lummi island wine tasting march 3, ’17
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread this week
Black Pepper Walnut- this bread made its debut last summer to rave reviews and has become a reliable favorite Made with a mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours, toasted walnuts and a generous portion of cracked black pepper to give it a nice spicy bite. A great bread to go with meat and cheese -$5/loaf
Rosemary Olive Oil – Made with a portion of the flour that is preferemented overnight to enhance the flavor and jump start the natural enzyme activity in fermentation. Made with bread flour and fresh milled whole white wheat, a little olive oil keeps the crumb soft and fresh rosemary from the garden gives it a nice flavor boost. This bread has a crisp crust and great flavor and is a good all around bread – $5/loaf
And for a bit of pastry –
Palmiers – aka “Elephant Ears”- A buttery puff pastry dough is rolled out, spread with sugar before being rolled up and sliced and baked to a delicious caramelized sugar goodness. Peter says these are one of his favorites so get your order in before he orders them all! I can only make a limited number and when they’re gone, they’re gone and you have to wait for the next appearance- 4/$5
Kicking and screaming into 2017
This weekend we reopen on our regular schedule after our winter break. Friday nights will continue on the Janice and Sue format, with our helping out as needed so as not to fatigue these Blessed Volunteers who have turned the lights and heat on the last two months of Fridays, and poured Wine for the Faithful, i.e., mostly Wine Club members.
Even after having experienced it firsthand last Friday, we are still trying to sort out exactly how their structure works. It is reminiscent of the zany explanation in Catch-22 of how Milo Minderbinder’s Officers’ Mess made a profit buying eggs and selling them for less than they cost. All we know is that guests get to pick out a bottle of wine they are curious to taste, pay a variable fee which is somehow calculated on the fly as the evening unfolds, lots of bottles get opened, everyone has a good time, and costs somehow get covered. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯”
The One True Dog
Last week I talked about a growing Superstition that there is only One True Dog, continually reincarnated as our Next Dharma Teacher. As I mentioned last week, when we lost our Dear Girl Sylvie 10 years ago, I dreamed a dog like Cooper, and a few months later he Manifested in our lives in a most Unlikely way…too Unlikely to be Coincidence, maybe.
So this time while still grieving we threw our Prayers into the Cosmic Yellow Pages by calling Coopie’s breeder to see if any puppies were, you know, going to be available soon. And she said (I’m not making this up) “that is so interesting, because I had one puppy ready to head off to his ‘Forever Home’ (as she calls it) today, and due to an unfortunate circumstance he has just become available again.” So we went to meet him. We liked him. Tator liked him. Well, let’s say she tolerated him. Which is a Big Deal, as there are only about five dogs on the Planet she tolerates, which is to say she did not run directly at him at High Speed, Bite Him on the Nose, and Issue him a Ticket on, you know, General Principles.
His kennel name was Yule Tide (born Xmas Eve), which we have shortened to Ulee, a sometimes nickname for “Ulysses,” as introduced in a 1990’s Peter Fonda movie about a beekeeper, and which because of it’s many vowels, often appear in Crossword Puzzles. Our goal is for Ulee to meet 100 people in the next 100 days, of all sizes and shapes, in all kinds of Outfits and Hairdos, so he won’t be Weirded Out by People doing Their Things.
There’s no Cure for losing a beloved companion animal. But a new manifestation is the only Therapy we have been able to come up with over the years, and though we just brought Ulee home last night, he is already a Sweet Comfort. We hope to have him at the wine shop a little bit this weekend so you can all meet him and Welcome him to The World…!
This week’s wine tasting
Maryhill Viognier ’15 Washington $14
Vibrant aromas of orange zest, honeysuckle, and pink grapefruit; flavors of lemon, pear, and white peach. The mouthfeel is delicate, yet full-bodied, with lingering notes of fresh flowers.
Coopers Creek Marlborough Pinot Noir ’10 NZ $14
Mid-red, going slightly brick on the edge. Dark cherry and strawberry on the nose, but with savoury, earthy, forest floor complexities and velvety tannins.
Rubino Marmorelle Rosso ’14 Italy $11
Negroamaro-Malvasia Nera blend; aromas of cherry, black currants, blueberries and blackberries; hints of nutmeg and cocoa that follow through on the warm and satisfying palate.
St. Cosme Little James Basket Press Grenache ’16 France $11
An old favorite from an ongoing solera* with an aromatic nose of cassis, cherry and lavender; rustic Old World style, with a firm mineral spine giving clarity and lift to the dark berry and bitter cherry flavors.
Lar de Maia 5° ’13 Spain $15
Tempranillo, Garnacha and Syrah; mouth-filling notes of concentrated fruit leather with lingering notes of cherry and pomegranate; lively and fruity with hints of vanilla, coconut and liquorice.
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