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lummi island wine tasting nov 18 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads
Something a bit different this week to help everyone get ready for Thanksgiving:
Dinner Rolls! 6 rolls per order, 2 each of three different recipes. Pick them up this Friday, throw in the freezer, straight into the oven frozen just before dinner and have delicious fresh rolls for Thanksgiving!
Septieme Rolls – Mostly bread flour and a bit of fresh milled whole wheat, mixed and fermented overnight in the refrigerator for a crusty outside with a soft, fragrant crumb on the inside.
Petite Polenta Boules – Made with bread flour, polenta, milk and a bit of brown sugar for sweetness, then loaded up with pumpkin seeds for a bit of crunch.
Cranberry Walnut Rolls – Similar flavors to the cranberry walnut bread from last week, but not quite as rich. Made with bread flour, milk, brown sugar and eggs. Then loaded up with toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.
Note no pastry this week.
“Silent One”
photo by Lori Shepler
I first met Leonard in September 1980. I had just spent the summer on a research fellowship at Battelle Labs in Richland, WA, assessing the possible economic impacts of human-caused Global Warming on world fisheries. Then I had ridden a motorcycle to Jemez Springs, NM for a week-long Zen retreat. I had been there several times before…something of a Spiritual Home.
I remember meeting other arrivals in the dining area, including a quiet man named Leonard. We shook hands and said hello. “So what do you do?”, I asked. “I write songs,” he said. “How wonderful,” I said, “Have you written anything I have heard of?” “I don’t know,” he said. “What have you heard of?” Jennifer, a Center resident who knew us both, overheard all of this and said, “Richard, why don’t you ask Leonard his last name?” Doh!
Any of us who practiced Zen with Joshu Sasaki Roshi, whether at Jemez, or Mt. Baldy ZC in the mountains above Clairmont, or at Cimarron ZC in LA, from the seventies until just a few years ago, sat beside, walked beside, ate beside, and worked beside Leonard Cohen. He once told me, with a hint of irony and wonder, that he was “the most popular male singer in Europe.” At the time he and I were building a rock retaining wall as Daily Work Practice, and had many good conversations. And, at the end of the day I think it was a Pretty Good Wall. Maybe it’s still there. I hope so.
In the mid-nineties Leonard took vows as a monk, and Roshi gave him the name Jikai, which means “Silent One.” He then spent five years at Mt. Baldy Zen Center, when Sasaki Roshi was around 100 years old, and confined to the LA center. Therefore for years Leonard and other students would drive down well before dawn from Mt. Baldy to Cimarron for morning zazen and sanzen with Roshi, before driving back. Hard practice, for sure.
So. I have great admiration for Jikai. I am grateful to have spent time with him. And I am continually inspired by his Practice, about which he once said, “It is a great luxury not to have to think about what you are doing next.” Please join me in placing our palms together and bowing in gassho to this dear man who has enriched all our lives.
Thanksgiving Alert
Please note that the wine shop will NOT be open Thanksgiving weekend. Pat and I are off to Sonoma with pups and trailer for a Grandparently Holiday, while Most of You will also either be Away or Otherwise Engaged with family obligations of your own. We wish you all Good Cheer, Warm Hearths, and Warm Hearts, and look forward to seeing you Friday,. December 2!
Politics and Climate Change
Caught an interesting interview on the radio this morning with Barry Parkin, Chief Sustainability Officer for Mars, Inc., one one of the world’s largest manufacturers, in which he said ( I am so happy to say I Am Not Making This Up!), “We’ve reached that tipping point where in many places renewable energy is more cost-effective than fossil fuels.”
