Top 100 wines of Minnesota

Discover the top 100 best wines of Minnesota as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Minnesota and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Discovering the wine region of Minnesota

Minnesota is a state located in the NorthCentral United States, bordered by Canada to the north and Iowa to the South. The state's Harsh continental Climate makes viticulture difficult. However, research at the University of Minnesota on cold-hardy HybridGrape varieties has opened up opportunities for Minnesota wine producers. The state covers 225,000 square miles between latitudes 43°N and 49°N, which puts it roughly on par with the United States.

This puts it about the same Size as the wine regions of France. Unfortunately, Minnesota's inland location results in much more extreme temperatures in both summer and winter, posing Serious risks to all but the most cold-hardy grape varieties. Most of the state's wine regions are in areas where there is a large Body of water nearby to moderate the temperatures. Fortunately, there are plenty of lakes here: Minnesota is known as the "land of 10,000 lakes.

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News from the vineyard of Minnesota

My life and job as a personal wine consultant

Tongue firmly in cheek, I sometimes define ‘wine consultant’ as ‘someone lacking employment who will work for whoever pays them’. Although meant in jest, the implied question is valid: just what does a wine consultant do? More importantly, in this age, when every assistant in a retail shop styles him- or herself a sales consultant, who would hire one? The short answer is this: a wine consultant is someone who advises wine lovers about their passion. He or she advises buyers on what to buy (and a ...

My life and job as a personal wine consultant

Tongue firmly in cheek, I sometimes define ‘wine consultant’ as ‘someone lacking employment who will work for whoever pays them’. Although meant in jest, the implied question is valid: just what does a wine consultant do? More importantly, in this age, when every assistant in a retail shop styles him- or herself a sales consultant, who would hire one? The short answer is this: a wine consultant is someone who advises wine lovers about their passion. He or she advises buyers on what to buy (and a ...

Rethinking the wine bottle for the future

There’s been a focus on making wine production less energy intensive as well as environmentally friendly in order to address climate change. The efforts continue but, as is the case for electric cars where it’s the battery technology that needs innovating, it’s in wine bottles where we’re seeing rapid change. It comes in a two-pronged attack to reduce energy use in manufacturing and then an even bigger emphasis on reducing bottle weight for shipping to reduce fuel usage and thus CO2 production. ...

The best wines of Minnesota in other styles