lummi island wine tasting december 13 ’14
(as always, some photos will click open to larger versions)
Bread Friday
Fresh bread is back for two more weeks through Dec 19th!
This week’s breads:
- White and whole wheat fermented in wheat beer; Try it on toast with butter and Marmite! $5/loaf
- Multi-grain Ciabatta with flax seed & currants; serve with Romesco sauce and spicy sausage! $5/loaf
- Trois Croissants– Plain, Chocolate, or Kouign Aman (pronounced “Queen Amon”). Your choice 2/$5.
Holiday Case Sale continues through Dec 27!
Our annual Holiday Case Sale continues through December! Buy any twelve bottles, and we will pay the sales tax (8.6%)! Even better… Wine Club members get an additional 5% off! Offer good through closing time on Saturday, December 27!
Not only is this a great deal for both members and non-members, but it is also a good time to stock up for January, because the current plan is to close the wine shop until the first weekend of February!
The Italians (and a Croatian) have arrived!
Twice a year our favorite Seattle wine importer Small Vineyards puts on a tasting for area restaurants and retailers. They have a great selection of high quality, seriously underpriced wines from relatively small, mostly Italian wineries, and we will be pouring newly arrived selections (that we ordered in August) for the next few weeks, beginning this weekend with two of the new SV arrivals. The white, as it turns out, is not from Italy, but rather is from across the Adriatic in– I’m not making this up– Croatia! The wine is a lovely pinot grigio, see notes below.
In addition we will be pouring a lovely wine from the Chianti region of Italy, the Le Rote Chianti Riserva Colli Senesi ’10. Because the grapes are grown a little outside the boundaries of the designated region, it can’t be called “Chianti Classico,” which basically means you can get a great buy on a lovely Chianti.
Christmas Decorations
It’s been a very long time since we’ve put up a Christmas Tree of any dimension. We do have a little fir in a big pot outside that in some years gets moved into the house for a few days with a decoration or two on it. It’s a little festive and takes a hand truck, but it has been easy and “enough” for our needs. We understand that those of you with children and grandchildren have different obligations, and the Whole Scene is no doubt de rigeur each year. But generally we are pretty minimalist around our place for the Holidays.
A couple of days ago, however, we received a curious package (thanks to Hans, filling in until Island Icon Bill C. recovers from a recent setback) via UPS, containing the little Live Tree shown here. It came pre-decorated with a little string of lights, red bow, and power supply. It’s easy, it’s comforting in an understated way, and it can be planted after the holidays to grow into a Real Tree someday. It is not something we would ever have bought for ourselves; but on this windy December night, with a fire in the stove, it supplies a measurable amount of Comfort for an absolute Minimum of Effort, and we toast the foresight and generosity of our benefactors with a hearty “Thanks!”
This week’s wine tasting
Krauthaker pinot grigio ’13 Croatia $14
From Croatia; Vibrant and harmonious, with well pronounced fruitiness and freshness; straw-yellow colour, crystal clarity; Nose hinting at apples, pears, peaches, kiwi, lemon peel and hay. Salty on the palate, with refreshing acidity.
Le Rote Chianti Riserva ’10 Italy $18.
95% sangiovese, 5% canniolo; lovely notes of cherry, black tea, sage, and red clay, with a delightful rustic flair.
Domaine Moulinier Rouge ’10 France $13
70% Syrah, 25% Grenache, and 5% Mourvèdre; Nice spice and garrigue on the nose, with a broad palate of ripe red fruit, with a bit of orange note on the finish. Smooth and soothing.
Orowines Bluegray Priorat ’11 Spain $16
Named for the llicorella slate of Priorat, which yields intense, terroir-specific wines from the harsh soils that challenge local varieties like Grenache and Mazuelo to the utmost, yielding tobacco and spice notes to the raspberry jam flavors. Rustic, earthy, spicy, and wildly aromatic.
Waitsburg ‘Three’ ’12 Washington $23
Merlot, Malbec and Mourvedre; Cool aromas of blackberry, redcurrant, tobacco, spices and fresh herbs, complicated by rose petal and hints of licorice and menthol. Moderate density and texture with light dusting of tannins.
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