Wine gets better with age (well not all wine but good wine does). The MN Food & Wine Show gets worse every year! It is an embarrassment to the wine scene in MN. The Grand Tasting is a complete disaster and the wines now are not mentioned but producers are. There are zero wines from France, Germany, Australia, Chile, Washington State, Italy, Spain and more.
Comedy reading the comments on Facebook of my post about this.
What are we missing?
France
Italy
Spain
Germany
Australia
South America
Participants for the Grand Tasting:
As you can see this lineup is weak on a good day. $100 for this? Check out my notes from the Hennepin Lake Charity Event from the fall which cost just a mere $25.00. You have a heavy US tasting at the Hennepin Lake Event however a strong European wine selection.
Bronco Wine Company- These are the guys behind the house brand Salmon Creek! Greg Norman why are with these guys???
Carlos Creek Winery- MN Wine. Do I need to say anymore?
Celebrity Cruises- Anyone interested in a cruise right now? This is not a wine or food item.
Coeur de Terre Vineyard- Certainly not on a radar when it comes to Oregon wine.
Fetzer- Fetzer???
Fullerton Wines- Some solid wines from Oregon. Hopefully pouring the $30 plus wine.
Gaggenau- Home appliances??? You can wash your cheap stemware in their dishwasher.
J. Lohr Wines- Not really what I would expect when paying over $100 for a tasting. Maybe they are pouring the Hilltop which is a solid 85 point wine.
Jeff Belzer’s- Car dealership?
Kerrygold- Wonderful butter anyone?
LangeTwins Family Winery and Vineyards- Never tasted one of your wines. Are they any good?
Left Coast Estate- White Pinot Noir?
Miner Wines- I like Gold Rush on Friday nights. Were good in the 80s.
Minneapolis Farmer’s Market- Fresh vegetables anyone?
O’Neill Vintners- Who???
Patton Valley Vineyard- Hopefully powering your better wines.
Round Lake Vineyards & Winery- MN wine in the house!!!
Silver Oak- You know you are a serious wine drinker when Silver Oak is your favorite.
Southern Glazers- These guys could not even mail me a $100.00 rebate from Mumm within 3 weeks. They have a good book but based on what is listed you should not be optimistic.
Sysco- Food part of the show.
Torii Mor Winery- You should try these wines at the show.
Twomey Cellars- Overprice California Wine. Silver Oak in the house.
Villa Bellezza- Wow a Wisconsin Winery. When I think of a $100 tasting I think Wisconsin wine.
The Main Event
As of this morning Saturday, March 7 we still had not added any of the wines being poured.
“2020 Event Information
Details coming soon!”
The seminars this year are also a bust. Lodi wines? No one talks about them. The Oregon wine tasting could be good but they don’t tell you what they are pouring.
Really disappointing how bad this experience has become and how they don’t post any information about it.
That is my take.
Cheers,
John Glas
3 Day Wine Review
The only independent wine blogger and educator in MN.
John, I share your low opinion of the MN Monthy annual event. It USED TO BE great when it was held at the Mpls Convention Center. The Grand Tastings used to be worth the extra price, the food was better ad the distributors had more ‘top’ wines at their stations (among the many lesser choices). The last and final time I went was two years ago. I will skip the 2020 event (until and unless I hear differently from other wine people like you that the Food and Wine event has gotten better).
Thanks for keeping us in touch with the local wine scene and beyond/
Edward De Gregoire
Spot on take. What a joke.
No details. Wow! Must not anyone to know how bad the tasting actually is.