Fourth of July events at Minnesota Wineries

Check individual websites for more details.

Alexis Bailly Vineyard
Jazz/Bebop with ABV’s house band, Gondwana. "Sounds as if Monk were still alive." With saxophone giant Max Ray (The Wallets, Suburbs) Rod Gordon (The Wallets) on the piano, Larry Hennessy on drums, and Jerry Gorman on bass. 1:30pm to 4:30pm

Three Rivers Wine Trail
Red White and Blush. "Declaring Our Independence from Traditional Grape Varieties" Each winery will have wine tastings from noon to 5pm. Wear Red, White & Blue and get 2 for 1 glasses of wine at WineHaven, Northern Vineyards and Saint Croix Vineyards and get $1 off a glass of wine at Cannon River Winery. Falconer Vineyards is also on the trail.

Carlos Creek Winery
Live country music from Gregory Michael Bruce in the vineyard 2:00pm to 6:00pm.

Crofut Family Vineyard
Corvette Collectors Club. Over 75 classic Corvettes at the winery 3:00pm to 5:00pm

Millner Heritage Vineyard and Winery
Live music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s by Duke Zecco. 2:00pm to 5:00pm

Seyval Blanc - Introduced in the 1920's

Seyval Blanc is a hybrid (Seyve-Villard 5-276) developed in the 1920's in France. It ripens early, is disease resistant and is well suited to relatively cool climates such as England where it is one of the most planted vine varieties. Seyval tends to overproduce so grape clusters must thinned for optimal production of usable fruit.

Planted heavily in Canada and the eastern United States, its popularity among winemakers is growing rapidly in the midwest and other non-traditional wine regions East of the Rocky Mountains. "...because it contains some non-vinifera genes, it is outlawed by European Union authorities for quality wine production, a bone of contention in the English wine industry." (www.winepros.com.au)

Frequently used for blending, crisp and dry versions of single varietal wines have flavors and aromas of grass, hay, melon and citrus and can have a slight minerality. Seyval produces light bodied wines with quality that is improved with oak aging.

Sources:
www.winepros.com.au
www.winegeeks.com
www.mngrapes.org

Tasting #4 - Alexis Bailly Seyval Blanc

From the AB website (www.abvwines.com): "The Seyval Blanc is our premium white wine. Named for the French Horticulturist who developed the variety during WWI, the Seyval came to the United States in the 1960's when pioneers, like David Bailly, were looking for wine grapes that could be grown outside of the norms of Califonia. With its balance of clean bright fruit and a dry crisp finish, the Seyval is a wine that is both elegant and appealing."

I couldn't agree more. I would choose this over more traditional dry whites. It's lighter in body than chardonnay and, to me, instantly more pleasant tasting. It's fruity and crisp, period. There is great reward in this simplicity. We drank it with pork tenderloin and it worked beautifully. More research is necessary (dang!), as this is a delicious white wine that I'm anxious to pair with Alexis Bailly's recommendations as well.

Minnesota Wineries & Vineyards Online

For your reference, a list of Minnesota wineries including website links, social media, email and blogs where applicable. If I'm missing any vineyards, wineries or links, please let me know!

Alexis Bailly Vineyard - Hastings, MN
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Bevens Creek Vineyard and Nursery - Chanhassen, MN
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Brush Wolf Winery - Alexandria, MN
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Cannon River Winery - Cannon Falls, MN
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Carlos Creek Winery - Alexandria, MN
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Crofut Family Winery and Vineyard - Jordan, MN
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Diamond Ridge Winery - Peterson, MN
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Falconer Vineyards and Nursery - Red Wing, MN
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Fieldstone Vineyards - Morgan, MN
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Forestedge Winery - Laporte, MN
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Glacial Ridge Winery - Spicer, MN
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Goose Lake Farm and Winery - Elk River, MN
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Great River Vineyard - Lake City, MN
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Indian Island Winery - Janesville, MN
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Luedke's Winery - Princeton, MN
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Millner Heritage Vineyard & Winery - Kimball, MN
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Minnestalgia - McGregor, MN
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Morgan Creek Vineyards - New Ulm, MN
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Northern Vineyards - Stillwater, MN
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Olde Country Winery - Lake Lillian, MN
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Parley Lake Winery - Waconia, MN
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Post Town Winery - Byron, MN
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Saint Croix Vineyards - Stillwater, MN
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Salem Glen Vineyard and Winery - Rochester, MN
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Two Fools Vineyard - Plummer, MN
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Whitewater Wines - Plainview, MN
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WineHaven Winery - Chisago City, MN
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Winterhaven Vineyard and Nursery - Janesville, MN
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Woodland Hill Winery - Delano, MN
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