lummi island wine tasting may 21 ’21
Pickup of weekly bread pre-orders from Island Bakery continues on Fridays from 4-5:30 outside the wine shop, including NEXT Friday, May 27…but please note there will be NO Wine Tasting either Friday or Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend.
Barley, Whole Wheat, & Rye Levain – a really nice mule-grain artisan bread made with a sourdough culture built over several days. Made with bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat, barley and rye flours. A hearty whole grain bread that is a great all around bread – $5/loaf
Sweet Corn & Dried Cranberry – Made with polenta and bread flour, then enriched with milk, butter and honey for a soft and tender crumb and loaded up with dried cranberries. Has great corn flavor but is not a traditional quick cornbread. A delicious bread that makes great toast – $5/loaf.
and pastry this week…
Brioche Almond Buns – Made with a delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Rolled out and spread with an almond cream filling. The almond cream is not made from pre-made almond paste, but rather is a delicious creamy filling made with lots more butter, sugar and eggs as well as almond flour. Yum, yum – 2/$5
Last weekend we opened our first art show in well over a year. Our dear friend, neighbor, and indefatigable artist Anne Gibert has maintained great discipline throughout this strange period, completing more new paintings than we have room to show.
These are some wonderful works that will be up for some time so you can all get a chance to come by and visit them…there are many scenes that Islanders will recognize…! Compare, for example, the landscape on the far left in the photo below with this photo that appeared in last week’s blog.
Wine of the Week: Argento Malbec ’20 Argentina $11
We were just introduced to yet another Mendoza malbec that we find intriguing. Since 2012 all vineyards have been farmed organically and sustainably with the goal of preserving in each bottle the the natural characteristics of the region’s dry climate, alluvial soils, mountain waters, altitude, and sun brightness. As shown in the photo below, the Andes powerfully fill the western horizon.Argento Malbec ’20 Argentina $11
This organically grown Malbec is deep purple, with powerful aromas of red berries and floral notes. Flavors of plum and sweet blackberry. Finishes with ripe, balanced tannins.
The Economics of the Heart: The Habit of War
Over the past two weeks Israel has once again been unleashing its military might against the long-suffering nation of Palestine. Since the invasion and takeover of Palestine in the late 1940’s, sanctioned by Britain and the League of Nations after WWII, Israel has thrived economically and internationally, while the former citizens of Palestine have been systematically and relentlessly crammed into ever smaller and more dire economic dead ends.
We and a lot of our wine club members, born about the same time as the modern State of Israel, have been witnessing the ongoing regional strife there for our entire lives. We have seen attempt after attempt at peace fail. We humans seem to believe that Our tribe is the deserving heir to certain historical property entitlements that were somehow “stolen unfairly” from us by other groups, or “won fairly” from others by Our group. The default organizational principle for most of human history has been to treat ethics a matter of political luxury, and competition for limited resources a matter of life and death.
There is an old story about the seasoned samurai who encounters the spiritual Master on the road and asks him to be his teacher. When the Master asks him what he wants to learn, the warrior says he wants to learn about Heaven and Hell.
The Master laughs, and says with a dismissive gesture, “Oh, I could never teach something so complex to an idiot like you.” Angered, the warrior draws his sword as if to cut off the Master’s head. The Master interrupts with, “Welcome to Hell.” The warrior, taken aback, replaces his sword in its sheath. “Welcome to Heaven,” said the Master.
The Middle East– the whole World, really- has been in dispute for millennia. Every participant in the conflict has some historic rationale for why their side is historically entitled to dominion over particular pieces of geography and their resources. As climate change advances, our collective ability to cooperate around the distribution and health of rainfall, temperature, fresh water quantity and quality, and wildlife sustainability might hold the key to the survival of our species.
This week’s $5 wine tasting
Seven Hills Dry Rose ’19 Washington $15
Delicate and refreshing, pale in color, and bone-dry. Primarily Cab Franc with a small amount of Petit Verdot for additional structure and Malbec for expressive fruitfulnes; exhibits flavors of guava, grapefruit and papaya along with fresh herbs and a hint of spice.
Argento Malbec ’20 Argentina $11
This organically grown Malbec is deep purple, with powerful aromas of red berries and floral notes. Flavors of plum and sweet blackberry. Finishes with ripe, balanced tannins.
Savage Grace Cab Franc ’17 Washington $22
Fermented 20% whole cluster and aged four months in neutral oak; the aromas are pure, bright and fruit filled, with notes of raspberry, ash, cherry and flower; light, elegant, smoky finish.
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2072 Granger Way
