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​Each day this week we are featuring an ongoing wine shop sale and 10 recommendations from each. Today's feature is South Lyndale Liquors, a solid wine shop specializing in wines under $25. Its sale ends Saturday.

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Nothing like a steak off the grill

​Most people who drink wine are not going to pop open a 2000 Chateau Montrose St.-Estephe, a 1998 Fox Creek McClaren Vale, or a 2005 Dr. Loosen Erdener Treppchen for their casual grilling event with friends. If you do pop these open, make sure I am invited. For most people, a good but inexpensive wine is all that's needed to complement your grill creations. Here are several exceptional and affordable wines paired with four popular barbecued foods:

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Haskell's

Haskell's BOGO sale: Buy One, Get One

​I am amazed by the average wine drinker who pays top dollar for their wine. Many say they are having a party and need wine fast or their local wine shop is so convenient. The worst advice ever given to a wine buyer was to purchase wine at a shop right by your house. What happens if you live next to the hole-in-the-wall shop with salespeople who aren't familiar with the term Bordeaux? My advice: Shop during a sale, and find a fine wine retailer that can provide you with service.

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Mark Vlossak

Mark Vlossak of St. Innocent Winery

​Of the five most important facets of wine--terroir, vintage, appellation, wine producer, and winemaker--the last is arguably both the most and least important. The winemaker is the most critical factor in what comes out of the bottle, yet all winemakers are at the mercy of Mother Nature. In this final post in the Wine 101 blog series, I'll talk about four important aspects of the winemaker's art and offer recommendations of wines that illustrate each point.

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John Glas

Serious wine geek wines

​To me there are three types of wine drinkers: the wine drinker, the wine snob, and the wine geek. Wine drinkers are the largest of the three groups, and they are the most likely to try a new wine bar, buy a glass of South African chenin blanc at a restaurant, or ask for help at the wine shop. Here's a breakdown of how the average wine drinker compares to the snob and the geek, in a post meant for comments. I also recommend five wines for the true wine geek.

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Michelle Leon

A gin for every occasion.

​It used to be that gin had a bad reputation because it so often tasted like a pine tree air freshener bought at a truck stop. As more cocktails are created using this juniper-based spirit, the shades and variations of flavors are becoming more distinct, and gin is turning out to be very fine to mix and imbibe. With the help of Patty, our favorite bartender at Ginger Hop, we sampled a great selection of specialty gins and are pleased to pass on our observations to you.    More >>

St. Innocent

Temperance Vineyard Site

​Can you name five wine producers? Many casual wine drinkers might mention Robert Mondavi, Sutter Home, Beringer, Coppola, or Kendall Jackson. But what about Monchhof, St. Innocent, and Felsina? In the fourth of a series of Wine 101 topics (which includes terroir, vintage, and appellation), we will dive into the role of the producer.

You'll also find recommendations for five great bottles to help you explore this all-important category for buying good wine.

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Ernst Loosen

Wehlener Sonnenuhr on the Mosel River

​What two countries consistently made great wine 100 years ago? Most people guess France along with Italy, Spain, or Portugal. Few guess Germany, which, along with France, made the best wines and still do today.

While Italy, Spain, and Portugal had some great regions and producers a century ago, the overall quality was poor. As many wine experts say, quality German riesling is the most underappreciated wine in the world, and even Germans prefer beer as the national beverage of choice. Have you ever seen riesling promoted at an October Fest event? At Haskell's a few years ago, I was buying Joh. Jos. Prum Auslese wines for $24.95 from a steady 2002 vintage. Once I served them to friends, the shelves at Haskell's became less full.

Here's what you need to know to fully appreciate this undervalued wine, plus five recommendations of superb rieslings (and where to find them on sale):

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Willamette Valley Vineyards: They even recycle their used corks

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Many wineries that make it start out small, receive some positive press, expand and gain a following, but rarely in the wine business do you see a leader that is as environmentally conscious as Willamette Valley Vineyards out of Oregon. Here is more about the vineyard's efforts to go green, plus five of its exceptional wines and where you can find them in the Twin Cities:

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Michelle Leon

Surdyk's sake row.

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With sake growing in popularity, the beautiful flavors that emerge from different forms of processing are facinating to explore. Surdyk's Liquor and Cheese in Minneapolis recently expanded its sake selection to include 56 types, including many unique and hard-to-find varieties ranging in price from $3.99-$64.99. The Hot Dish spoke with manager Melissa Surdyk, who has obtained Level 1 Sake Specialist certification, and discussed her top 5 choices. Surdyk is fascinated by the sake-making process, "The diligence, time, and energy it takes to make sake is incredible. The processes are timed to the millisecond," she told us. Surdyk's will have many sake selections on sale during its summer wine sale, which starts tomorrow, and also plans to hold a sake class in August.

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