The Minnesota State Fair, for those of you who may not know, is EPIC. It’s one of the largest State Fairs in the country, and from what I can tell, it’s a week and a half long cultural phenomenon. If you want to understand the enigma of Minnesota, well, this is a place to start your research.
It’s the place to go to eat foods on sticks, visit with politicians, see livestock, and enjoy live music. It’s also presenting education about sustainability, gardening, and it’s a bastion of local foods and local food talent.
This year, I will be in the Minnesota Wine Country building, as one of the featured chefs sharing tips on enjoying local wines, and of course, sampling it out. It’s going to be a blast, I’ll be demonstrating three kinds of Sangria at one session, and pairing the wines with classic fair food at another.
I will be there at 3:30 and 5 PM on Thursday, August 22, and 3:30 and 5 PM on Wednesday, August 28th. I’ll also be on TC Live making some sangria on Monday, August 26th, you can tune in at 3 PM to watch that live from the Fair!
Minnesota Wine Country at the Minnesota State Fair showcases the distinctive wineries of Minnesota and the range of wines produced from locally grown fruit and grape varietals.
The building will be buzzing daily with up to three daily education sessions from local chefs, media personalities, cookbook authors, home brewers, grape growers, local wine producer and other food/wine lovers on topics ranging from perfect food/wine pairings and winemaking to Minnesota tourism and trails. Each evening we will present family-friendly live music from local jazz, world beat, salsa and other artists.
Visit us at the Minnesota State Fair, Aug. 22 – Sept. 2 – across from the Agriculture Building, on Underwood St., between Carnes Ave. and Judson Ave. For a full schedule, visit www.mnwinecountry.org, and follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MNWineCountry) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/MNWineCountry)
Minnesota Wine Country is represented by:
- Cannon River Winery, Cannon Falls http://cannonriverwinery.com/
- Falconer Vineyards, Red Wing http://www.falconervineyards.com/
- Forestedge Winery, Laporte http://www.forestedgewinery.com/
- Garvin Heights, Winona http://www.ghvwine.com/
- Glacial Ridge Winery, Spicer http://www.glacialridgewinery.com/
- Northern Vineyards, Stillwater, http://northernvineyards.com/
- Parley Lake Winery, Waconia http://www.parleylakewinery.com
- Saint Croix Vineyards, Stillwater, http://www.scvwines.com
- Winehaven Winery, Chisago City, http://www.winehaven.com/
- Mintahoe Catering and Events, Minneapolis, http://www.mintahoe.com
