lummi island wine tasting june 3-4 ’22
Hours this weekend: 4-6pm both Friday and Saturday
We continue to monitor Covid numbers around the County. There has been some rise in cases over recent weeks, so caution is still recommended. There is seating on the front deck as well as under the awning for those who wish to stay outside for tasting. Last Saturday we did ask some folks to sit outside to limit crowding upstairs, and it seemed to work well for everyone.
Bread Pickup This Week
Pain Meunier -Aka Miller’s Bread to honor the miller who mills the wheat. Made with pre-fermented dough it contains all portions of the wheat berry: flour, fresh milled whole wheat, cracked wheat and wheat germ. Always a favorite and a great all around bread. It makes the best toast! – $5/loaf
Sonnenblumenbrot – Aka Sunflower Seed Bread, made with a pre-ferment that takes a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast that ferments overnight before mixing the final dough with bread flour and freshly milled rye, then loaded up with toasted sunflower seeds and some barley malt syrup for sweetness. – $5/loaf
and mmm, pastry this week…
Chocolate Babka Rolls – A sweet pastry dough full of eggs, butter and sugar, rolled and spread with a chocolate filling, rolled up and cut into individual rolls that are placed in baking forms for baking and then brushed with sugar syrup after baking. – 2/$5
To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. The week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.
Wine of the Week: The Wolftrap Syrah Mourvèdre Viognier ’18 South Africa $11
Boekenhoutskloof farm was established in 1776 in the furthest corner of the beautiful Franschhoek Wine Valley of South Africa, about 50 km east of the Cape of Good Hope.
The farm’s name means “ravine of the Boekenhout” (pronounced Book-n-Howed), which is an indigenous Cape Beech tree greatly prized for furniture making. In 1993 the farm and homestead were bought and restored and new vineyards planted for Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Semillon and Viognier.
When the farm was founded, the Franschhoek valley was far wilder than it is today. Though the mountains are still alive with indigenous animals, including the majestic leopard, the only evidence that wolves once roamed here is an ancient wolf trap found long ago. This wine was named in homage to the mysteries and legends of days long gone by.
Most of the Syrah in The Wolftrap comes from the Swartland region (photo, left), where it develops its robust character and elegant aromas of violets, ripe plums, and spicy, peppery profile and juicy, fruity character. The Mourvèdre, also from the Swartland, lends a red fruit character and smoky body while a dash of Viognier adds perfume and verve for a rustic Rhône-style blend that seriously over-delivers for its $11 price point.
This Week’s $5 Tasting
Crios de Susana Balbo Torrontes ’20 Argentina $11
Highly perfumed aromas of lemon drop, grapefruit, white flowers, peppermint and white pepper. crisp yet supple and easygoing, with citrus, herbal, and floral flavors on the clean finish.
The Wolftrap Syrah Mourvèdre Viognier ’18 South Africa $11
Aromas of ripe plums, red currants, violets, Italian herbs and exotic spices lead to vibrant flavors of darker berries and spicy plum with hints of orange peel that linger on a juicy finish.
Bodega Garzon Tannat Reserve ’18 Uruguay $15
Opaque deep, dark red; opens with enticing, delicious aromas of very ripe, dark fruit and berries stewed in their own liqueur, with lingering notes of spice, herb, and licorice on the seamless finish.
The Economics of the Heart: Holding the Center
Again and again over the past six years we have found some inspiration in a quote from economist Joan Robinson that succinctly captures the relationships among value, society, and economics:
“Every economic system requires a set of values, a set of rules, and a will in the people to carry them out.”
The observation implies an ongoing dynamic between economics and politics where values are shared to a great enough extent that we all willingly bind ourselves to support the rules. In our country those rules are represented by the Constitution of the United States, as amended over the past 250 years as the nation has evolved.
There have always been divisions, among and within the separate states, financial interests, the personal egos of the political leaders of the time, and the demands of international cooperation or conflict. So far there has only been one Civil War, and it was caused primarily by the irreconcilable views on slavery between the North and the South in 1860.
For the past 30 years in general and the last six years in particular, Republicans have spent much of each day coming up with the latest pejorative term for Democrats. Someone at Fox comes up with the slogan for the day or week, and every announcer on every show repeats it over and over, like a mantra. They speak with practiced and slanderous disdain, carefully worded slogans, and ongoing calls to anger and outrage. Their entire purpose is to attack the underlying values of the nation itself. We have seen all of this before, the practiced and well-trod path to Tyranny.
Next week the long-awaited public broadcasts of the findings of the January 6 Committee will begin. We can expect a major ratcheting up of the Fox echo chamber and most sitting Republican office holders as they try to distract, ridicule, and attack every finding. In a way it will be the beginning of the New Civil War. Like the first Civil War, it will be based on a Great Divide in values.
Democrats stand for protecting the Constitution and preserving the legacy of this country to create and maintain the conditions for each citizen to live freely, happily, and productively. This current crop of Republicans, like their Civil War heroes, seems aimed at making the rich ever richer, the poor ever poorer, and the non-white ever the slave.
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