lummi island wine tasting august 21 ’15
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads (sign up for preorder list! )
Italian Walnut, Golden Raisins & Honey – Made with an italian preferment called a biga. About half of he flour ferments overnight which to enhance flavor and develop gluten. Uses about 30% fresh milled whole wheat and lots of toasted walnuts and golden raisins with a little honey .– $5/loaf.
Le Pave d’autrefois- “Old paving stones,” a sourdough multi-grain bread from bread flour, whole wheat, rye , and buckwheat flours. The dough doesn’t hold a loaf shaped, so is just cut into pieces. – $5/piece
Chocolate Babkas: Yummy sweet rolls rich with eggs and butter, rolled out and spread with chocolate before baking. – 2/$5.
It’s back! La Rocaliere Tavel Rosé
We have mentioned frequently our fondness for La Rocaliere, a little winery in the Lirac region of France, a bit west of Avignon. Like many wineries in Lirac (there aren’t that many), La Rocaliere also makes wine from the neighboring region of Tavel, where rosé is the only wine permitted. To keep it a rosé and yet retain some color the juice must be removed from the skins after a short period of contact time.
In Tavel, the contact time with the skins is longer than in many other appellations, making Tavel rosé darker in color than other rosés, with more structure, tannins, and aging potential. Or as some people (you know who we mean) might say, “Tavel is the absolute shiznit of rosés!” Well, we certainly think so, having visited this winery a couple of times, and we always look forward to this particular rosé each summer. And it’s here now!
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Waitsburg Cellars
Waitsburg winery is a collaboration between wine writer Paul Gregutt and mega wine marketing giant Precept Wine. Waitsburg is a tiny town resting quietly east and north of Walla Walla out on the Palouse, while Gregutt has long been known to Washingtonians for his “Wine Adviser” column in The Seattle Times. His book, Washington Wines and Wineries: The Essential Guide, is considered a definitive resource on Washington wine. Wiaitsburg Winery came about when Precept offered him access to its “big box of crayons,” as he puts it, which roughly translates to “we have all these vineyards, see what you can make from them.” Would that be fun, or what??? I mean, why doesn’t anyone ever ask us that question??
A number of wines have manifested from this project. The one we are pouring this weekend is called “Three,” which is a multiple play on words. It is made from three red grapes with names beginning with “M”: merlot, malbec, and mourvedre, i.e., two cool climate Bordeaux reds with a big splash of one warm climate Southern Rhone red. Despite our philosophical distaste for giant conglomerates like Precept, we like the creativity in the Waitsburg venture, we relate to Gregutt’s fascination with all things wine, and yes, we like the wines. Be warned, they are definitely New World style, and sometimes that is exactly what the occasion demands. Pretty tasty stuff– come by and check it out!
The World on Fire
Let’s face it, it’s a disturbing archetypal concept: “The World’s on Fire!” I first heard the phrase when I was maybe seven or eight years old, in Maine. Our street had a steep hill at one end, so in Winter traffic was blocked, making a great place for sledding, as people from Elsewhere seem to call it, or “sliding,” as we called it. On this particular occasion, the sky was already dark (it was Winter, so maybe five o’clock in the afternoon!), and there was a reddish glow in the sky. Not sunset, something else. And my sister said “The World’s on Fire!”
Well. That’s a pretty Heavy Idea for an eight-year-old, right? But I tried to wrap my head around it, or as some prefer to visualize, “wrap it around my head,” with no particular success, leaving a long-lingering Fear about the World Catching Fire. You know, like, “Nowhere to Run To, baby…Nowhere to Hide!” as I believe Martha and the Vandellas put it some years later.
So slow forward to Right Now, and the Great Global Warming Drought that is manifesting around the planet and in particular on the West Coast of what we currently know as North America, and the tinder-like dryness and the Heat, and yes, the Fires. Right at this moment huge forest fires are raging in the North Cascades near Mazama, Winthrop, and Twisp, as well as all around Lake Chelan, to the point that there aren’t enough resources to keep fighting them. Firefighters are exhausted and injured, and some have died trying to save forests and communities. It’s a kind of Hell out there, some kind of razor-edged, spear-pointed Karma.
So yeah, here it is the year we call “aught-fifteen,” and the World is On Fire, and Our Way of Life has lit the matches, and the animals are all running for their lives, while our so-called leaders continue to pretend there isn’t a Problem…? Really?
This week’s wine tasting
Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino 2014 Italy $13
From hillside vineyards in Sardinia with mild winters, limited rainfall, and very hot and windy summers. Hand-selected grapes, using only very light first pressing. Typical notes of papaya, passion fruit, flowers, and honey, with clean, mineral notes.
la Rocaliere Tavel Rose ’14 France $13
Scents of dark berries, cherry and licorice, with a floral accent. Firm and structured, displaying cherry and floral pastille flavors and a hint of bitter herbs, finishing with good power and length.
Borsao Garnacha ’13 Spain $9
Expressive aromas of blackberry, licorice and and fruitcake aromas; Juicy, spicy and supple, sweet, red and dark berry flavors; finishes fresh, focused and nicely persistent.
Le Rote Chianti Colli Senesi ’11 Italy $14
Rich, chewy, dark fruit, evolves into a smooth palate with notes of black cherry and sweet tobacco.
Waitsburg ‘Three’ Red ’12 Washington $19
Merlot, Malbec and Mourvedre; Cool aromas of blackberry, redcurrant, tobacco, spices and fresh herbs, complicated by rose petal and hints of licorice and menthol. Moderate density and texture with light dusting of tannins and New World charm.
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