Minnesota Realty Blog n News

The movement to get wine sold in grocery stores here in Minnesota has been tabled for another year in the State Legislature. The “Wine with Dinner” bill, sponsored by Minnesota Grocers, didn’t make it out of committee. The sponsors vow to not give up and point to overwhelming support with voters, but I don’t hold much hope for wine sales in supermarkets here anytime soon.

Without getting too far into the liquor laws of my current home state, most of the issue boils down to the powerful interests of the three tier system. To complicate matters further, many cities have monopolized wine distribution so there is no competition in the city I live in. Therefore, I buy most of my wine in Minneapolis or St. Paul where wine stores are allowed and the variety is much better than municipal stores. All this adds up to higher wine prices for Minnesota consumers.

So as logical and popular it might be to make wine available in grocery stores, I really don’t think it will happen here due to the political interests. Too bad for wineries and consumers, the groups who’s interests are not being served in this case. It also provides an interesting opportunity for Wine 2.0 sites to sell directly to Minnesota consumers since we are used to paying 10% or more than most States for vino.

I still wish the Wine with Dinner folks well and encourage fellow Minnesotans to voice their opinion on the issue with their State Representative, etc. There’s always next term…

Original post by Tim

The movement to get wine sold in grocery stores here in Minnesota has been tabled for another year in the State Legislature. The “Wine with Dinner” bill, sponsored by Minnesota Grocers, didn’t make it out of committee. The sponsors vow to not give up and point to overwhelming support with voters, but I don’t hold much hope for wine sales in supermarkets here anytime soon.

Without getting too far into the liquor laws of my current home state, most of the issue boils down to the powerful interests of the three tier system. To complicate matters further, many cities have monopolized wine distribution so there is no competition in the city I live in. Therefore, I buy most of my wine in Minneapolis or St. Paul where wine stores are allowed and the variety is much better than municipal stores. All this adds up to higher wine prices for Minnesota consumers.

So as logical and popular it might be to make wine available in grocery stores, I really don’t think it will happen here due to the political interests. Too bad for wineries and consumers, the groups who’s interests are not being served in this case. It also provides an interesting opportunity for Wine 2.0 sites to sell directly to Minnesota consumers since we are used to paying 10% or more than most States for vino.

I still wish the Wine with Dinner folks well and encourage fellow Minnesotans to voice their opinion on the issue with their State Representative, etc. There’s always next term…

Original post by Tim

Last week while driving around Napa Valley I caught up with some of my podcast listening. One of the episodes of Grape Radio I listened to was a fascinating interview with wine critic Stephen Tanzer from International Wine Cellar. I really enjoyed the two-part interview Grape Radio did over a year ago but this time the conversation really hit home with me from the very beginning.

As I’ve blogged here in the past, I am a reluctant practitioner of numerical ratings. I’ve been using them for long enough to develop a clinical process of reviewing wine with points for appearance, aroma, flavor and overall enjoyment. So I was somewhat surprised to hear Mr. Tanzer’s candid remarks about his use of the 100-point scale near the beginning of the podcast, calling the process Robert Parker uses “silly.” Since I mirror my rating process after Mr. Parker, I guess I fall in this silly category too. Mr. Tanzer characterized his use of numerical scores as a sort of “shorthand” for his impression of a wine; a sort of digest of his written tasting notes. While I agree that numerical scores look far too precise than they really are, I don’t agree that scores are just an emotional response to a wine. At least the way I score wines. The discussion did further underscore how subjective wine reviews are and readers can’t really compare each reviewers scores with others. The best we can hope for is that the individual reviewer is as consistent as humanly possible with his or her scores.

Later in the show the conversation turned to how few new entrants there seem to be in the wine reviewing space. Of course they were referring to print publications and newsletters but I was somewhat surprised that no one mentioned wine bloggers. That’s because I don’t think the next Parker, Tanzer or Laube will come from the established wine press or wine trade but will emerge from the growing wine blogosphere. I also think there will not be only a handful of voices reviewing wines, as there are today, but hundreds. And collectively there will be a lot more information about a lot more wines to help consumers make buying decisions.

Check out Grape Radio’s latest interview with Stephen Tanzer here. It’s a long show but very much worth your time.

Original post by Tim

Well, it’s been almost three weeks since my last post so I’m playing catch-up here… the summary for Wine Blogging Wednesday 33, the first time I’ve missed participating in over 2 years, was posted some time ago. Also posted was the theme for WBW 34: Washington Cabernet. I’ll be looking for a wine to fill the bill and getting back into the swing of things by June 13th.

It’s sort of a bummer since I tasted four wines for WBW 33 but didn’t have the chance to write the entry up in time. Will save my notes for a podcast soon.

Original post by Tim

Summer is here! OK, maybe it’s not official but Memorial Day has passed and it’s nice and hot today. Summer is really a great time to be in Minnesota.

