Sip Better's 2020 Gift Guide for Wine Lovers of All Stripes

The holidays seem to start earlier each year. But right now—in 2020—we are all RUSHING to fill our hearts and homes with wintery cheer as soon as possible! So here we are, leaning into the best of what the world has to offer at the moment, with a lovely list of beautiful, nurturing, and delicious gift ideas for the wine(etc.) lovers in your life.

On this list we have tried to feature many local (to Minnesota) and small businesses that we love. We hope your plans for giving this year involve supporting the mom-and-pop shops around you. We could all use a little boost right now, right?

Please enjoy and Happy Holidays!

photo by Peter Bucks via Unsplash

FOR THE WINE LOVER WHO HAS EVERYTHING

Adobe de Guadalupe Kerubiel | $62
Gorgeous, velvety wine from Mexico. Yes, Mexico! This bottle of red drinks well now but could be easily cellared for a few years. Something to look forward to!

A monthly floral subscription from Apricot Floral | $75/month (Minneapolis residents only)
Genevieve Wilson...

Skin Contact Wine, Demystified

Photo: Sharon McCutcheon via Unsplash

Right now, in June of 2020, the words skin contact might totally freak you out. Social distancing is a thing, staying extra safe is on all of our minds, and the thought of touching another human being is suddenly a frought thought indeed. 

But we're not here to talk about that! On THIS blog, we're talking skin contact as it applies to wine. Wine! What a happy topic. 

Soooo, what is skin contact wine, anyway?

It's super simple. Skin contact wines are white wines that are made more like red wines.

The big difference between making a white wine and a red wine lies in the fermentation process. With a white wine, the winemaker presses the grapes and then removes the pomace (all of the residual solids, like seeds, grape skins, etc.)  before fermenting the juice in a tank or other vessel. When making red wine, the winemaker will allow that pomace to hang out in the fermentation vessel with the juice, giving them more time to macerate. All of those lovely seeds and skins impart several things...