Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Newsletter
(September 28, 2014 - October 4, 2014)
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for the
As I See It...
Autumn

Fall is here, and for us the busy season is winding down.

 

Now our extra business depends on weather, leaf color, hunting, and of course those people who bail out early and go south.

 

It is also time for us to reflect on the past summer and review for next summer.

 

Plus, it is finally time for me and other workers to take a vacation.

Last week my husband and I went to the Northwest Angle.

 

We have always talked about going but never found time.

 

So as if we needed an excuse, we were married 40 years in September and this was on our bucket list.

 

It was a great trip with no cell phone and lots of down time fishing and camping.

 

We were short staffed this summer and I put in a lot of hours, so the time away was very much needed.

 

Everyone needs to get away and regroup.

 

There were a few glitches while I was gone, but they were not serious and the business was up and running when I got back.

 

During any trip I have a hard time passing up municipal stores, so we stopped at a few on this trip.

 

Some needed some changes - prices changed to the .99 and .49 and taxes not included in the price.

 

In addition, at one municipal bar my husband was served his drink in a plastic glass, which is not the worst but did not impress me.

 

Others were great!!

 

Now back at work, I feel refreshed and ready to get back into the job.

 

Remember, managers luncheons should be going on to help us all keep in touch.

 

If you have not been asked to participate, please contact MMBA for a lunch in your area.

 

These gatherings give us time to run over problems and share ideas with each other.

 

No sense in reinventing the wheel when someone else has done the legwork.

 

Plus, MMBA pays for the meal!!

 

Finally and most important - Don't forget to vote next month!!  

 

Toni Buchite

50 Lakes   

Glencoe Remodeling Celebration

From Glencoe Shopper


 
Product Training Now Available On-Line
Training

As mentioned in previous articles, the need for increased staff product knowledge has been a continuing topic at the MMBA Regional Meetings.

 

As a result, BEAM SUNTORY is offering access to their online based training program they use to educate their internal teams, local distributors and other accounts across the US.  

 

It is called CONNECT and is the first and only trade engagement portal offering product education, resources, news, recipes, education and more!

 

A main component of the program are Category 101 Courses that focus on the basics of each spirits category (IE - What makes Bourbon a Bourbon, How is Vodka Distilled, History of Categories, etc.).  

 

Here is a list of the 101 Courses:

 

Bourbon

Canadian Whisky

Cognac

Craft Whiskey

Distilled Spirits

Irish Whisky

MIXXIT Training

Rum Scotch

Skinnygirl Wine

Tequila

Vodka

 

If you would like to participate in this exciting new opportunity, contact Colleen at BEAM SUNTORY:

 

 Click Here to Contact Colleen  

Wine Savvy: The Five S's and Wine Scores
Wine Critic 2

By David Devere , Duluth News Tribune

 

I'm sure you've noticed the little shelf-talkers at the liquor store.

 

These are the little tags that hang under the bottles on the shelves, and they say something like, "Rated 93 by Wine Spectator" or "Rated 91 by Robert Parker" - or something to that effect. These are very effective tools in marketing a wine.

 

I mean who wants to buy a wine rated 72? Everyone wants to buy a wine rated 93. Have you ever wondered how they come up with these points?

 

They use the five S's or some slight variation. Here's how it generally works.

 

To evaluate a wine in an impartial way, this means tasting something you're completely open to without prejudice, it is best to employ the five S's: see, swirl, sniff, sip and savor.  

 

These form the procedure for scoring aroma, acidity, balance, complexity and finish.

 

See: The first thing you should do is look at the wine - hopefully, against a white backdrop in full light.

 

A romantic candlelight dinner isn't really bright enough to evaluate a wine, which should be brilliant. It should make you want to look at it again and again. It should have nice clarity of color specific to the varietal and style and shouldn't have anything floating in it and it shouldn't be cloudy. A wine isn't scored for "See" unless it's faulted, which often results in a failing grade.

 

Swirl: This isn't a category you score, it's a simple technique.

 

To do this, you need to have a good-sized wine glass, no more than 1/3 full, otherwise, your swirl will turn to spill. The reason you swirl is to introduce oxygen into the wine, which helps it release its aromas.  

 

Remember, it has been sealed up inside a bottle possibly for years, and it needs some swirling action to help it relax. Until you get the hang of swirling a wine glass, I suggest placing the glass on a table then making small circles while holding the glass at the bottom of the stem. This will allow you to swirl without spilling.