This statement is then unpacked into the Astonishing Reality that this multinational company has built a solar power grid in Texas large enough that its entire US production is now totally Carbon-Free! As our GPS is fond of saying, and we are fond of hearing…: “You Have Arrived!” Btw, Mars is one of the 300-odd companies petitioning Pres Elect Jabba to Uphold the Paris Climate Agreement. The Very Welcome Illuminating Reality of this announcement is that Renewable Energy Resources are already Competitive with Fossil Fuels in many places. Therefore, sad to report, Jabba’s Dream of bringing back Coal and Oil is already Economically Infeasible. Coal is too Dirty; Oil is Too Expensive; and Gas is, well, Too Fracking Complicated!
If you think about it, None of this is Surprising. Resource economists (like yours truly!) have been cautioning for a Long Time (40+ years) that per-unit extraction costs for coal, oil, and gas will continually increase, particularly when you include “external” costs like air, water, and ground pollution.
This week’s Wine Tasting
Lumos Pinot Gris Rudolfo Vineyard ’15 Oregon $18
Clear light golden straw color. Lively and complex aromas of lemon, green apple, nectarine. A vibrant, dry yet-fruity body and a tingling, breezy, nicely balanced nut-skin finish.
Virginia Dare Pinot Noir ’14 California $17
Uncomplicated but entirely engaging with notes of blackberry, ground black pepper, and black olives along with typical Russian River notes of strawberry and pit fruits.
Castel de Remei “Gotim Bru”
Blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Cab, Merlot, and Syrah; perfumed and pleasant, with ripe aromas of plums, raisins and prunes, some floral overtones and notes of spicy oak.
Joel Gott Cab-Merlot’14 California $14
Beautiful notes of crème de cassis, vanilla and spice with a medium to full body, beautiful purity and texture. Satisfying and very easy to like.
Robert Ramsay Le Mien ’12 Washington $29
Grenache, Mourvedre, Counoise and Cinsault; rock-solid aromas and flavors of lavender, leafy herbs, flowers and assorted black fruits. Rounded and supple, with a fleshy mouthfeel, solid ripeness, and sweet tannins.
lummi island wine tasting june 30 ’23
Open Friday, June 30, from 4-6pm
Good News #1… Our plans to be away this weekend just changed to avoid a forecasted heat wave, so we WILL BE OPEN Friday, June 30 from 4-6pm for wine tasting and sales!
Good News #2… Beginning July 7, we will be expanding our summer hours to be open both Fridays and Saturdays from 4-6pm!
Blue sky, blue water
-view from island side ferry dock
Friday Bread Pickup This Week
Multi Grain Levain – – Made with a sourdough culture and a flavorful mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A nice mixture of flax, sesamOn Tuesday this week, the Chair of the Ferry Advisory Committee (I am a member) announced a “special meeting” for today with the clear intention of circumventing the decisions that had been made both at our last meeting on June 14 and the subsequent Council meeting on June 20 to postpone any decisions on a radical ordinance change submittted by Public Works (since when do the regulatees get to rewrite the regulations??). The clear intent of the special meeting was to override the decisions already made and push the Council to pass the insane new rules that would remove ALL the guardrails on what costs PW could pass off as “ordinary maintenance.”e sunflower and pumpkin seeds and some polenta add great flavor and crunch. And just a little honey for some sweetness. A great all around bread that is full of flavor – $5/loaf
Polenta Levain –– Also made with a levain, aka sourdough, from a starter fed and built up over several days, then mixed with bread flour and polenta in the final dough mix. This bread is a nice rustic loaf with great corn flavor. – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Pain aux Raisin – made with the same laminated dough as croissants. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with a mix of golden raisins and dried cranberries that have been soaked in sugar syrup. Rolled up and sliced before baking. These
To get on the bread order list, click the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.
Wine of the Week: Lambert de Seyssal Petit Royal France $22
The village of Seyssel, in Savoie in the French Alps, has a history of viticulture dating back centuries, having built a reputation for floral-scented charmers from the local grapes, Molette and Altesse. Produced in the méthode traditionnelle and aged for two years sur latte, the Petit Royal is unequaled in the world of sparkling wine. Nose of alpine flowers, dried fruit, wildflower honey, and a toasty, yeasty note give this the wine an utterly delightful aromatic richness and complexity. Serve it with various salty toasts to kick off your next dinner party, or pop one open to liven up a night at home with a big bowl of mac and cheese. Versatile!
