lummi island wine tasting april 23 ’21
Bread pickup will continue on Fridays from 4-5:30 outside the shop. Our new shelter (see photo, left, is a definite upgrade in strength and functionality from the previous one we have been using since last October (you know, when it got too dark in the ferry parking lot!)
Rosemary Olive Oil – Made with bread flour and freshly milled white whole wheat for additional flavor and texture. Fresh rosemary from the garden and olive oil to make for a nice tender crumb and a nice crisp crust. A great all around bread – $5/loaf
Multi Grain – Made with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye, then rolled oats, flax, sunflower and sesame seeds are added for a nice bit of crunch and some extra flavor. A great all around bread – $5/loaf
Chocolate Babka Rolls – A sweet pastry dough full of eggs, butter and sugar, rolled and spread with a chocolate filling, then rolled up, baked, and brushed with sugar syrup after baking. – 2/$5
It’s Official! Now Open Fridays and Saturdays 4-6 pm!
Last week’s trial opening went smoothly and comfortably. We were set up so a few people could be seated outside on the deck, and others upstairs in the wine shop. The weather was beautiful, and though we all felt a bit rusty, it was a comfort to visit together again!
Please note: ONLY those who have completed their Covid shot sequence are welcome Upstairs, while All are welcome downstairs on the deck. For probably a few more months we are all still obligated to maintain prudent social distance and to refrain mindfully from expelling droplets by yelling, coughing, cackling, hooting, spitting, cheering, or singing in proximity to people outside one’s own “pod.”
While it IS a huge and welcome relief to be able to visit face to face again (and maybe to cop a few hugs!), for the time being we prefer that our guests avoid crowding around the bar as in pre-Covid, and to spread out into the shop in smaller groups of three or four.
Steven Spurrier and the “Judgment of Paris”
We pause for a moment to offer a toast to the well-lived life of Steven Spurrier, who spent much of his exploring, collecting, and enjoying the world’s best wines. The most famous of his many exploits was organizing the now infamous “blind tasting” (in which judges rate the wines without knowing which one they are tasting) of May 24, 1976 in Paris pitting French chardonnay (“white Burgundy”) and Bordeaux reds (blends of cab and merlot) against Napa’s top producers of the same wines. The astonishing result of the tasting was that the upstart California wines, to the surprise of Mr. Spurrier and everyone else involved, out-rated both the venerable French Bordeaux reds and the Burgundian whites.
The event played a significant role in the subsequent elevation of Napa wines to world-class status in the years since. The story was also immortalized in the film “Bottle Shock,” in which Mr. Spurrier was portrayed (entertainingly but not necessarily realistically) by actor Alan Rickman.
Spurrier had the good fortune to have inherited…well…a fortune when he was 23, which twist of fate enabled his long journey of learning and writing about wine. He passed away on March 6 at age 79, by all accounts an affable and gentle man with an intense curiosity and appreciation of the magic of good wine. Read more.
Economics of the Heart– Attics and basements
This week has been an evolving metaphor of the American heart– a confluence of the dark and light of it, the tangled roots of it, the long-unfolding karma of it. We can look at it piece by piece and realize how deeply intertwined the pieces are, like a great tangle of multi-hooked fishing lines, where even the smallest tug in one place triggers response and reaction in others.
We have mused for some years now about how the ubiquitousness of cell phone cameras has changed the balance of power between police and their prey. We have all seen the videos, more than we can count, where black men, women, and even children are murdered before our eyes by one, two, or many anxious, aggressive, and over-armed police officers in some American city or town.
This week the sheer weight of all these years of all those images finally cracked open long enough and wide enough that the whole world could see through to the truth and the depth of racial injustice in our country. In this particular case, the one cell phone video that documented the entire 9+ minute execution was overwhelmingly damning, and the individual officer was convicted of second-degree murder. That is one piece of progress to measure against centuries of entrenched deprivation and disenfranchisement that has brought us to the almost daily community killings by police.
The photo at left (click to open larger version) is a piece Pat did some years ago, with the names of many of the reported victims of police killings for that particular year. There is a lot of baggage stored in our collective Unconscious that is going to take a long time to process. This is a dark place and we are just peering through the crack in the door. Sobering stuff.
This week’s $5 wine tasting
Terre d’Oro Chenin Blanc/Viognier ’18 California $13
Lively, refreshing and well balanced. Inviting aromas of honeydew melon, grapefruit, orange blossom and tangerine lead into flavors of peach and mango, and a midpalate of lemon curd, quince and nectarine.
Kanankopf Kadette Cape Red Blend ’17 South Africa $15
Pinotage, cab, cab franc blend; offers ripe raspberry, black currant and mocha on the nose with dark chocolate and blackberry fruit on the palate. The dominant pinotage adds rustic charm.
Townshend Cellars T3 Red Washington $17
Bordeaux style blend of cab, merlot and cab franc; fruit forward with hints of black currant and vanilla, with layers of complexity and depth through extensive oak aging in French and American barrels.
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2072 Granger Way