Whether you are enjoying Minnesota from your new home or whether you’re trying to enjoy it while looking for your dream home we have a couple suggestions for online summer calendars to help you see the best Minnesota has to offer in terms of summer fun and festivals:

Vita.MN is an ongoing calendar that highlights festival, diversions and nightlife, primarily in the Twin Cities. They have a searchable database and you can filter events by date and type.

Explore MN just redesigned their site – and it’s a great place to look for a Minnesota vacation. And really proximity to beautiful vacation spots is one reason we love all Minnesota in the summer.

EPodunk track festival throughout the state. They have 70 festivals listed for June alone from Dairy Days in Willmar to Hat Daz in Canby.

St Paul Chamber of Commerce tracks events staring strong this weekend with Grand Old Day and the Flint Hills International Children’s festival. (The folks at Buyers Real Estate Group have long enjoyed these events!)

Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce tracks events in and around Minneapolis.

Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group

Following up on my original post, a couple of items from Monica Goodling’s testimony on Wednesday appear destined to cause Alberto Gonzales further trouble.

First, Goodling said that Gonzales talked to her about the prosecutor case.

“It made me a little uncomfortable,” Monica Goodling, Gonzales’ former White House liaison, said of her conversation with the attorney general just before she took a leave of absence in March. “I just did not know if it was appropriate for us to both be discussing our recollections of what had happened.”

Trouble is, Gonzales told Congress that he didn’t.

Gonzales told the Senate Judiciary Committee last month that he didn’t know the answers to some questions about the firings because he was steering clear of aides — such as Goodling — who were likely to be questioned.

“I haven’t talked to witnesses because of the fact that I haven’t wanted to interfere with this investigation and department investigations,” Gonzales told the panel.

Hmmm….

Perhaps we should give Gonzales the benefit of the doubt on this one and accept the Justice Department explanation: “The attorney general has never attempted to influence or shape the testimony or public statements of any witness in this matter, including Ms. Goodling,” said spokesman Brian Roehrkasse. “The statements made by the attorney general during this meeting were intended only to comfort her in a very difficult period of her life.”

All well and good, although that’s sort of an odd way to comfort someone. And perhaps he shouldn’t lie to Congress about it afterward. And then there’s the troubling little fact that he has done this repeatedly: Made a claim, been contradicted by the facts, then backpedaled. Once might be forgiven; but three or four times?

Secondly, the Justice Department is broadening its inquiry into Goodling’s hiring practices based on her testimony.

The expanded inquiry, conducted by the department’s inspector general and its Office of Professional Responsibility, comes after testimony Wednesday by former Gonzales aide Monica M. Goodling.

She told a House committee that she had considered party affiliation in screening applicants to become immigration judges.

Judges on top of career prosecutors. Lovely. But why is this a big deal? We already knew that she admitted “crossing the line.”

The difference here is that Goodling says she was authorized to do so in this case.

She cited a conversation she had with another Gonzales aide, D. Kyle Sampson, who said the department’s Office of Legal Counsel had declared the practice to be lawful.

The Justice Department denies it.

Justice Department officials said no such opinion existed.

They also denied Goodling’s assertion that the hiring of immigration judges had been frozen after the department’s civil division raised concerns about using a political litmus test.

We now get to play the “somebody’s lying” game. Goodling claims she properly briefed James McNulty before his misleading Congressional testimony; he heatedly denies it.

Now she claims she had authorization to use political criteria in hiring; Justice denies it. In that case they could both be telling the truth, but only if Sampson was either lying or grossly mistaken.

Either way, expect more embarassing headlines for Gonzales.

Goodling, Gonzales, politics, midtopia

Original post by Sean Aqui

The long weekend is nearly here. For some of us it means picnics or spring cleaning. (You can find a list of fun events in the Minneapolis & St Paul area online.) For others it’s a great opportunity to do some serious house hunting.

You can check out the Buyers Real Estate Group database of contact an agent if you want them to help you narrow down the pack of home to a list the few most likely candidates for you.

As exclusive buyer agents we are here to help you spend your time wisely so that soon you’re moved into your dream house and hosting your own summer picnic.

Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group

Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group

Just a reminder for Twin Cities readers that I’ll be at the ZAP Grand Tasting in Minneapolis from around 7 p.m this evening.

If you are looking for something to do and to support a great cause, it looks like you can still pick up tickets. For those there, look for me scribbling notes at Ridge and Rosenblum’s tables first before venturing out to try wines from producers I am not familiar with and didn’t get the chance to sample at ZAP in January. Full coverage of the standout wines will follow this weekend.

Check out the details here.