Lambert de Seyssal Royal Seyssal France $22
Great sparkling wine from the Savoie region; 50% Altesse, 50% Molette from clay/limestone soils. Stacked sur latte for 3-4 years, yielding complex aromas, fine perlage (bubbles), and crisp acidity. Yummy stuff!
This week’s wine tasting
Lambert de Seyssal Royal Seyssal France $22
Great sparkling wine from the Savoie region; 50% Altesse, 50% Molette from clay/limestone soils. Stacked sur latte for 3-4 years, yielding complex aromas, fine perlage (bubbles), and crisp acidity. Yummy stuff!
Natura Rose ’21 Chile $12
Cold-soaked before pressing and cold-fermented on the skins to develop rich and nuanced aromas and flavors of grassy lime, tropical fruits, and lychee, with a crisp, lingering finish.
Angeline Cabernet Sauvignon ’20 California $14
Deep garnet hue with aromas of lush cherry, cassis, and plum lead to rich cherry and plum flavors and lingering notes of vanilla and creamy oak…seriously over-delivers for its modest price tag.
Economics of the Heart: Crossing Lines vs. Lines Crossing, pt 2
courtesy www.dogtopia.com
It has been an intense week in our local ferry liaison world. At the time of last week’s post about all of this, tensions and temperatures were rising quickly, and dialogue was deeply stressed and reactive between the two opposing viewpoints in the “conflict.”
On Tuesday this week, the Chair of the Ferry Advisory Committee (I am a member) announced a “special meeting” for today with the “clearly hidden” intention of subverting decisions that had been made both at our last meeting on June 14 and the subsequent Council meeting on June 20 to postpone Council consideration of a radical ferry rate ordinance change submitted by Public Works (like, since when do the regulatees get to rewrite the regulations??). The clear intent of the special meeting was to override the decisions previously made and create a back door through which to remove ALL the guardrails on the kinds and magnitudes of costs PW could pass off as “ordinary maintenance” in computing our fare burden. (I am not making this up).
The short version of a very long and complicated story is that a volunteer citizens’ group (including two very good lawyers and not affiliated with Lifac) worked very hard to identify several ways in which the meeting violated the WA Open Meetings Act. As a result, around mid-day today the meeting was officially cancelled– a HUGE victory for the grass roots effort and a welcome sense of relief after a long and difficult week. For the moment, anyway.
Some residents are angry at the Lifac Chair in particular for putting us all through this trauma. And that is certainly fair to some degree. But it is also true that these experiences reveal how much the entire system is broken and dysfunctional. The Ferry Committee has essentially ignored since its inception nearly all of its codified responsibilities (see below), and instead has focused most of its attention on deferring to Public Works. Presently, about 4.5 of the 7 Lifac members seem to believe that their primary responsibility is to give PW everything it asks for, a consistent majority. So while there is a bit of breathing room, let’s take a moment to speculate how in the world we got here, and if and how the system might be fixed.
The founding statute of the Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee (WCC Chapter 2.145), defines its charge as to “provide review and recommendations to the Whatcom County Council and Executive on issues that affect the ongoing operations and infrastructure of ferry service to Lummi Island…and also provide a forum for those who depend upon Lummi Island ferry service to voice their ideas and concerns about the ferry service.”
The specific charge of the committee is to advise the county council or the county executive on the following functions:
A. Review and provide recommendations on proposed changes to ferry operations and fares;
B. Review at least annually ferry revenue and expenditures, ferry fund balance, and actual versus targeted fare return;
C. Assist the county in collecting information from ferry riders on actual and desired ferry services, concerns, and ideas for improved service;
D. Analyze and develop recommendations to continue and improve the cost effective operation of ferry service to Lummi Island;
E. Research, review, and make recommendations regarding ferry replacement, long-term planning, parking, transportation to and from ferry docks, alternative docking locations, alternative funding sources, and other major capital and operational issues regarding ferry service to Lummi Island. (Ord. 2012-005 Exh. A).
