Lummi Island Wine Tasting August 24 ’13
Lemmings
Perhaps no one really likes surprises, except maybe those who spring them on others. Still, there are some predictable events which are, depending on how you look at them, a little annoying, a little irritating, a little— how does one say it with grace– ill-conceived, thoughtless, and burdensome– you know. like the annual Drydock scheduling…?
Back in the Day, drydock periods were only two weeks long, and they were mostly in May, when traffic was light. Somewhere along the line them-as-decides-without-reason shifted Drydock to September…a really Bad Idea that continues to this day. While we are strong supporters of a well-maintained Whatcom Chief — (where would we be without her??!!), and thank our County officials for an efficient passenger service while the car ferry is out of service each year, I am on this soapbox tonight to exclaim: 1) closing the car ferry in September rather than May imposes a huge economic cost on Island businesses, and 2) taking the ferry out of service the day after Labor Day (instead of one or two days later) is Cruel and Unusual to the point of bureaucratic Sadism, leading us all to line up for hours on Labor Day for our own chance to throw ourselves off the island like lemmings afraid to get left behind in the mass exodus. I mean, is there really someone who sits around making this stuff up, or what??? How do things like this Happen??
Loading Up for Drydock
Speaking of Drydock, we have written in past years about the unique cultural dynamics that manifest during Week 1, Week,2, and Week 3, better known to Islanders as “LoL,“ “OMG,” and “WTF”…which is, at root, about the de-evolution over time from “novel cameraderie” to “the warmth of shared inconvenience” to “smile bravely over barely contained rage.” When I was commuting every day, the effect was co-measured by how much farther from the ferry I would have to park each evening as drydock lingered on. Now that there is no longer an actual parking lot on the mainland (see above), our hearts go out to those stalwart souls who still somehow find the fortitude to carry on.
Since we can’t change any of that, the best we can do, individually and collectively, is to adapt as best we can. For us it means loading up on enough wine to tide us over through Drydock, because schlepping wine down the dock on a handtruck, vaulting it on and off across the gap between dock and commuter boat, and then getting it home, is, as someone once said about sailing a small boat in a hurricane, “most devoutly to be eschewed.” Bottom line: today we brought in 20 cases of really interesting new wines we will be pouring over the next few weeks, and we think you are going to like them! So stick around, and remember: although our regular hours are Friday from 4-7 and Saturday from 2-6, we are open Anytime for Wine Emergencies!
This weekend
So, beginning this weekend, look for a lot of new wines in our weekly tasting lineup. For example, our white this weekend is the Hermann Moser Gruner Veltliner, which I confess I have not tried, but bought on the recommendation of a friend. Gruners (“gee-vees”) are the predominant white wines of Austria, and combine a delightful array of unique features, including a complex palate that is at the same time crisp-minerally on the one hand while being fruity and aromatic on the other. Falling somewhere on the spectrum between riesling and chardonnay, gruner veltliner has it all: fruit, aroma, acidity, and complex flavors. Similarly, the Eric Texier Cotes de Rhone represents a style of winemaking that values age old traditions (Ryan loves it, I’m not so sure). And the Caldaro Kaltern Lagrein, from the northern Alps of Italy, is another adventure in tasting, with dark fruit and complex nuances that may challenge your palate (Ryan hates it, I like it!)
This week’s wines
Hermann Moser Gruner Veltliner ’11 Austria $14
Light yellow with hues of green. Shows fruit, smoke, spice and pepper on the nose; crisp and balanced, dense and complex on the palate with flavors of quince, apples, pears and mineral notes.
Underwood Pinot Noir ’11 Oregon $11
Notes of cranberries and red raspberries with hints of smoke and spice. The palate is filled with sweet raspberry fruit intertwined with warm cinnamon tones.
Real de Aragon Garnacha ’07 Spain 88pts $11
expressive nose of cherry and cassis. On the palate it has a touch of silky tannin, good grip, savory fruit, and a medium-long finish
Texier Vaison la Romaine Cotes de Rhone ’10 France $16
Bright purple. A wild, intensely perfumed bouquet evokes dark berries, violet, Indian spices and cured meat. Sappy, sharply focused black raspberry and licorice flavors are given depth by a touch of licorice pastille and pick up a smoky quality with air. Finishes long and spicy, with resonating bitter cherry and violet notes.
Caldaro Kaltern Lagrein ’10 Italy $18
Ripe and dark and loaded with earthy cherry and plum fruit and bitter chocolate notes. The texture is generous and round- making it a nice sipper – but bright acidity and fine tannins let it shine at table
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
2072 Granger Way