lummi island wine tasting aug 3 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
Both breads this week use “pre-fermented dough,” aka “old dough.” Historically, bakers would hold some dough back from the daily bake and then add that old dough into the next day bake. Since I don’t bake everyday I make a preferment that incorporates some of the flour, water, yeast and salt, so it is a complete dough by itself.
Sonnenblumenbrot – Otherwise known as Sunflower Seed Bread; made with a pre-fermented dough mixed with bread flour and freshly milled rye, then loaded up with toasted sunflower seeds and some barley malt syrup for sweetness. This is a typical german seed bread- $5/loaf
Pain Meunier – aka “Miller’s Bread;” made with pre-fermented dough including all portions of the wheat berry, plus flour, fresh milled whole wheat, cracked wheat and wheat germ. A consistent favorite – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Fruit & Spice Rolls – About half whole wheat with plenty of butter, sugar and egg for flavor and a tender crumb. Dried cranberries, golden raisins, fresh orange peel and juice plus anise, cinnamon, mace and cardamon. Topped with demerara sugar before baking for that extra bit of sweetness and crunch. An interesting and flavorful bun to have with your morning coffee. – 2/$5
Island Quilters Opening!
Today from 4-7 Pat, Mary, and Myra unveiled their more recent works to a warm and appreciative gathering. Shown at left are a few samples from the showing, which will be on display through August.
Don’t miss it!
Mary Boire, quilt
Pat Hayes, embroidery
Pinotage
There are famous wine grapes, the ones so popular (mostly of French origin) even most Americans have heard of them: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc. Then there are many more with which lots of Americans have some familiarity: cab franc, grenache, mourvedre, sangiovese, pinot noir, viognier, even marsanne or roussanne. Beyond that there are thousands of other varietals we seldom encounter, such as, for example the Slovenian Refosco we poured for you a few weeks ago.
Like politics, to some degree all wine is Local, meaning not only does it come from a specific Place, but also it has probably been coming from that place for a Long Time. Such is the case with a South African varietal that is an everyday wine in South Africa but unfamiliar to most Americans: pinotage. It was created as an experiment in 1925 by crossing pinot noir with cinsault, then known in South Africa at Hermitage. The experiment was forgotten for a number of years, but on a Twist of Fate the resulting varietal was noticed and resuscitated a few years later, when it proved somewhat easy to grow but more difficult to harvest and translate into desirable wine. On the one hand it tends to show nice concentration of fruit, but has a tendency to develop odd aromas and flavors.
This weekend we are pouring a nice example of South Aftrican pinotage with flavors and textures we hope you will find interesting.
Mar a Lago Update: The Dumb Cycle
A basic Characteristic of Human Childhood is to develop a toolbox of mental/behavioral Shortcuts to help us deal with Stress. On the Plus Side, it is very helpful to have Strategies on hand to deal with Unanticipated Stressors, particularly familiar ones. On the Down Side, most of us keep repeating Strategies we learned as children despite abundant evidence that they Don’t Work.
A consistent strategy of the Character many schools of psychology have labeled a “psychopath” is Lying. In the endless quest for Approval, because the Psychopath has an instinct for knowing what people want to hear, he goes to great lengths to woo their Approval by Lying their Truth to them. According to an ongoing tally by the Washington Post, the Tweetster has told some 3500 Certified Public Lies since pretending to Take Office some 18 months ago– pretty convincing Evidence that we do in fact have a Psychopath on our hands.
Since all habitual Character Strategies are formed in early childhood, they become Unconscious Habits of thought and behavior as long as they work enough of the time with parents, teachers, or siblings to deflect or defuse Punishment or Judgment. Indeed, from the standpoint of the Psychopath, the Truth IS what people Want to hear, not some abstract principle. The resulting behavioral Dumb Cycle is:
Tell a lie–> Get caught in the Lie –>
Tell a Bigger Lie –> Get caught in the Lie –> , etc.
In an ordinary world, a very few cycles are enough to get your Garden Variety Psychopath Thrown Out. In today’s world, we seem to have 40% of our population Committed to Not Seeing the Lies. So in Today’s World, where the Lies have been Repeated Far More Often than the Truth, the Tweetster’s Disciples Still Believe Him, no matter what he says, which suggests another Dumb Cycle:
Hear a Lie–> Ignore enough facts to believe the Lie –>
Hear a Bigger Lie –> Ignore enough facts to believe the Bigger Lie –> , etc.
Weird times…
This week’s wine tasting
Mer Soleil Unoaked Chardonnay ’15 California $1
A pure, clean expression of Chardonnay, fermented and aged in a combination of stainless steel and small concrete tanks. Aromas of flower blossoms and crisp pears, round and layered on the palate, with vibrant acidity and depth.
Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Rose
Fruity notes of raspberries and strawberries on the well balanced acidity and the youthful, nouveau-beaujolais-like freshness which makes white vinho verde a perfect match for warm afternoons and fresh summer fare.
MAN Vintners Pinotage ’16 South Africa $11
Dark berries, plum and a whiff of woodsmoke on the nose. Rustic yet silky and juicy, with wild cherry on the palate; smooth, pleasant tannins and well-controlled acidity. good intensity to the plum and mocha flavors. Finishes broad, with a fine dusting of tannins and a hint of chocolate.
Zenato ‘Alanera’ Rosso Veronese ’13 Italy $15
Dark, inky color; rich and focused nose, with ripe berries, dusty oak and a precise note of waxy vanilla bean. On the palate delivers extracted flavors of cherries, strawberry, clay and even a hint of crushed mint. Soft tannins, rounded finish.
Kerloo GSM Majestic ’15 Washington $24
Aroma of leather, black cherries, plums, black pepper, and earth. On the palate smooth and silky with bright, spicy-salty red cherry notes, dusty roses, tobacco, light baking spices, and wet stones.
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