New Spoon and Stable wine director is pouring the fun and funky in Minneapolis

It was art that first brought Claire Maxwell to Minnesota, and it's the art of storytelling through great wine that's allowing her to thrive here.

As the new wine director at Spoon and Stable, Gavin Kaysen's landmark restaurant, she's finding all kinds of interesting bottles not just to pour with the food, but to enhance the dining experience. Maxwell said she's excited to share the tales of small producers, unpredictable climates and family heritage behind the bottles with not just high rollers, but also the average diner out for a special night.

Maxwell grew up in Vermont, where she attended art school and reveled in studying and creating sculpture. She also found work in the hospitality industry, specifically at La Garagista, a farm and vineyard that also hosts pop-ups. Alongside wine producer and James Beard Award winner Deidre Heekin, Maxwell became attuned to the seasons and the land, gaining an appreciation for what the soil produced and how it translated to the glass.

She began to unlock the connection between taste memory and what was poured into a wine glass. "Think about when we were children. We all grew up eating dirt and licking crayons; those tastes are locked away," Maxwell said.

Recalling the scent of one wine, she picked up on the distinctive aroma of peach skin — there was an acetate note that was different from the juicy interior flesh of the fruit. It was a small distinction, but "that's what was exciting to me."

She followed her passion for wine to Europe, where she studied in Italy and learned more about French wines and producers. Her knowledge blossomed further in Minnesota, where she worked at the Bachelor Farmer and connected with Twin Cities Somm, a collective of other professional wine pourers who were eager to trade knowledge and share stories.

Maxwell's new wine list at Spoon and Stable, where she's worked since 2019, has been a labor of love, carefully written and organized by region and elevation. She says it's easier for guests to understand that an oceanic salinity will come with some wines grown in a coastal region, while those at higher elevations reflect the minerality of the soil that the roots dig deeply into.

"People have asked me if I miss art, but this really fulfills that same creativity and passion for me," said Maxwell, whose first job in Minnesota was at Franconia Sculpture Park in Shafer.

At Spoon and Stable, she's adding one of the most fun ways to enjoy a glass of wine — a "For Your Consideration" menu of wines available by the glass. These special bottles are often underdogs of the wine world, with fascinating stories and made outside the standard borders of most wines.

Maxwell is brimming with curiosity and excitement as she delves into the evolving wine program. Trends will be explored and anyone who wants to know more about what is in their glass — from the why and how of it getting there — can learn.

"I can't stop thinking about it," she said while explaining the new list. "And I can't wait to share it."

Paltrinieri "Piria" Lambrusco di Sorbara NV $11 a glass

The wine: This Lambrusco is a very different animal from most wines that share its namesake.

The expert says: "It's extraordinarily dry and crunchy, with a little bit of saltiness. I love it with cured meats and hard cheeses, especially prosciutto, but it's also lovely on its own. Who doesn't love to start a night out with pink bubbles?"

George Descombes Régnié Gamay Noir 2019 $16 a glass

The wine: George Descombes is like the fifth Beatle to Beaujolais' Gang of Four, an iconic group of producers that pioneered natural winemaking in Beaujolais. Descombes shares their concern for the environment and commitment to organic and biodynamic farming practices, as well as minimal intervention in winemaking.

The expert says: "This is the kind of wine I want to drink in early spring as the snow melts because it reminds me that summer is coming. It's exuberantly fruity with flavors like wild strawberries, hibiscus, candied violets and apricot jam, and goes well everything from dry-aged duck breast to Moroccan tagine with cooked stone fruit."

Kitá Wines Camp 4 Cabernet Sauvignon $30 a glass

The wine: Owned by the Santa Ynez Band of the Chumash tribe, the California vineyard is also planted on historic Chumashland, where winemaker Tara Gomez makes wines in partnership with the land, soil and climate. Kita Wines recently shuttered, but Gomez will continue to make wine under her personal label, Camins 2 Dreams.

The expert says: "This bright-eyed and alert bottle ... has so much verve and life. It makes me think of late-afternoon sunlight shifting back and forth through windy branches and crushing wild mint through a thicket of blackberries."

Paolo Vodopivec Vitovska Solo MM17 $40 a glass

The wine: Vodopivec is devoted to working solely with the Vitovska grape, which is indigenous to the rugged limestone landscape of the Karst region in northeast Italy and southwest Slovenia.

The expert says: "Since tasting this bottle, I think about the wine probably once a day. It whispers with mineral qualities like celery salt, pounded stone and hints of quince or unripe melon."

Giacomo Fenocchio 90 dì Barolo Bussia Riserva 2015 $55 a glass

The wine: The wine is left to macerate on the grape skins for an exceptionally long 90 days in a process that is now very rare, but was once the norm in Barolo. It creates pronounced tannins that are fine, but assertive, like high-grit sandpaper, and a wine that is elegant, powerful and supremely drinkable.

The expert says: "Giacomo Fenocchio is teetering on the edge of stardom in Barolo. His wines are truly top-tier, but fly just enough under the radar so they aren't impossible to find, for now."