Your attention is invited in particular to the fact that the ordinance is silent about any liaison between Lifac and Public Works, which operates and maintains the ferry and related infrastructure.
On the face it is a bit hard to imagine why there might be much cause for policy disagreement. But it turns out that over the dozen or so years the committee has existed, the necessity of some ongoing liaison with Public Works, which operates and maintains ferry operations and infrastructure, seems to have morphed Lifac into a sort of satellite department of Public Works. Each new member picks up the vibe and many start to believe that their real job is to make sure Public Works gets whatever it asks for. And in the meantime the responsibilities and tasks listed above receive minimal attention or are completely ignored.
To be clear: there is now an established, majority “culture of obeisance” to Public Works on Lifac that prevents it from attending to its responsibilities to serve the needs and interests of ferry users, who include not just island residents, but the entire flow of commerce between island and mainland. In its present configuration Lifac is creating problems faster than it is helpng to solve any. There is no simple fix for that, but it falls to the Council to address the present ongoing dysfunction. In, you know, mho.
lummi island wine tasting december 13’19
click on photos for larger images
Friday Breads This Week
Polenta Sourdough – Made with a levain starter mixed with bread flour and polenta in the final dough mix. This is not the sweet corn cranberry bread that we have done in the past but rather a nice rustic loaf with great corn flavor. – $5/loaf
Seeded Multi Grain Levain – Also made with a sourdough culture and a mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A nice mixture of flax, sesame sunflower and pumpkin seeds and some polenta add great flavor and crunch, plus a little honey for some sweetness. A great all around bread that is full of flavor – $5/loaf
Gibassiers – A traditional french pastry using a delicious sweet dough full of milk, butter, eggs and olive oil. The addition of orange flower water, candied orange peel and anise seed bring great flavor to these pastries. After baking they are brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with more sugar. Ooh La La a delightful pastry to go along with your morning coffee or tea. – 2/$5
and, order now for delivery next week…
Stollen – A delightful holiday bread made with bread flour with fresh milled rye, milk, eggs, and lots of butter for a soft crumb, along with dried fruit, fresh and candied lemon and orange peel, and almonds. Shaped around an almond paste filling and rushed with a glaze of melted butter, sugar, and ginger…fabulous! $5/loaf.
(breads must be pre-ordered by Wednesday for pickup here at the wine shop at our Friday wine tasting, 4-6pm. Planning a visit to the Island? Email us to get on the mailing list!)
FIFTEENTH Annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve” Gala Extravaganza!
Please join us for our annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve Party” from 7-9pm on Tuesday, December 31! We provide the wine, and You bring something delicious to share! When the ball drops in Times Square three hours East, we break out the Bubbly, toast our Great Good Fortune to live in this wonderful community, belt out Auld Lang Syne, and offer our Best Hopes that Aught-Twenty unfolds well for our Country and our Planet!
This event is our annual opportunity to thank all of you for your support during past year, and toast to even more good times in Aught-Twenty!
…Arrrr, ‘n’ don’t ferget, lads and lassies, it now be time to start plannin’ yer Finger Foods to share for our Annual Best Snack Awards! This year everyone will get a ballot to vote for The Best Tasting Dish, (which wins a $25 gift certificate!), and Best Looking Dish (which wins a $15 gift certificate!) So make ’em Tasty an’ make ’em Purty, eh…?!
Holiday Hours
Please note will be open our usual hours both THIS weekend (12/13 -12/14) and NEXT weekend (12/20-12/21). Holiday hours will be announced next week.
Forgotten Gem
Rooting around in the cellar for wines to pour this weekend we discovered an unopened case of 2009 Betz La Sarenne Syrah, and we figured that given the persnickety way Betz wines are made, this one is probably just starting to hit its stride.
