As the only wine blogger/reviewer in the Twin Cities that promotes greatness in wine (Free Dinner and wine on me if not the truth) I always love this annual report. Top Twin Cities Wine Shop, best new winery discovery, best offline and more! Here we go friends.
Number One Twin Cities Wine Shop: Haskell’s
This was an easy one this year as Sunfish Cellars closed doors and was the only other one in consideration. Why Haskell’s?
First by far the best $30 wine tastings you have ever been too. Bevan Cellars December, Silver Oak November, Pahlmeyer November, Antinori Tasting November, Far Niente October, The Wines of Huneeus Estates October, & LoKoya & Cardinale Tasting. As someone has done some of the best tastings in the Twin Cities I have never been able to pull off these at $30.00 without losing a lot of money. Cheers to the Haskell’s Minnetonka Team Lee & Mitch!
Second Free Tastings that allow consumers opportunities to try a variety of wines. While their fall, spring and December Sparkling tasting has some really bad wines it is free and I always find some gems at these. 10/4/2025 & 4/5/2025.
Third: Also some great wine deals this year that maybe in years in the past would not offer. Also the wine events listed above some prices I can’t share. My top pick is this one:
- 2020 Torbreck Shiraz The Struie – Australia, South Australia, Barossa (10/8/2025)
Day 1: Wow wine for $30 on sale. Brings me back to the early 2000s with these wines. Black pepper, spice, sawdust, soy, black currants, funk and minerals. Very complex offering. Will be buying a case for sure. 94 points
Day 2: Blackberries, spices, tar, soy, menthol, Eucalyptus, spices, black pepper, minerals and dark cherry. Super complex wine and medium to long finish. 94 points
Day 3: Holding form and will age for 20 years. Bigger style but excellent. 94 points
Recommendation: No brainer from Haskell’s at $29.99. (94 points)
Worst Wine Shop Return Policy Twin Cities
South Lyndale Liquors. Honestly I have never seen a wine shop only offer a two week return on wine. Who actually drinks a premium wine in two weeks? No one. So Total Wine, Haskell’s, Surdyk’s and everyone else will refund me for a corked bottle but no South Lyndale. Once they redid the location they stopped doing sales, offering good in-store tastings and completely sold out! Never buying from you again.
Best New Winery Discovery Upscale
Easy Abbott Claim. Seth Morgen Long of Morgen Long Winery in Oregon gave me one name to visit other than his winery and he recommended Abbott Claim and the rest is history. Not only are they winery discovery of the year they also had the top wine of the year which is only the third wine I have ever awarded 98 points. Abbott Claim 2025 Notes.
- 2022 Abbott Claim Chardonnay Temperance Hill Vineyard – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola – Amity Hills (11/28/2025)
Day 1: On the pop and pour the nose was off the charts/palate ok. Nose was 98 and the palate was 90. Well once this got to room temperature how the game has changed. This is for sure top 3 if not wine of he year. By landslide wine of the tasting. Electric nose with match stick, wood, minerals, dust, wet stone, orange peel and sour apple. At room temperature the palate matched the nose. One of the best domestic Chardonnays. I have ever tasted. 97.5 points
Day 2: Served at room temperature again and wow! These are such electric wines that give me shivers. Matchstick, gun powder, tangerine, wood, minerals, wet stones, golden delicious apples and white flowers. Long finish and just a joy to drink. This is not quite at 98 but really close. 97.75 points
Day 3: Surreal wine with shells, match stick, lemon, wood, spices, sour apple, minerals, wet stones, orange peel, tangerines, earth, white flowers and pear. Long finish and laser focused acidity. This just got the .25 points it needed and is now the highest rated white wine I have ever tasted. 98 points
Recommendation: YES! (98 points)
They have an amazing tasting experience and I highly recommend joining their wine club.
Best New Winery Discovery More Affordable
Well I said on Facebook that no one makes a great Rose from California. In chimes Adam Lee whose wife Moret Brealynn does actually make a great California Rose.
- 2024 Morét-Brealynn Rosé of Pinot Noir – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (10/23/2025)
Day 1: Outstanding quality with nice acidity. Strawberries, watermelon, spice, dust, rose petals and stone. Very complex for a Rose and I drink them at room temperature and this is outstanding quality. Yes sir! 91+
Day 2: Even better. Drinking these around 65 degrees. Full flavor of course. Chery, watermelon, spice, rose petals, stone, strawberries and dust. Medium plus finish and this drinks well on its own so a serious wine for sure. Nice acidity. 92 points
Day 3: Excellent and holding form of the quality of day 2. Love the fruit featuring cherry, watermelon and strawberries. Nice acidity and also features rose petals, stone, dust and some earth. Medium finish. 92 points
Recommendation: Highly recommended. For me to give a domestic Rose 90 is tough but this is better than that. (92 points)
Next up I bought six of her wines to do a Zoom call with my friends Tom and Bruna. Amazing wines.
