MGGA Events Calendar

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Minnesota Grape Growers Association host a wine tasting and selection process for local chefs.

On Monday June 6, 2011, local chefs, cookbook authors, food writers and wine enthusiasts were guests of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Learning Center Kitchen for a lively sampling of Minnesota wines. They tasted and compared Minnesota varieties with the notion of selecting wines that they could pair with a personal culinary creation. Twenty four wines were submitted and sixteen were selected by the cooks who will be preparing menus for the ‘4x4 Food and Wine Event’ this autumn at the Arboretum. Susan Hamerski of the Landscape Arboretum welcomed Enologist Katie Cook of the U of M Research Center and MGGA Secretary Terri Savaryn, who was on hand to answer questions about the wines and the wine industry in Minnesota.

Many thanks to all the wineries who submitted wines for consideration. They will be contacted later about the date their wine will be featured and invited to the 4x4 Event to present their wines. Those wines not selected in this go round will be placed in the Elmer Swenson Silent Auction at the Cold Climate Conference, February 2012.

The four chefs, dates for their dinners and their wine selections are as follows:

Oct 20: Joan Donatelle, Chef and Food Specialist for Byerlys, MN
Autumn Sky- Woodland Hill
Frontenac – Hinterland
Frontenac – White Water
Rose - Fieldstone

Nov 10: Beth Jones, Chef for Campus Club, U of M
La Crescent – Hinterland
Marquette – Parley Lake
Rose – St Croix
Marquette - Carlos Creek

Sept. 15: Tracy and Craig from Terra Restaurant, Waconia
Frontenac Gris – Parley Lake
Marquette – Hinterland
Bulrush – White Water
St. Therese Rose – Sovereign Estate

Dec. 1: Beth Dooley, Food Writer and Chef
Wobegon White - Carlos Creek
Frontenac Rose – Indian Island
Raspberry Wine – Forestedge
Marquette - Winehaven