We have probably mentioned in earlier posts that winery founder and long-time winemaker Bob Betz has a deep affection for French Wines and for many years has modeled each wine after the style of particular French wine regions. For example, the wine we are pouring this week, La Serenne Syrah, is modeled after the style of Southern Rhone syrahs, with rich, lush fruit, elegant tannic structure, and great aging potential. By contrast, his Cotes Rousse Syrah is modeled after the Northern Rhone style, with deeper color and darker, more brooding fruit flavors, while his Besoleil is modeled after the style of Chateauneuf du Pape, typically blending grenache, syrah, and mourvedre for a softly rich palate.
This is a Special Wine, don’t miss it!
Mar a Lago Update: Nattering Nabobs of Negativity
With the battle lines of Impeachment now firmly drawn, we are reminded of those Halcyon days of of the Nixon-Agnew Administration– you know, the Watergate break-in, the lengthy court battles, the Tapes, and the ongoing battle between Nixon and Congress over access to those tapes. The process culminated in 1974 with the release of the so-called Smoking Gun tape that overnight turned both public and Congressional opinion– both Parties!- strongly against Nixon and he resigned shortly afterward.
Mostly forgotten in that history is that during that two-year battle between the White House and Congress over evidence, Vice President Spiro Agnew pleaded no contest to one count of tax evasion and resigned from office. Gerald Ford replaced him as Vice President and became President when Nixon resigned. Agnew is remembered for his sometimes humorous insults against anti-war protesters, calling them liberal elites (hmm. sounds familiar…), an effete corps of impudent snobs, and the nattering nabobs of negativism.
As it turns out, Agnew pioneered the Populist style. which appealed to many in the Suburban South, offering them a more palatable alternative to George Wallace, who also ran in 1968. Agnew’s populist rhetoric helped Nixon win several key Southern States by courting the “Silent Majority,” whose values historian Peter B. Levy lists as “orderliness, personal responsibility, the sanctity of hard work, the nuclear family, and law and order.” That Populist stance also began the rapid exodus of Southern Democrats to the Republican Party. Since then the Republican Party has continued to shift further and further away from the Constitution’s original Humanist values toward much narrower, more authoritarian, and more autocratic control.
The current Impeachment Hearings have become increasingly dissonant as one after another Republican tries to Shout Down the Facts, as if by Sheer Spleen they can actually change Reality. So far only one Republican Congressman (Justin Amash of Michigan) has publicly supported impeachment, left the Party and rebranded himself as an Independent. A few days ago CNN posted an interview with former Republican Senators Bill Cohen of Maine and Slade Gorton of Washington. Both were on the House Judiciary Committee that passed articles of impeachment against Nixon in 1974. Both were deeply concerned about the failure of current Republicans to grasp the gravity of the charges against Trump, and urged them to do their Constitutional duty to assess the facts and do the right thing.
Sadly, that doesn’t seem likely. Today’s Republicans are full of Hubris, lack all humor, and rail at the Truth like King Lear against the Storm. They use all their energy to cling to Power, and their Criminal Stupidity threatens Every Living Thing on this Beautiful Earth. This isn’t just Politics; it’s rapidly becoming an Existential Battle for Global Survival.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date 13,445 as of 10/10/19
This week’s tasting
Marchetti Tenuta de Cavaliere Verdicchio ’17 Italy $14
Refreshing citrus fruits, playful acidity, and complex minerality. Made only with “free run”juice (no pressing!), it is precise and lovely,
Procedo Rose ’18 Oregon $16
Dark berry nose. Extended skin contact makes for a Tavel-style rose, with hints of the red grapes in the blend, showing floral and fruity notes with a bit of sweetness and balancing acidity on the finish.
Crios Malbec ’18 Argentina $13
Bright, dark red. Red currant, black cherry, ripe strawberry and spices on the nose; sweet red fruit flavors with notes of earth, licorice and menthol; creamy fruit firmed by smooth tannins…a terrific value.
