UPCOMING CLASSES AND EVENTS

Want to check out the new space by attending a class? Here’s a selection of classes being offered throughout March. To register for classes, visit france44events.com.

Cider 101 | March 2

Dive into the world of cider, and learn all of the important basics, from apple varieties to production methods, along with discovering great local cideries.

Wines of France Part 3: Northern France | March 7

Take a tour through some of the subregions and wines of northern France. You’ll discover the wide array of grapes cultivated there and the many different styles of wine this region produces—and learn about some of the world's best food-pairing wines!

Transumando: Transhumance

Cheeses of the World | March 9

Discover the ancient practice of transhumance as you follow shepherds and their flocks to and from the highlands, tasting the cheeses they make along the way. Throughout the class, you’ll enjoy a range of cheeses with carefully selected beverage pairings.

Homemade Vermouth: A Step-by-Step Guide | March 14

Explore the history behind vermouth and learn the classic components and steps for batching your own aromatized, fortified wine. You’ll be supplied with ingredients and leave with a small batch of a hand-crafted vermouth of your own.

Wine 101 | March 16

Learn all the important basics for appreciating wine—from how to read a wine label and what glasses to use, to wine storage, food pairing basics and tips on how to taste like a professional.

Wines of California Part 2: Napa and Sonoma | March 21

This class will focus on two of the most prominent and influential wine regions in the U.S.: Napa and Sonoma. You’ll explore the history, winemaking styles and the dichotomy between these unique regions.

More than anything else, the addition reinforces France 44’s core values— to welcome its customers and empower its employees.

Anderson developed this ethos partially from his consulting work—that is, from the hotels and restaurants he passed through on business trips. “The hotels I liked best were the ones that remembered me,” he says. If he had a flight delay, Anderson could trust that he wouldn’t lose his room because the front desk staff knew him personally. He notes that, while many employees in the hospitality and service industries are very transitory, “The places [I frequented] where the employees felt empowered and where they had a strong culture, those are the places that gave the best hospitality …

It became clear to me like—gosh, if I was ever going to have a hotel, this is what I would do,” he says. So, when Anderson took over France 44, he prioritized building a strong relationship with customers.

Hailey White, France 44’s events and hospitality director, cites the business’s community as one of the reasons she joined the team. “[It’s] the way that every customer walks through the door and remembers people’s names and knows what’s going on in each other’s life,” she says.

Beyond his customers, Anderson has established an ironclad trust with his staff. “When I got into this business, I [wanted] to make a place that I myself would want to shop at and that I myself would want to work at,” he says. “My whole philosophy has been [to] hire smart people who are excited about what they’re doing, and then trust them to do the job.”

Anderson wants to ensure that his employees have agency in their work at the business. “He truly does listen to his employees, and he values his staff […] and we feel really respected because of that,” Roe says. “That’s what allows all these big lofty dreams to actually come to life.”

That trust is what led to this recent expansion. In the last five years, Roe, White and the education staff have built up France 44’s programming, offering popular classes in mozzarella making and courses on regional wines, among others. For most of that time, they used a small classroom space on the upper floor of the building to house events, in addition to offering virtual

ARCHITECT:

Kris Thielen at Thielen & Greene

DESIGNER:

Karl Peltier at Habitation

Furnishing + Design

CONTRACTOR:

Andrew Harvala

CONSTRUCTION:

Heritage Construction and hybrid classes. But after a while, the space started to feel cramped.

“You get to this point where you can either stay where you’re at, and the ceiling is really low in terms of what you’re able to accomplish [there],” Roe says. “Or you can start thinking and look outside of what you’re doing.” At first, the team thought about renting a space for events, but none of the spaces they explored felt right.

Then in 2020, Anderson and a few team members walked onto the roof of the building to plan some routine repairs. “And one of the people on my team was like, ‘Wow, the view up here is amazing. We should totally have an event space up here.’”

By August 2021, Anderson had drawn up blueprints of the new addition—including the rooftop patio— and contacted his builder to begin construction. “The hard part was done,” Anderson says. “The team was in place—all I needed was the building.”

With the building completed, France 44 is poised to usher in new guests and old friends. Roe says the addition is only the beginning of France 44’s next phase, adding: “We’re ready for anything.”

France 44 Wines & Spirits, 4351 France Ave. S., Mpls.; 612.925.3252; france44events.com

France 44 Wines & Spirits @f44events

Written by Amy Overgaard