lummi island wine tasting april 13 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread this week
Spelt Levain – Spelt is an ancient wheat grain with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor and milder gluten than modern wheat. This bread is made with a levain, or sourdough, traditional bread flour and about 1/3 spelt flour, fresh milled whole spelt and fresh milled whole rye. It is a great all around bread – $5/loaf
Sweet Corn & Dried Cranberry – Made with polenta and bread flour, then enriched with milk, butter and honey for a soft and tender crumb, then loaded up with dried cranberries. Has great corn flavor but is not a traditional quick cornbread. – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…(oh boy, oh boy…)
Bear Claws! – Made with a danish pastry dough rich in cream, eggs, sugar and butter. The dough is rolled out and spread with a filing made with almond paste, powdered sugar, egg whites and just a bit of cinnamon to round out the flavor. Then, because bears love honey, topped with a honey glaze after baking. – 2/$5
Sunday Concert April 22!
The Countdown continues! Our Spring Concert with singer-songwriter-minstrel Robert Sarazin Blake! This year’s concert will be from 4-6 pm on Sunday, April 22 in the wine shop!
As Robert’s many local followers know, he is a modern-day troubadour who travels widely (mostly here in the Pacific Northwest and in Ireland) to share his craft, very often in pub atmospheres like our dear wine shop. And to all venues he brings his sonorous voice, open heart, wry humor, and engaging songs to weave a web of well-being around you. For those of you who have not attended any of our concerts, know that our little shop is a great venue for Robert’s style, which is is always engaging and energizing.
Suggested performance donation is a modest $15 per person, and a selection of wines will be available by the glass. And since space is very limited, please confirm reservations soon!
Learn more about Robert’s music here.
Montes
Chile’s Colchagua Valley is something like California’s Central Coast, boasting a perfect wine-growing climate, with semi-arid conditions much of the year, and lots of hot days moderated each night by cool ocean breezes. The steep slopes of the coastal mountains provide provide granitic soils and perfect sun exposure, and rains have deposited layers of silt and clay that add character to the wines.
The Colchagua Valley viticultural area stretches about seventy miles from Chile’s coastal hills south of Santiago eastward toward the foothills of the Andes. Its latitude mirrors California’s Central Coast wine region, and it produces many of the same varietals, including cabernet, merlot, and malbec, as well as carmenere, its “own” Bordeaux varietal that was thought extinct until recently found thriving in Chile.
This weekend we are pouring two merlots, one from Chile’s Colchagua Valley, and one from the California Central Coast. which enjoy similar climates. Should be interesting!
Mar a Lago Update: Rats and Sinking Ships, cont’d
Almost exactly a year ago we commented on the ouster of Michael Flynn, the first Eyebrow-raising Casualty at the Tweetster Corral, and we linked to a cartoon that invoked the metaphor of Rats leaving a Sinking Ship. That now seems Downright Prophetic, except of course that now the Rats aren’t Jumping so much as Being Thrown into the water.
One noteworthy Exception to this rule is House Speaker Ryan, (and a few Senators eying the White House for Themselves) who just announced he will not seek House reelection in 2018. And this comes at a time when 40 other Republican House members have also declared their intention not to run again…like Whoa, talk about Rats hitting the Life Rafts...! In that light it was something of a Comfort to read Paul Krugman’s column this morning, where he Pulled No Punches in listing the many reasons why he has always considered Mr. Ryan a Con Artist, Flim-Flam Man, and a Fraud. Not praiseworthy observations.
Still, Ryan is an ambitious guy, and you have to wonder what the longer term game plan is. He is Ambitious and Self-Anointed, and we have long thought he Has Had His Eye on the White House for himself. So, with So Many Rats going Over the Side, and water starting to Slosh Ominously in the Bilges, maybe the Speakster is beginning his Move, spreading Mutiny in the Fo’c’sle. Arrrrr, who Knows, maybe he can yet get the Crew to Rebel, cast the Tweetster and the Penster to the Sharks, and Take Control of the Bridge. Some of us thinks they already be makin’ their Move…!
This week’s wine tasting
Domaine Girard Chardonnay ’16 France $13
Medium- bodied with fleshy notes of fresh-picked apples and pears; no oak, but spends time on the lees to give it richness; clay soils at a higher elevation impart a delightful freshness.
Montes Classic Merlot ’15 Chile $13
Bright and complex, with blackcurrant and black cherry flavours and a rich, juicy finish. Aged in oak for six months before release.
J Lohr Cypress Merlot ’16 California $10
Classic varietal aromas of black cherry and plum with subtle hints of oak; savory red fruit and comforting weight finishes with a touch of chalky tannin. Seriously over-delivers for its modest price.
Clos St. George Chevaliere ’08 France $14
Dark and rich, with notes of cherry, plum, and fig with a hint of spice; complex and round, and full bodied on the palate with fully developed tannins; a great value red.
Clos La Coutale Cahors ’15 France $16
80% Malbec and 20% Merlot, creating an intense wine that juggles elegant rusticity with everyday drinkability, with rich, dark notes of blackberry paste, coffee, and slate.
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