Rock the Wine

I took my own pictures, and I promise to add them once I’ve uploaded the last round of pictures from my camera. For now, though, I’ve got a few event photos included for your viewing pleasure.

Anyway, this post/review isn’t just about a couple of wines, but about the venue where I tried them. On Thursday night, I attended . This was a wine-tasting/rock show at a relatively new restaurant in Minneapolis – Trocadero’s. The featured wine was Sacre Bleu, and I tried the following: Chardonnay, a Chard-Viognier-Muscat blend (Muscat?! I know! It was delightful, though), Merlot, Cabernet, Pinot Noir, and a Cuvee blend. Check out the info: Sacre Bleu Wines. I loved the CVM, finding pretty interesting that they added Muscat to the Chardonnay. I think the Cuvee was my least favorite – nothing really special stood out about it.

Neither my date nor myself are HUGE fans of Merlot, but were pleasantly surprised by this one.

I loved the Cabernet. It was ripe, full-bodied and I was pleased that the pourer didn’t skimp at all on filling my little sample glass.

The other wine we tried wasn’t associated with the sponsored tasting at all, but was our choice for the dinner that we ate there. We tried Oregon’s Argyle Pinot Noir:

AWESOME. It was a very fresh, ripe, fruit-forward Pinot Noir. Very smooth, not real earthy like I’ve tasted before. It was a very sleek, juicy treat and its lightness went really well with the variety of apps we shared (coconut shrimp, chicken wings, and spinach-artichoke dip).

The show we saw was also absolutely fanastic. White Light Riot, a local band, was the headliner and I was SO IMPRESSED with not only their sound and stage presence, but by the sheer power and clarity of the lead singer’s voice. It turns out he’s a J-school (Journalism School at the Univ. of MN) alum like myself, and a budding local musician. I will seek out their albums in the future – whenever they’re released – and highly recommend them to anyone who likes good alt/indie rock with a Minneapolis sound.

Tonight, I’m hanging around my parents’ house drinking mimosas made with some sort of Brut Cava. Honestly, I can’t tell you anymore than that because I haven’t seen the bottle yet… Tonight, I’m just enjoying the bubbly and not worrying so much about picking it apart.

Cheers!