Red Cow was always conceived of with wine pairing in mind. In 2012, when Michael Giacomini’s family envisioned a future restaurant, they took inspiration from various West Coast wine bars that also served high-quality burgers. The name came about when Tracy, Michael’s mother, threw out the idea for the name ‘Red Cow’ with red standing for wine and cow for burgers. Thus, Red Cow was born.
Beyond having an excellent selection of wines and burgers, Red Cow’s goal was to be a 21st century modern tavern. The elevated food, including their now-famous burgers, was a must, but so too were plush red booths, comfortable bar stools, and 50” televisions at the bar. The atmosphere was meant to “feel more elevated than a tavern, but at an affordable price point to be a restaurant the community could rely on,” says Michael. That price point, of maintaining high-quality ingredients while still allowing customers to come in day after day, was key to the restaurant’s success. The prices couldn’t be prohibitively expensive because that would stop the space from truly being a community hub.
“It could be a date spot, but you could also go there five days a week,” says Michael.
The central idea of pairing wines and burgers is at the heart of Red Cow’s menu. First, the burgers were crafted, and then Michael’s dad and their beverage director worked to build a wine list that would complement them. Staff work with local sommelier Jason Kallsen of Twin City’s Wine Education in mandatory wine tastings that range from specifics like how to recommend wine and food pairings to wine basics like the nine key wine terms to better describe what they and guests are tasting.
For Michael, general training in wine tasting for the staff would not only be useful for them in their own life, but that knowledge base would allow staff to be more flexible in making pairing recommendations across both Red Cow’s menu and wine list.
For Michael, a favorite pairing is Moonshot, a red blend of mostly Merlot grapes from California with Red Cow’s patty melt. “It turns a patty melt into a gourmet meal,” says Michael.
Other favorites include the Zinfandel from Alexander Valley Vineyards in California paired with the award-winning Double Barrel burger, a double patty with grilled onion, and a house sauce. The turkey burger with cilantro-lime aioli paired with a Bodkin sparkling sauvignon blanc out of California. And the mushroom and Swiss burger with a Growing Season Pinot Noir out of Oregon.
Red Cow’s ability to provide a wide selection of wines to pair with their menu is because of the restaurant’s sophisticated wine preservation system. These small refrigerator-like cases not only store wine at the proper temperatures, separated by reds and whites, of course, but allow employees to seal bottles of wine if they aren’t finished.
As wine bottles are opened, the outside air changes the delicate chemistry within the bottle through oxidation. Usually, an open bottle of wine lasts only a few days before the taste changes dramatically. Sealed bottles can last up to seven days, and sparkling wines can even be injected with Co2 to keep them carbonated.
This wine preservation system allows Red Cow to not only have a more extensive selection of wines but also offer more wine by the glass instead of just by the bottle, allowing customers to try more wine varieties without having to purchase an entire bottle.
Although wine pairing was always at the heart of Red Cow, when the restaurant opened in 2012, a boom of craft beers had just come into fashion. As time has passed and that boom has faded, especially in the last few years, “we’ve focused back on wines in the last two years,” says Michael. Michael cites not only the work that has gone into the menu and wine list but also a general elevation of consumers’ palates — intentionality between the meal and the wine matters more to guests. And here, Red Cow has long been ahead of the curve.
https://redcowmn.com