 

Spilling is not one of the five S's.

 

Sniff: This is a very important step in evaluating wine because 80 percent of tasting is actually smelling.

 

All that swirling released the fine aromas of the wine, but you should still breathe deeply and take your time to try to discern the aromas.

 

It's not uncommon to have aromas such as grapefruit, apple and peach - to green pepper, honey and butter - to leather, cedar and pipe tobacco in a wine. So, take your time. If the wine smells great or exhibits multiple aromas, it should get a top score.

 

Sip: This isn't a gulp, it's a sip. But don't swallow too quickly.

 

Roll the wine around in your mouth, some say chew it. Your mouth is 98 degrees, and this will release heat-sensitive aromatic compounds and hopefully you'll get new sensations. Sip includes three score-able categories: acidity, balance and complexity.

 

Acidity is important because a wine needs it to balance out the inherent sugars. Balance is the play between sugar, acid, alcohol and in reds, tannins. None of these should be overly prominent. Complexity is the sensation of interwoven flavors that make you want to take another taste. These three form the major basis of the wine's score.

 

Savor: This can also be known as finish. A wine sip should leave you with a pleasurable taste in your mouth. It shouldn't taste like metal or cheap perfume, and it shouldn't leave any lingering negative flavors in your mouth. If it ends well, it'll get a good score.

 

By giving each one of these items in the five S's a score of one to 10 for aroma, acidity, balance, complexity and finish, you should get a number from 5-50.  

 

Add 50 to your number, and you've got a score from 55-100. That's how the famous wine critic Robert Parker does it and Wine Spectator Magazine follows something akin to this.

 

Now, that you know what they're looking for, try it yourself.


The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than with their minds.


~Will Durant 

Future Dates to Remember

2014 MMBA Regional Meetings 

 

Duluth
 October 8

Metro
 October 9

Click Here for More Information
Ask A Director

Gary Buysse
Rogers
763-428-0163

Cathy Pletta
Kasson
507-634-7618
  
Bill Ludwig
Paynesville
320-250-3325
  
Candice Woods
Hutchinson 
320-587-2762
  
John Jacobi
Isanti
763-444-5063

Michael Friesen
Hawley
218-483-4747

Lisa Kamrowski
Nevis 
218-652-3135

Steve Grausam
Edina
952-903-5732

Toni Buchite
50 Lakes
218-763-2035

Brenda Visnovec
Lakeville 
952-985-4901
 
Bridgitte Konrad
North Branch
651-674-8113
  
Shelly Dillon
Callaway
218-375-4691
  
Karissa Kurth
Buffalo Lake
320-833-2321
 
Paul Kaspszak
MMBA
763-572-0222
1-866-938-3925

 
Click Here For Newsletter Archives 
Sunday Sales: Convenience at What Cost?
The MMBA website now contains comprehensive information on Sunday Sales. 

It is a reference for members, legislators, media, city councils and the general public.

Click Here for the Website

 

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Beverage Alcohol Training

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 Contact Bob Leslie at:
 
320-766-3871
 


Contact Gary Buysse at:

763-428-0164

The Universal Human Right to ... Poop
Warning:

This talk might contain much more than you'd ever want to know about the way the world uses the toilet.

But as sanitation activist (and TED Fellow)
Francis de los Reyes asks - doesn't everyone deserve a safe place to go?

(Editor's Note: This is a good one for government officials.)

 

Click Here 

 Lady on the Train

Lady sits down on a train.

 

Man sitting next to her turns to her and says, "Lady, that is the ugliest baby I have ever seen. 

 

That baby looks in a mirror, it's going to shatter.  

 

You oughta put a bag on that baby's head. That baby is just ugly."

 

The woman, horrified, stands up and shouts for the conductor.  

 

"Conductor, this man has insulted me."

 

"I'm so sorry, ma'am," the conductor replies.  

 

"What he did is totally unacceptable on this train.

 

I will deal with him later, but for now, please come with me.  

 

We'll give you a nice seat in the first-class carriage - and a banana for your monkey." 

 

 
Trinchero 
Contact Trinchero Family Estates 
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Contact Ste. Michelle Wine Estates


Contact Shamrock Group


Contact Oven Baked Eats
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Contact the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association
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Contact MillerCoors


Contact Beam Suntory

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Contact Anheuser-Busch