France 44 Wines & Spirits

05/28/2026

Interested in exploring the world of sake with us this week? We’re excited to welcome Chris Griese of Sake Story to the tasting bar tomorrow (Friday) from 4–6:30 p.m. We’ve selected four unique styles from his portfolio to share with you! Swing by, introduce yourself to Chris, and allow us to open your mind to his love of sake.

Chris found his roots in sake in 2006, when it first caught his attention. Unaware that sake would become his proverbial fork in the road, he embraced it. His love of travel, people, food, and wine prepared him for a new journey, which segued naturally into exploring sake culture. Chris holds several sake certifications and also brews sake for Moto I.

On tomorrow's lineup:
- Yamana The Earth Junmai Ginjo
- Tsukinowa Shuzo Midnight Moon Daiginjo
- Tsukinowa Kinen Blue Hue Honjozo
- Kubo Honke Sleeping Dragon Junmai Mimoto Umeshu

05/27/2026

There’s a LOT of new stuff this week so let’s dive right in!

In spirits, it’s clearly summer. We just grabbed some of the rare Puntas which packs both rich flavor and a wallop, utilizing the heads, or “Puntas” of the distillation. has a cacao pechuga and you should try it. We have a new highland tequila with great minerality from . We’re very excited for the new rum Martí Auténtico, which is a blend of Barbados, Puerto Rico, and agricole rums. There is an exciting new and tasty local fruit liqueur brand that won’t break the bank called . non-alcoholic Negroni is very well-balanced and highly recommended. We received a very limited amount of Five negroni which is barrel-aged to round off any harsh edges. And then had us try their new Moscatel-finished whiskey which amps up a citrusy profile.

In wine, the Piazza Grande cans are back! We have two new Sancerre terroir releases from Thomas Labaille. 2025 has arrived! We are very excited that chard has finally come to Minnesota from Willamette Valley. We have a crazy good new rosé from that has attained the rare Cru designation. We also have a great new sparkling Grüner from Sunny Blue!

In beer, has their newest releases of their Super Slush smoothie sours and a new session IPA! nailed an awesome reference and beer with their new Bowie In Space New Zealand Pils. has a new Session IPA made in collaboration with you should try, along with their Knotted Up Vienna Lager. And I missed it last week but you should get Dolcita But Make It Pop hazy before it’s gone!

In THC, has a new Ginger Lemongrass flavor in their variety pack perfect for this time of year. And has a new THC tincture called Uplift that has a handy measuring spoon to help you ration out the tasty vibes.

05/22/2026

🌭 Memorial Day Weekend Hours 🍺

Friday: 10-8
Saturday: 10-8
Sunday: 11-6
Monday: 10-5 (Cheese Shop closes at 4)

Hope to see you this weekend!

05/13/2026

Welcome to our first weekly New Stuff Roundup! These will consist of quick summaries of our newest items.

For spirits, Menaud makes its return with very well-done vodka and gin. has become a mainstay in our store so we added their Alto Grado Blanco which is not rested or proofed down, full of flavor and punch, and currently the #15 all time blanco on Agave Matchmaker. We added new nerdy vermouths from Bordiga and Carpano (they make other ones!). There are 2 new Italian gins from .gin that you should try at the tasting bar this Saturday from 3-6pm. And whiskey has returned, but now it’s made from purple sticky rice!

In wine, we have a juicy and well-balanced French Chenin Blanc from Les Rosiers. We have a very accurately-titled orange wine that is also organic and biodynamic from called Marmalade. And finally a fruitier than usual Zinfandel from !

In beer, it always a fun day when & drop by; they brought a new Japanese rice lager that is very snappy and dry and full of flavor. In collaboration with , they made a new hazy that is packed with flavor called Slay All Day! We got a new drop from with Very fresh Swammies and the return of their Honey Blonde ale. And pulled from nostalgia with the And My Axe IPA featuring a dwarf on the label just shredding on a guitar.

05/11/2026

🚨NEW PRINT ALERT!🚨

Back in February, the Inciardi team reached out to us to see if there was anything they could do to help out the Minneapolis community. We told them what so many of us already know: this city is something special, and the pride, creativity, and sense of community here run deep. We suggested they create a piece of art inspired by Minneapolis itself.

We’re proud to be the first shop to debut the Gold Medal Flour print: a Minneapolis / Mill City icon, alongside a new set of prints that we think are perfectly fit for the start of a Minnesota summer.

All proceeds from the first 1,000 prints from this set will be donated to The National Immigration Law Center.

Huge thank you to the Inciardi team for creating something so meaningful for our city 🧡

05/08/2026

Wow! What a fun night at the 2026 Taste of Linden Hills! We’re so lucky to have such talented neighbors and such a wonderful neighborhood.

Thank you to for hosting this year’s event at France 44 and to all of the sponsors & restaurants who made the night possible!

We ❤️ Linden Hills!

05/08/2026

"Vodka can be a home bar afterthought or a pillar of quality, like Haku.

This Japanese beauty is made from 100% milled and polished white rice, which is then fermented with white koji, followed by column still distillation, and a final filtration using bamboo shoots and charcoal. The resulting sprit is pure luxury: soft notes of vanilla and cream on the nose, a silky, semi-sweet mid-palate, and a smooth, long finish highlighting both the freshness of bamboo, and charcoal’s minerality.

Haku shines in a Vesper Martini, a vodka tonic with a few dashes of grapefruit bitters, or, my preferred way, enjoyed neat to appreciate the spirit’s craftsmanship. So try a bottle today and taste what a truly premium vodka can be.”

- Matt, Spirits Team

by Matt Collett

04/30/2026

Surprise! A Thursday tasting!

Our friends at Willett Distillery will be on the tasting bar from 4:00-6:30pm TODAY! On the lineup:
• Family Estate SB 4yr Rye
• Family Estate SB 4yr Bourbon
• Pot Still
• Johnny Drum
• Rowan’s Creek
• Noah’s Mill

See you soon!

04/25/2026

What a perfect day for this… a VERY rare mezcal chosen by and and the garden operated by . Made with the agave Cuishe Bolita, this thing is tropical and wild. You can also try this at Meteor and Pretty Decent. We’re so excited and thankful for Minneapolis to get rare mezcal like this and look forward to getting you more!

04/10/2026

When Racket set out to learn how local liquor stores choose which of the hundreds of excellent local beers make it into their coolers, they turned to breweries and distributors to find the right people to ask. As Racket put it: "the unsung heroic middlemen who negotiate in the space between what they think will sell, what deserves a spot on the shelf, and what beers they personally love"

Everyone told them: talk to Bill at France 44.

Bill has been at France 44 since 2006 and has been our Beer Buyer for much of that time. Without Bill, our walk-in cooler wouldn't be the cool, vibrant, delicious space it is. Read all about how Bill picks out the very best beers here:

France 44's Bill Nosan and 'Fitty' Fitzpatrick at Thomas Liquors have almost 50 years of beer-buying experience between them.