Ryan Patrick Rock Island Red ’16 Washington $16
Aromas of baking spices, coconut, vanilla, anise and blackberry lead to full-bodied fruit and barrel flavors. Coconut and vanilla notes linger on the finish. The oak plays a very prominent part in the show.
Betz la Serenne Syrah ’09 Washington 93pts $55
A massive wine, sourced from the outstanding Boushey Vineyard, packs tart black fruit into a tight frame of licorice-soaked tannins. There are traces of clean earth, light mineral and smoked meat, while the tannins are kept in close check. There’s terrific structure and poise in a wine of substantial power.
lummi island wine tasting aug 30 ’19 artists studio tour
click on photos for larger images
Friday Breads
Barley, Whole Wheat, & Rye Levain – a levain bread where the sourdough culture is built over several days and allowed to ferment before the final dough is mixed. Made with bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat, barley and rye flours. A hearty whole grain bread that is a great all around bread – $5/loaf
Rye w/ Currants, Pumpkin Seeds & Cracked Coriander – Made with a levain that is made with rye instead of wheat flour, the final dough is about half bread flour and half freshly milled rye flour, some molasses for sweetness and pumpkin seeds, currants and cracked coriander seed make for an interesting flavor profile. Because of the high amount of rye this bread is generally a more compact loaf and is great with meats and cheese – $5/loaf
Rum Raisin Brioche: A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with golden raisins and chunks of almond paste AND topped with a chocolate glaze before baking. Ooh la la! – 2/$5.
(note: breads must be pre-ordered by Wednesday for pickup here at the wine shop at our Friday wine tasting, 4-6pm. Planning a visit to the Island? Email us to get on the mailing list!)
Yummy Goodies!
Over the last few months we have been remiss in letting our stock of delicious artisan Chocolate dwindle and run out. So we have Good News: we have just brought in a new order of delicious Theo chocolate bars from their factory at the old Red Hook brewery on the shore of the ship canal in Fremont. They include dark chocolate peanut butter cups, two different milk chocolate bars, and four new dark chocolate bars.
In addition, of course, we hope to replenish our stock of the Deeply Delicious Dick Taylor chocolate very soon!
Since our recent trial run carrying Lummi Island Wild’s terrific sushi-grade albacore canned tuna was such a hit with so many of you, we have just brought in Two More Cases! If you have tasted it, you know it is Proof that all canned tuna is NOT created equal! And while the $7.50 price per can may seem high at first blush, it is truly Something Special!
Studio Tour Artist Kim Obbink
Returning this weekend as our Studio Tour artist is Kim Obbink, showing her latest series of finely detailed drawings and paintings of island botanical and marine life subjects. If you missed last year’s show, you owe it to yourself to swing by and spend some time with these newest paintings.
Her work uses mostly watercolor and colored pencils to capture not only the visual details of each subject but also to project its feeling and energy. And as she pointed out while hanging the show, like Audobon’s birds, their beauty is of their husks, the bodies they leave behind. Ah, we organic beings are so fleeting…!
Do not miss it!
Mar a Lago Update: Fools, Damn Fools, and Methane
Abe Lincoln famously observed: “You can fool All of the people Some of the time, and Some of the people All of the time, but you Can’t fool All of the people All of the time.” Well said, well said! These lines have always held for us a certain humorous and sensible wisdom. Until, that is, Fox News and the Religious Right banded together in the 80’s to mount a non-stop 24/7 attack on all forms of Critical Thinking, a campaign that has only grown more virulent and flagrant over time.
Right Wing Media embraced a number of despicable and Un-American tactics including libelous accusations and personal attacks against Liberal politicians and thinkers, turning what had been the News Media into an Orwellian world of Newspeak, constantly inciting anger and resentment among the Gullible. Each day for thirty-odd years the Fox news cycle has set a theme which left-leaning comedians like Jon Stewart and Stephan Colbert would often satire by showing host after host using exactly the same phrase on all news shows through the entire broadcast day: the Pharoahs of Phake News.
