A martini at Nye’s Bar is a fine drink to reflect on the year 2018 in local spirits. In January, this bar, Nye’s in name only, opened in the dust of the demolished Polonaise Room, a place whose divey charm earned it the Best Bar in America designation from Esquire in 2006—a lifetime ago, from the … [ Read more]
Cold Climate Wine Competition 2017: La Crescent, Marquette reign supreme
August 18, 2017 by
The Growler was on hand to help judge the 2017 International Cold Climate Wine Competition, which always gives us a good barometer on the state of local wine. The competition is open to any winery using non-Vinifera, cold-hardy grape varieties to make wine, and some of the region’s finest wineries were among the winners this … [ Read more]
Lawsuit challenges locally grown mandate in Minnesota wine
March 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The Institute for Justice, joined by Alexis Bailly Vineyards of Hastings, and Next Chapter Winery of New Prague, announced yesterday a lawsuit that will challenge the language of Minnesota’s statutes for farm winery licenses. Currently, the statute mandates that Minnesota wineries must use a majority of Minnesota-grown grapes in their yearly winemaking output. The lawsuit … [ Read more]
