lummi island wine tasting june 10 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads (email us to get on the preorder mailing list! )
Honey Rye – A great country bread made with about fifty percent fresh milled rye for lots of that great rye flavor. Some of the rye is coarsely milled for more texture, with honey added to balance the flavor of the whole grain. A great bread for meat and cheese – $5/loaf.
Light Rye – – What most of us have in mind when thinking of “rye bread.” About fifteen percent fresh milled rye, 85% bread flour, and caraway seeds. A nice light rye flavor with the spice from the caraway. Makes for great sandwiches – $5/loaf.
Bagels – Made with an overnight fermentation to really bring out the flavor, then, in the traditional manner, boiled in a water bath with malt syrup before being dipped into poppy or sesame seeds and baked. Each order comes with a mix of toppings – bakers choice only- 4/$5.
Limoux: 500 years of Bubbly
Everyone has heard of Champagne (the wine), which is essentially a sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France, east and a bit south from Paris. It has such Global caché you would think they invented the method. But they didn’t. The earliest reference to sparkling wine, in the records of the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Hilaire, dates back to 1531. Residents of Limoux believe the so-called “methode champenois” was actually developed in Limoux, in the shadow of the iconic Pic de Bugarach. (shown at left)
By this “traditional method,” bubbles are produced in the wine by a second fermentation that takes place when yeast is added to each bottle, which is then recorked. When secondary fermentation is completed, the wines are uncorked, yeast residue removed, and rebottled. These days, while blanquette de Limoux is still made mainly from the grape mauzac, the more “internationally styled” Cremant de Limoux is predominantly chardonnay and chenin blanc (as in Champagne), with only a vestigial proportion of mauzac– though hopefully still enough to produce sparkling wines that are fresh and grassy with aromas of green apple. More to the point for this weekend, contemporary Cremants de Limoux may include pinot noir, a red grape, which opens the door for a delicious sparkling rosé, the Limoux version of a “blanc de noirs.” Will you still taste a bit of green apple…?
Kaiken
While we try to stay true to our roots of featuring “artisan wines,” we are sometimes led a bit astray. Not, of course, that there is anything wrong with that…! In this case last week I was in a doctor’s waiting room and found a recent copy of Wine Spectator, so of course thumbed through it. Each issue has a section in the back with reviews of recently released (or tasted) wines. Since malbecs are consistently popular with our locals, I was intrigued by some nice scores going to a series of Argentine malbecs from an outfit called Kaiken, which turns out to be an Argentine acquisition of the large Chilean wine producer, Montes.
It turns out that Montes acquired the winery only a few years ago, but it had been in production since 1920. Its current production is on the order of 750,000 cases. That is a LOT of wine, especially when measured against our back-of-the-envelope definition of an “artisan winery” as one producing between 2000 and 5000 cases per year. In other words, these guys make as much as 150 artisan winemakers. Kinda takes your breath away, huh…? Does it mean anything? Yeah, I think it probably does. But we are simple creatures, governed by taste buds, a pleasure-oriented decision framework, and simple economics. Just enjoy it, it’s pretty good stuff!
Bye, Bye, Bernie
Well, it’s been a Good Run. Against All Odds a curmudgeonly old guy from New England ( I can So Relate!) hopped on his old horse, turned his old microphone into a Lance of sorts, and headed into the Rhetorical Wasteland to have it out with the Corporate Windmills. And he fought an incredibly Good Fight. And lost. Of course. We should not be surprised. Like, Dude, what part of “Impossible” don’t you understand about the Impossible Dream…you know, “To right the unrightable wrong …To reach the unreachable star …”
Fast forward. Well, not that fast, as it took the whole Primary Season to unfold. But tonight, as Hillary Consolidates her Base, our Progressive Heroine Elizabeth Warren spoke with Uncharacteristic Passion about the coming Battle between HIllary and Trump. Is she a candidate for Veep? Is she setting herself up for 2020? Hard to say. But what is clear already is that she will play an important role in the coming campaign and election as well as the one after that.
And did I mention I attended a rally for her in Seattle when she was running for Senate from Massachusetts, and came that close to an actual Handshake…??!! The question is, will she pick up the Reins of Bernie’s Movement….??? Stay tuned!
This week’s wine tasting Bye, Bye, Bernie
J. Laurens Cremant de Limoux Rose France $14
A longtime favorite here at AWG–Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Noir; shows a gentle yeastiness, effusive effervescence and rich, tangy, mouth-filling fruit. Makes just about anything Festive!
Cloudlift Chardonnay ’12 Washington $18
Enticing aromas of Gala apple, white peach, and apple blossoms, with nicely balanced fruit compote flavors with minerally notes of peach stone and alluvial minerals.
Pugliani Treggiaia ’14 Italy $11
A smooth and satisfying blend of sangiovese, canniolo & cab, serious but friendly, delightful with anything from pizza to lamb chops.
Airfield Estates Merlot ’13 Washington $14
Slightly muted nose with dill, red cherry and raspberry, and flavors of red cherry, pomegranate, dill and milk chocolate. Silky texture with good balance.
Kaiken “Ultra” Malbec ’12 Argentina $17
Aromas of cassis, cocoa powder and licorice. Juicy and fine-grained, with dark berry and bitter chocolate flavors. Nicely pliant and persistent.
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