In Orwell’s words, the language of Newspeak would over time “make all other modes of thought Impossible…” with the ultimate goal that “eventually Oldspeak would be forgotten and Heretical Thought would be Literally Unthinkable.” In other words, All of the People could be Fooled All of the Time! For years now we have seen Newspeak dribble down the chin of Darth McConnell and the Empty Minions who stand with him in every Photo Op like a Silent Greek Chorus not granted the Gifts of Original Thought or Speech. It has now become Abundantly Clear that somewhere around 40% of Americans are Proud to stand among those who are Fooled All of the Time. It’s a little like an old Sci Fi theme where the main character realizes at the end that Everyone but him is now an Alien…gulp!!
The Tweetster, it turns out, is the Current Product of all of this. Like Dubya before him, he was Chosen because, one might say of him, “not enough water to Float a Boat,” i.e., not enough There There to present an obstacle to Corporate Goals. On the other hand, his latest attempts to strike down EPA regulations on methane reduction have run into snags. The critical string of facts here is that: a) methane creates 80x more global warming per molecule than CO2: b) methane is largely a by-product of natural gas production; c) the Major Energy Companies are marketing natural gas as the “Clean Alternative” to oil and coal; d) the Majors Require that all leaks of methane be hunted down and eliminated; but e) smaller. regional oil and gas producers do not have the financials to clean up after themselves and want subsidies in the form of less regulation.
So curiously, in this case, long term environmental goals of the country and short term economic goals of the Majors are aligned, because natural gas is the logical transition fuel between the petroleum economy that is causing Global Warming and the renewable energy economy that we must develop as soon as possible. But at the same time, the smaller producers would prefer less regulation– i.e., they are not profitable enough to pay the environmental costs of their production and would prefer to pass those costs on to the public in the form of an increasingly uninhabitable planet.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 12,000 as of 6/10/19
This weekend’s wine tasting
The first thing you should know is that longtime Friend of the Wine Shop, Importer and Distributor Tristan will be pouring selections from his portfolio on Saturday; see below. Below are our tasting wines for Friday. We will be open on Sunday this weekend from 1-5pm because of Studio Tour, and we shall see what we will be pouring then!
Domaine de l’Amauve La Daurèle, CdR Villages Séguret ’17 France $18
Grenache blanc, clairette, viognier, & ugni blanc; expressive nose of white fruits, mirabelle plum, and acacia honey; soft on the palate with lively citrus flavors…very Food Versatile!
Chat. Ste. Eulalie Rose ’18 France $ 13
A delightful dry rose with flavors of fresh raspberries, strawberries, and crisp redcurrant fruit with a hint of spice: an excellent match for grilled Mediterranean vegetables and lamb.
MAN Vintners Pinotage ’17 South Africa $11
Dark berries, plum and a smoke on the nose. Rustic yet silky and juicy, with wild cherry flavors, smooth tannins and well-controlled acidity. good intensity to the plum and mocha flavors.
Sant’ Antonio Monti Garbi Ripasso ’15 Italy $18
A gorgeous, expressive, tasty Valpolicella; floral notes give lift to the expressive, beautifully centered palate and a long, polished finish.
Shatter Grenache Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes ’17 France $19
From Old Vines in Roussillon’s black schist soil; nose of dark fruit with a hint of espresso; velvety texture with black currant, spice and cured meat flavors with a touch of coffee; firm structure, supple tannins, excellent acidity and overall balance.
Saturday wine tasting:
Jane Ventura Brut Rose Reserva 2016 - $11.89 Chateau de Caraguiles Corbierres Rose - $10.49 Domaine Frederick Sornin Beaujolais Blanc - $11.79 Castillo de Mendoza Vitaran Crianza- $9.79 Chateau Sicot Bordeaux Superieur - $10.49 Cervoles Garnatxa "Les Garrigues" - $13.99
2072 Granger Way