lummi island wine tasting march 9 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
No Bread this week
Bread maker Janice is away this week in Arizona, catching some sun and taking in a few Spring Training ball games.
So no bread pickup this week. Look for an email on Sunday regarding bread selections for next week!
Smoked Salmon, Anyone??
Most of our Island regulars are well-acquainted with Lummi Island’s Historic Reefnet Fishery and the formation and evolution of Lummi Island Wild as a marketer of high quality salmon, halibut, ahi, and black cod from nearby waters. We generally keep a good stash of frozen fillets in the freezer, close at hand for an easy and tasty dinner.
During the past week Nextdoor was flooded with chatter about LIW’s latest offering and the opening of their new warehouse in Bellingham. Like many of you we got our order in under the wire, and picked it up a couple of days ago. That prompted a long chat with warehouse manager Ian, who insisted we take with us several samples of their smoked salmon and try them out at the wine shop!
Therefore we are very excited to offer Our Faithful the Reward of smoked salmon samples this weekend, with a few packages for sale, and taking orders for more. If there is demand we will look to keeping a small selection in stock!
St. Peray
A few years ago we visited the Northern Rhone wine region of France. Although we never made it into St. Peray (long story) we did taste a number of beautiful white wines from this tiny appellation, which totals only 130 acres of vines, most of which are Marsanne and the rest Roussanne. Saint Peray sits at the southern end of the Northern Rhone Valley, and the best vineyards are found high on its steep hillsides of granite, limestone and clay. In the nineteenth century wines from St. Peray were in high demand but gradually fell from favor. Now they are again being produced by serious producers willing to make the investments necessary to extract the unique characteristics of this tiny region.
The fact is that we have not tasted this wine till tonight. It was so exciting to run into a St. Peray in a distributor portfolio that we just assumed it would be great. Then again, we have established over these many years that there are certain wines that we really enjoy but which turn out to draw only puzzled expressions from our Faithful. In any case, we did just open a bottle, and yeah, okay, it Definitely Strikes a Chord. It is quite light in the mouth on entry, with a subtle, minerally, white-peachy, and slightly peppery weight that lingers in a seductive yet refreshing– and habit-forming– way. It will be fun to see how it is received…!
Mar a Lago Update: Terms of Trade
This week we find ourselves curiously aligned with the Tweetster– in a very general way– on the Broad Subject of Trade. Perhaps the Most Basic Economic Principle is that “Everyone Gains from Trade,” because if they didn’t gain, they wouldn’t trade. With only Two Parties, that makes Logical Sense, and this Simple Idea is the Root of the Fantasy that Free Trade is Always a Good Thing.
In the simplest case of two individuals making a Trade, voluntarily and without coercion, the Theory is pretty secure in asserting that the World is a Better Place after the trade than before, because at least one party feels Better Off and No One feels Worse Off.
However, once we have more than two parties, things very rapidly get More Complicated. Any time One Person tries to Represent the interests of Many People, there are inevitably Conflicts of interest and Winners and Losers. Economists washed their hands of this Ethical Dilemma altogether a long time ago by asserting that, “Because the Benefits from improving Efficiency could be reallocated among Winners and Losers so that Everyone is Better Off, “Economic Efficiency is a Worthy Goal in Itself!” It was left to Politics to decide how to allocate benefits and costs, and Of Course Politics has allocated most benefits to Global Corporations, and allocated most costs to Poor People and the Global Environment.
That leaves us with at least Two Problems with our Models of Free Trade. First, the Tweetster is Correct (even a broken clock is right twice a day) in asserting that the Rules of Global Trade are not fair to American (or any other) workers , and we should negotiate a Better Set of Rules. Second, many countries, especially China, have rigged the system strongly in their favor, with the complicity of international corporations whose interests do not necessarily value the workers or environments of any particular country.
Trump is right to Smell a Lot of Rats in the Global Economy who have No Loyalty to nation-states or their peoples. He is wrong to think a few Simplistic Tariffs will make things much better. It would also be Wrong to jump back onto the TPP bandwagon, which also strongly supports multinational corporate interests at the expense of workers’ rights, environmental protections, and fair distribution of benefits across economic classes.
This week’s wine tasting
Seyssal Petit Royal Brut France $16
Traditionally made from Savoie white varietals Molette and Altesse, with extended time on lees and two years sur latte before rebottling, yielding a yeasty complexity and fine bubbles.
Paul Jaboulet Aine Saint-Peray Blanc Les Sauvagères ’15 France $22
100% Marsanne; A pure, fresh, mineral style of Saint-Peray, saline and citrus driven – a true Rhone revelation from steep hills of pure limestone.
Perazzeta Mercurio Rosso Toscana Italy $12
Sangiovese, cab sauv, alicante blend from Maremma; Dark notes of prune, cherry, soft leather, and Italian herbs over a bright acidic backbone. Craves meat and fat!
Liberty School Cabernet ’14 California $14
Dark berry and peppery spice scents and flavors deepened by notes of licorice and mocha. Broad, warm and fleshy with a hint of cracked pepper; finishes with a touch of blackberry liqueur.
Luc Massy St. Saphorin “Baillival” ’12 Switzerland $32
Gamay and pinot noir from pre-WWII vines in iron-rich clay; this classic pinot noir shows aromas of Satsuma plums, strawberries and raspberries–aromas of fresh-picked damson plums, chutney and fraise develop into a fruit-driven Pinot Noir that caresses the palate and engages the senses without heaviness.
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