lummi island wine tasting december 6, ’14
Bread Friday
Fresh bread is back for the next two Fridays through Dec 19th!
This week’s breads:
- Hearty multi-grain loaf made with sourdough, bread, barley & rye flours. Great with cheese and coldcuts ! $5/loaf
- Semolina, golden raisin & fennel seed, a wine shop favorite – yum! $5/loaf.
Seattle Film Institute 20th Anniversary
Today (Thursday, 12/4), we were in Seattle for the 20th Anniversary/ new building dedication of Seattle Film Institute (yes, complete with seachlights filling the sky!). Most of our wine shop regulars know David (below, with mom-in-law) who, along with wife Sam and their sidekick Randi, have second homes here on the island, and usually spend an afternoon in the wine shop when they are here.
David founded the Seattle Film Institute twenty years ago. Over the past couple of years he has been deeply involved in the purchase and renovation of a new building, which became operational last Spring. So today was the double celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the school, plus the official dedication of the new digs. It was our first visit: Awesome! Read more about SFI here.
Walla Walla Vintners
We have been hearing about the great wines from Walla Walla Vintners for years, but have rarely encountered them. That changed last May when we spent several days around Walla Walla and were fortunate enough to taste through the entire lineup of current releases with winemaker/co-owner Gordy Venneri. Over the many years he has been making wine he has developed a very balanced style that pervades all of the WWV wines: soft yet full, rich yet understated, “just enough” in all directions– very satisfying. Couple that style with a commitment to keeping quality high and prices very moderate, and you get a portfolio of lovely artisan wines.
This week we are pouring the 2012 Dolcetto; the grape originated in Piedmont, Italy, and the grape now grows beautifully in Walla Walla’s Dwelley Vineyard.
The Death of Plausible
One of the challenges of advanced age is the awareness that your values have become anachronistic. We have lamented before in these pages about how Facts have fallen out of favor and replaced with Opinion, which somehow in these times is considered More Reliable. Well, some of us Old Folks lean back in our rockers, scratch our whiskers, and muse, “hmmm, ain’t that peculiar…what are these Bozos gonna come up with next??!”
In the political realm, of course, which may be (for lack of a better term) the cutting edge of this philosophy, there is no longer the slightest pretense that the words being uttered have any need for factual basis. Anything that can be said is now, perhaps by some perverse twisting of Equal Opportunity, entitled to Belief without Question, you know, the way that Science once was. As I think about it, the last person I heard talk about Honor was Lt. Worf in Star Trek NG, and that was…OMD…twenty years ago! Can’t you just Hear him accusing, “You have NO Honor!” Come back, Worf, we need you, Man…er…Klingon!
We find ourselves in a Time when Business Schools have convinced generations of students that Truth only counts if it makes a profit, when Cable News has replaced Facts with Hyperbole, and when politicians of all stripes have even stopped caring whether Deniability is at all “Plausible.”
If that doesn’t make you need a glass of wine, what will?
This week’s wines:
Idilico Albarino ’13 Washington $14
Full spectrum of floral, almond and white peach aromas leading to flavors of apricots and peaches with a bit of citrus to make it really bright. Albariño has bracing acidity from those cool nights
Feraud Cotes du Rhone ’11 $14
Dark berries and cherry pit on the pungent nose; slight jamminess and a hint of cracked pepper to its extroverted berry fruit. Juicy and focused, with supple tannins and a lingering herbal note.
For a Song “The Score” Merlot ’11 Washington $11
Lush and concentrated, with big New World notes of dark plum, blackberry, and cherry, and earthy Old World notes of coffee, dark chocolate, and leather.
Can Blau Blau ’12 Spain $12
Attractive fresh red currant and raspberry-scented bouquet; medium-bodied palate with a sweet candied entry. Well-balanced with a crisp seam of acidity.
Walla Walla Vintners Dolcetto ’12 Washington $21
Soft, velvety wine – front loaded with black licorice, cassis, and espresso – draws you in with a sweet nose. The ripeness of the 2012 vintage provided a lot of libido and you’ll surely return the love.
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