lummi island wine tasting june 7-8 ’19
Friday Breads This Week
Poolish Ale – Tthe preferment here is a poolish, made with bread flour, a bit of yeast and a nice ale beer for the liquid and fermented overnight. Mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. This makes a great all around bread with a nice crisp crust – $5/loaf
Buckwheat Walnut & Honey – a flavorful artisan bread made with a poolish, fresh milled buckwheat and bread flour. Buckwheat is not a grain it is actually a seed and closer in the plant family to rhubarb and sorrel than to wheat and contains no gluten. Though this bread is not gluten free as it is also includes bread flour made from wheat. Buckwheat has an earthy flavor that in this bread is balanced with a little honey. Some toasted walnuts add a nice crunch. – $5/loaf
Traditional Croissants – Made with two preferments; the final dough is then made with more flour, butter, milk and sugar, laminated with more butter before being cut and shaped into traditional french croissants. 2/$5
Nice Wine, Nice Bottle
Gavi is a famous white wine region in Piedmont, Italy, surrounding the city of the same name, hence the wine is called “Gavi di Gavi.” Since the 17th century, Cortese has been the grape behind the Gavi di Gavi. It is mostly grown around the city of Alessandria and the Monferrato hills, and is known for its bracing acidity and ability to retain freshness, even when grown in hot environments. Apple, peach and honeydew flavors are commonly associated with it, often showing lime, almond, and light herbal or grassy aromas.The wines are best enjoyed young and go well with Asiago and Parmesan cheeses and seafood.
Cortese has been grown in the southeastern part of Piedmont for centuries, as mentioned in documents that date back to the beginning of the 17th Century. It has long been considered Piedmont’s finest white variety and is often credited as introducing the world to Italian white wine. Nowadays, however, it faces growing competition from Arneis (which we poured for you a few weeks ago), and Moscato d’Asti.
And as if that weren’t enough, the wine comes in a lovely bottle designed to mimic the blown-glass bottles used in the region hundreds of years ago!
Mar a Lago Update: The Finger Pointing at the Moon
There is an old Teaching: “Do not mistake the Finger pointing at the Moon for the Moon Itself.” Its message is a Warning to remember that the Idea of Anything is is not the Actuality. Ideas are best when taken with a few grains of salt. The Moon is the Moon. A Finger is a Finger. Mind is a Metaphorical Soup, or perhaps an inspiration for a drawing.
We human beings are fond of labels. When we Name something, there is a sense of mental relaxation in reaching a conclusion, and thus being liberated from the tension of wondering and not knowing. Modern News Media use the power of this tension to keep us engaged and tuned in to an endless parade of things we ought to worry about and Follow lest we should Miss Something.
For some many weeks now there has been a concerted effort across the news media to get a Democratic member of the House of Representatives to put an Official Impeachment Label on their various investigations. It is obviously a political Hot Button. Naming it an Impeachment Inquiry would open the Floodgates of “See?? It’s a Witch Hunt, folks, a Witch Hunt…just more Fake News…!”
At the same time numerous Federal and State level investigations into the Administration could have major implications for the ongoing investigations in Congress. Just yesterday Speaker Pelosi was quoted as saying in a closed meeting that she didn’t want to see the Tweetster impeached; she wants to see him in Jail. Well, we just want to see him Gone. Since Impeachment is likely a futile or even counterproductive endeavor, it makes sense to follow each of Mueller’s breadcrumbs where it may lead, while continuing every effort to keep the House and send the Tweetster and Dark Lord McConnell back to Mordor where they belong.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 10,000 as of 5/1/19
This week’s wine tasting
Villa Sparina Gavi di Gavi ’13 Italy $17
Bright golden color. Scent of overripe pears, spices, citrus fruit and aromatic herbs; Well balanced notes of honey and butter; full-bodied and savory. And a wine bottle worth saving!
Bargemone Provence Rose ’18 France $14
Beautiful pale pink. Bright, mineral-dusted aromas of pink grapefruit and dried red berries. Light and racy on the palate, with tangy citrus and redcurrant flavors. Finishes brisk and dry, with good lingering spiciness and length.
Carmen Carmenere ’17 Chile $16
Aromas of fresh berries, baking spices and chocolate get this wine going; full bodied yet balanced, with toasty black fruit flavors with grip and intensity; full bodied yet balanced, with blackberry, herbal plum and spices.
Robert Ramsay Mason’s Red ’17 Washington $17
Easy-drinking cinsault-dominant Rhone blend; subtle nose of black cherry paste with a hint of cinnamon spice that expands on the palate to a soft anise finish.
Flaneur Pinot Noir ’17 Oregon $28
Sharply etched berry and cherry fruit flavors, with a hint of brown sugar. Light citrus acidity underlies an astringent finish, which builds interest with hints of cherry tobacco and cola.
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