It's the summer of rosé, with the pink stuff flying off local shelves.
That's a sure sign that Minnesotans are becoming savvier shoppers on the wine front, no longer unsure about whether all rosés are sweet like white zinfandel.
Another great sign: Consumers are asking a lot more questions at wine shops, leaving behind their Upper Midwest reserve in a quest for just the right bottle.
Here's what inquiring minds want to know about, according to local wine merchants:
Oak: This works both ways, particularly with chardonnay, says Bill Abrahamson, senior wine buyer for Top Ten Liquors. "The big, rich and buttery chardonnays, that crowd is still active. And we also have the other crowd, 'I'm looking for no oak at all, something nice and crisp,' " he said. "Both of those conversations happen daily."
Michael Grabner, manager of the Kowalski's wine shop in Eagan, said the market has self-corrected, that the overly oaky red wines of the past have "kind of been filtered out. Whether it's better fruit or better techniques, [wineries are] not hiding behind the barrels. At the lower price points you don't see heavy oak notes, but at $20 to $50, there's some finessed oak usage.
"But it's part of the wine, not the wine. I don't think we'll see the extremes we did where it was like licking a canoe paddle."
Organic: "We get a lot of organic, sustainable talk," said Bob Anderson, an owner of Stinson Wine, Beer and Spirits in northeast Minneapolis. "We explain that we don't have a lot of certified organic wines, but we do have a lot of family wineries, where people are more careful about the environment because they live there. Especially in Europe, where they've been making it that way for generations and generations but not going through all the certification."
Abrahamson said the level of questions varies by location at his six stores, and that as a result the St. Louis Park Top Ten carries a lot more wines made from organically grown grapes than do other locations.
Grabner also hears a lot of talk not only about sustainability, but also health-conscious aspects. "If they're walking into a Kowalski's [grocery], they care about their food, so they're looking for wines that hold the same qualities or characteristics," he said. "And people are talking about trying to avoid sulfites, so I ask about whether they might be eating dried fruits, which have a lot more sulfites than wine.
"And a few people talk about the concentrates like Mega Purple [which adds color and a bit of sweetness], and we have some conversations about arsenic."
Regions: Abrahamson has noticed more customers asking about wines from once-obscure regions. "They're looking for more interesting appellations, and there's more interest in South African wines," he said. "I think that's due to the restaurants serving eclectic stuff."
Dan Keyport, owner of Dolce Vita in Chaska, added that travel prompts quite a few queries. "I get a lot of 'I was just in Tuscany, what have you got?' " he said. "They want to explore more from someplace they have visited."
Anderson said his patrons "are always looking for new stuff. They get excited when we say 'Hey, we've got wines from Slovenia.' "
Pairings: As Dusted Valley winemaker Chad Johnson said, "The average cellar time for an American consumer is in the back seat on the way home." Countless customers pop into stores looking for something to have with their salmon or tagine or brats that night.
"Our customer base is into food," Anderson said, "so they're looking for wines that pair well. That 16 percent [alcohol] zin is not so good there, so we recommend leaner, more food-friendly wines."
And, of course, rosé: "They're literally walking in and saying, 'Where's your rosé?' " Grabner said. And they're willing to spend more money. "Last year they were very open to rosé, but kind of price-conscious. Now they're comfortable creeping up between $15 and $25."
In all corners of the Twin Cities, Keyport noted, "people are developing better palates and asking better questions."
Bill Ward writes at decant-this.com. On Twitter: @billward4.
