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There's great news if you love a glass of wine because a new survey just found that one of the Best U.S. Cities for Wine Lovers is just an hour away from Rochester.

I wasn't always a huge fan of wine like I am now. However, that changed when my wife and I took our first trip out to Napa Valley in California. We toured a bunch of great wineries, did a lot of wine tastings, and were able to learn a LOT about what to look for in the various types of wines and which varietals (now THERE'S a wine term for ya!) gave us the wines we like the most. (I'm a big fan of red wines that are really oaky and jammy, btw.)

But the good news is, you don't have to head out to California's wine country to find some great vino. In fact, a new survey just found that one of the best cities in the U.S. for wine lovers is only a little over an hour away from Rochester.

In honor of National Wine Day (May 25th), the number-crunchers over at at Michigan Bulb put together a ranking of the best cities for wine lovers to celebrate the occasion. Their survey judged the top 100 U.S. cities on six criteria critical to a perfect wine date, including the local cost of wine and cheese, the number of wineries and wine bars per capita, the cost of a dinner for two (including wine), and rideshare costs.

And, lucky for us, they found that Minneapolis, Minnesota came in ranked #8 on the list! After crunching the numbers, their survey found that you and your date can have a fancy date night out in Minnesota's largest city for around $82! That's not too expensive, though if you really want to get your money's worth, the survey says you need to head to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

For $52, a dinner for two including wine is the most affordable in Chattanooga. With 53 wine bars and 5 wineries within city limits, it has plenty for you to swish, swirl, and sip, the survey noted. Overall, the Best City in the U.S. for Wine Lovers was Riverside, California, which came in ranked #1 on the list.

Now if you'd rather have a glass of beer instead of win, no worries! Keep scrolling to check out some amazing local Minnesota craft breweries, all within an hour of Rochester as well!

Courtesy Michigan Bulb
Courtesy Michigan Bulb
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