in Minnesota, I ordered it all.

These are two outstanding wines, perfect for this time of the year. Save them for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, or pop as something special on a weekend. Neither is super expensive, and both over-deliver for the price.

The Leth family of Wagram, Austria

Leth “Steinagrund” Grüner Veltliner
Wagram, Austria, 2023

The Leth family has been farming in the Wagram since the 1960s, long before Austria’s wine renaissance put the country back on the world stage. What sets them apart is their deep commitment to Wagram as a place—a region defined not by dramatic mountains or castles, but by its quiet geography of rolling terraces composed of deep, ancient loess soils. These soils are essentially prehistoric dust, carried by wind from the last Ice Age and settled in thick, fertile layers. They retain water, they moderate vine stress, and they impart a subtle creamy texture to white wines that’s unmistakable once you recognize it.

The Leth family doesn’t chase trends, flash, or polish. Their focus is clarity—letting Grüner Veltliner taste like Grüner from this particular stretch of riverbank, in a style that is refreshing, uplifting, and deeply drinkable.

This 2023 Steinagrund offers all the reasons Grüner Veltliner has quietly become the darling of sommeliers: gentle citrus aromatics, white pepper spice, a flick of green herb, and a texture that is both sleek and soft. It’s the kind of wine that steps onto the table and makes the food look smarter.

If you’re grilling spring vegetables, roasting chicken, assembling a cheese board, making pasta with lemon, tossing together a grain salad, or simply sitting outside and enjoying the weather—this is the bottle you want. A house wine for people who appreciate subtlety and thoughtful craftsmanship.

Funny how my image filters made the bottle look weird. No worries … it’s a normal shaped bottle!

Pasanau “Ceps Nous“
Priorat, Spain, 2020

OMG this is delicious wine.

Where Leth whispers, Pasanau speaks in landscape-sized chords. The Pasanau family has farmed the highest-altitude vineyards in Priorat for generations—an area so rugged that most of the early roads were mule paths, and some vineyards still must be worked by hand. Their vines cling to steep slopes of llicorella—the fractured, black slate that gives Priorat wines their famous dark-mineral grip and sense of gravitas.

The Priorat vineyards of Pasanau — the highest elevation vineyards of the region!

At this elevation, daytime heat is intense, but nighttime temperatures plunge. Grapes ripen fully, but acidity remains bright. This balance is everything—it’s what separates a wine that’s merely big from a wine that has structure, lift, and movement. This is 100% Garnacha (Grenache) that walks a tightrope between richness and edge. It’s simply damn good juice.

“Ceps Nous” (meaning “new vines”) is their introduction to the Pasanau style: old-world sensibility with mountain-sculpted power. Aromas of blackberry, baked cherry, dried rosemary, and crushed rock. The palate is deep and firmly shaped, but not heavy—there’s a freshness to the finish that keeps you coming back. It’s bold, but never tiring.

This is a wine that wants food—grilled lamb, charred vegetables, smoky paprika dishes, anything involving rosemary, charcoal, or a cast iron skillet. But it’s also a conversation wine: open it late, reflect on the day, settle in.

If you’ve ever wondered where the emotion in a wine comes from, Pasanau is a reminder: sometimes it’s the land, sometimes it’s the family who refuses to leave that land, and sometimes it’s the glass that tells both stories at once.

Final thoughts

Both of these wines represent what we seek: family, quality, organic farming, yada yada yada.

But the extra edge that both of these have is an amazing call to have the wine with food. Both wines can not only handle almost anything you throw at them, but will enhance the dish and the experience ten fold.

In other words, these are wines that are meant to be savored. Plan a menu, enjoy cooking a complex dish, and watch these wines come alive.

Quantities are limited. Best price is on the four-pack (two bottles of each).

Jason Kallsen
Sommelier and founder/owner of Twin Cities Wine Education

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Offer and special pricing are available as inventory lasts