CellarTracker! Moret-Brealynn Zoom Tasting with Moret Brealynn
All the notes on her wines.
Best Tasting in 2025 (Winery)
Well this one is a tie with Seth Morgen Long of Morgen Long Winery in Willamette & Jim Anderson of Patricia Green in Wilmette as well. First at Morgen Long I requested wines be open on day 3 which Seth had some weekend tastings so no problem there. Then he also saved me some wines from 7 days and believe it or note 4/6 were still kicking. The notes.
Next we visited Patricia Green Cellars which was right next door almost. Jim Anderson brought us out to the vineyard for an amazing tasting of all the Estate Ribbon Ridge Pinots. Wow! Notes.
Best Tasting Twin Cities
Aussie Tasting at Lori’s in October. Perfect weather for this event and amazing wines. 3 wines of the year from this one event which is almost impossible to do.
Best 3 Day Improvement
Easy Laurel Priorat. Not drinkable on day 1 and the transformation was next level.
- 2020 Clos I Terrasses Priorat Laurel – Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (3/20/2025)
Day 1: Frist bottle was clearly corked and not drinkable of course. This wine is very muted and not showing much fruit which for a 2020 is surprising. Lots of oak and spice. Very disappointed here and don’t buy. 65 points
Day 2: Amazing how many give up on a wine. The first bottle clearly corked but this was not corked but not showing much. Much better today with spices, earth, raspberries, dried cherry, perfume, dried flowers and a touch of pepper. Medium finish. I like the wine and very dry in style. 93 points
Day 3: More open for business with raspberries, cherry, floral, spice, minerals, dust, earth, wood and perfume. An excellent vintage of this wine and it should age for another 15 years. 94 points
Day 4: Still going strong on day 4. Cherry, raspberries, floral, spice, minerals, wood, dust and earth. Medium plus finish. Very nice value wine and free shipping from WineSlash makes it more worthy of more purchases.
Recommendation: This is why you never dump a wine down the drain. Patient people. (94 points)
Worst 3 Day Wine Review
Well actually happened today of all days. Only on day 2 but the drop off is staggering.
Biggest Surprise Wine of 2025
Not much of a Rose drinker except Champagne and Tavel. Well this one shocked me on how great this is and would drink this with a steak.
- 2024 Morét-Brealynn Rosé of Pinot Noir – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (10/23/2025)
Day 1: Outstanding quality with nice acidity. Strawberries, watermelon, spice, dust, rose petals and stone. Very complex for a Rose and I drink them at room temperature and this is outstanding quality. Yes sir! 91+
Day 2: Even better. Drinking these around 65 degrees. Full flavor of course. Chery, watermelon, spice, rose petals, stone, strawberries and dust. Medium plus finish and this drinks well on its own so a serious wine for sure. Nice acidity. 92 points
Day 3: Excellent and holding form of the quality of day 2. Love the fruit featuring cherry, watermelon and strawberries. Nice acidity and also features rose petals, stone, dust and some earth. Medium finish. 92 points
Recommendation: Highly recommended. For me to give a domestic Rose 90 is tough but this is better than that. (92 points)
Best Facebook Wine Group
Well most of them suck and at least this one is active and forces everyone to post notes on the wines. Rhone Wine Lovers & Steen Højgård Rasmussen congrats my friend!
Worst Facebook Wine Group
Easy Wine Lovers. Sounds like it could be good but a bunch of spam and stupid Admin. 8 hours later this crap is still up dissing their terrible site.
Worst Wine Review on a Shelf Talker
Well that could be any of these “critics” but Congratulations to Beverage Dynamics. Your 92 points on this one is just a little off. Better luck in 2026.
- NV Borrasca Premium Cuvée – France (12/6/2025)
Beverage Dynamics is a joke and called them out. They gave this 92. This is very mild and offers little. Some spice, light fruit and floral. Terrible wine. (65 points)
Total Wine: Wine of they Year
Well my review was little less positive. Link to Total Wine promoting this crap.
- 2024 King Maui Sauvignon Blanc Cellar Reserve – New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough (10/17/2025)
Not very good with grapefruit, lemon and a chemical taste. A total wine direct. (77 points)
Total Wine makes all their money off the 99% of people that have no clue about wine and are not willing to learn. Please take a wine class in 2026.