Original post by Tim

For better or for worse, there is more foreclosed property available these days. According to RealtyTrac, foreclosures went up an astounding 42 percent last year. Foreclosed properties generally sell for a good price – so purchased wisely, buying foreclosed property can be a good investment.

But before you buy you want to research the property, the neighborhood and know the process. ABC News recently ran an article that discussed some of the terms you ought to know:

Pre-foreclosure sale: That’s where you buy a home from the owner before the owner is foreclosed upon. It’s a win-win situation, where the buyer generally saves money and gets to tour the home.

Auction: With an auction, you buy the property, as is. The market sets the price and you don’t get to see it before purchase.

Real estate-owned: The bank owns it and the buyer generally does not get a prices that is as good as with previous methods of home buying.

For more information, visit ABC News.

Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group

Another Unfiltered podcast recorded two weeks ago with co-host Jeff Lefevere and I welcoming guest Paul Mabray from Inertia Beverage Group and panelist Mark Fisher from the Dayton Daily News and Uncorked blog.

00:23 - Welcome and Introductions
01:15 - Inertia Beverage Q&A
07:33 - Florida may close direct shipping of wine
11:56 - Wine drinkers think more clearly than teetotalers
18:04 - Food bloggers free for all
26:46 - Sales of pinot, sparkling, rose & screwcaps up
36:42 - Freeze in east, midwest effects grape crops
41:36 - Everyone plugs their blogs & we sign off

Feedback: winecast@gmail.com
Copyright 2007 Acan Media, Inc. Licensed to the public under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/us/

Download audio file (Unfiltered_20070422.mp3)

Direct aac Download

Original post by Tim

Ryan from Catavino has taken a page from his Wine Blog Atlas and created a new site devoted to the wines of Spain, Atlas del Vino Español. The Google Maps mashup site is chock full of information about Spanish wine with every winery listed, an events calendar, podcasts - both audio & video - and a forum. And all the text content is presented in Spanish and English so this is the first wine blog/podcast site I’ve seen that is truly bilingual (the podcasts are mostly English right now with a Spanish one also available as I post this).

Right now they are covering the FENAVIN fair in very regular podcasts and Twitter posts. I’m looking forward to seeing how this site develops.

Check it out here.

Original post by Tim

I’ve been meaning to mention that ZAP is not just about their big tasting in San Francisco in January or their other events in California, but they take their wines on the road and visit a number of cities across the U.S.

Their spring tour is in full swing this week with stops in Austin, Texas on May 8th, Phoenix, Arizona on May 10th and my hometown of Minneapolis on May 11-12. Get all the details at the ZAP website. If you are a zinophile like me, you will want to attend these tastings.

For Twin Cities readers and listeners, I’ll be at the Zinposium and Grand Tasting next Friday evening. Feel free to interrupt my spitting and scribbling anytime… and, yes, that long delayed ZAP podcast is in the works for posting next weekend. Think of it as the best of ZAP, coast to prairie

Original post by Tim

It’s official. The Pulse, after ten years of discrediting the left with is peculiar brand of over heated opinion and biased speculation, is kaput.

Oh of course, it’s not an end it’s a new beginning as the crusty old rag attempts to become another predictable lefty website, or as Ed Felien, the publisher says, “Hello, Good-bye, Hello Again!” Blah, blah, blah, blah.

To be fair, the Pulse had its moments and occasional breakthrough articles, but those only indicated the Pulse’s potential and the need for a quality alternative in the Twin Cities.

Felien’s bizarre post-Maoist petty bourgeois/peasant perspective always skewed both his analysis and the entire direction of the paper. And too often, the Pulse read like a sloppy small town newspaper wherein local lefties dropped each other names and congratulated each other for being good people.

In the end, Felien claimed that “We believed every story is written from a point of view, and anyone who said they were objective and “fair and balanced” was simply supporting the status quo.” Unfortunately, that meant that the Pulse did just as it pleased, factual reporting (and paying journalists) only important when it served momentary personal, political or pecuniary purposes.

This is not to discount the critical need for a leftist perspective in the local press but simply to say that our causes were not helped by having a poor quality weekly claim our voices when in fact it was just narrowcasting to a handful of self-congratulatory part-time “activists” stuck in a time warp.

A revolution is not made thus.

–Loosestrife

Original post by Loosestrife

The Goldstein Museum of Design at the University of Minnesota is currently showing the National exhibit, Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset and Leading from Policy to Practice: Affordable Housing in Minnesota (from April 21- July 1).

Affordable Housing: Designing an American Asset explores well-designed housing opportunities for the least wealthy Americans. In conjunction, Leading from Policy to Practice: Affordable Housing in Minnesota will present an overview of affordable housing in Minnesota. A symposium, held on June 19 and 20, will bring together funders, developers, builders and policy-makers for a lively exploration of the state and future of Minnesota affordable housing.

Original post by Buyers Real Estate Group