lummi island wine tasting nov 15 ’19
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Friday Breads This Week
Pain Meunier- aka Miller’s Bread– was developed 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, a consistent favorite and a great all around bread. – $5/loaf
Sonnenblumenbrot – Aka Sunflower Seed Bread; made with an overnight pre-ferment of a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast before mixing the final dough of bread flour and freshly milled rye, toasted sunflower seeds and some barley malt syrup for sweetness. – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Bear Claws – Made with a Danish pastry dough rich in cream, eggs, sugar and butter. The dough is rolled out and spread with a filling of almond paste, powdered sugar, egg whites, a bit of cinnamon, and (because bears love honey!), topped with a honey glaze after baking.– 2/$5
Granbazán Etiqueta Verde
Val do Salnés, with its granitic and alluvial top-soil, is one of five subregions of the larger Rias Baixas wine region located on the Atlantic coast of Spain just north of Portugal. It surrounds the historic town of Cambados, and is generally considered the birthplace of the Albariño grape. Because of its location on the North Atlantic coast, it has an average temperature of just (brrr!) 55º F., and is the oldest, coolest, and wettest of the five sub-regions.
Due to the high humidity and rainfall compared to most grape-growing areas, the grapes are generally grown in a trellis system called “parra” (pergola) for best combination of sun exposure and ventilation. The pergolas are generally metal and wire supported on concrete posts, such that the grapes must be harvested from about six feet overhead using ladders or other equipment, as is the case with harvesting vinho verde in neighboring Portugal.
The area beneath the vines is generally planted with natural flowers and herbs using no herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizer. The plant cover is mowed for mulch several times each year. Overall, the vineyards enjoy a very low density, with an average of 800 plants per hectare. Today’s white wine “Etiqueta Verde” clearly demonstrates the quality of the estate, with precision, depth, and a fine balance of floral and mineral flavors.
Mar a Lago Update: The Goldilocks Gap
Okay, here we are a few months before the Strange Tradition called the “Iowa Caucuses” kick off another Presidential election cycle. Since the Reps hold the Oval, the Dems are the ones competing to take it back. Just like, you know, the America’s Cup: Challenger vs. Defender.
We on the Left are pretty firmly in the camp of “Anyone But the Tweetster,” implying a deep willingness to vote for any of the twenty or so candidates who might appear on the ballot if only we could be sure that person would actually win. And let’s face it, this is a strange place to be at this point in an election cycle. Ordinarily at this point we would all have and be supporting our individual Favorites. But alas, these are not ordinary times. Instead, most people we talk with are very much caught up in not daring to fight for the candidate they want most because the media keep saying that person is Too Whatever to win. As a result we all feel a Pressure to be really careful about how we thread the Election Needle to best assure his defeat next year.
Which brings us to the Goldilocks Syndrome: Which candidate, if any, is most likely to swing enough votes away from the Tweetster in the General to defeat him? Already we see forces at work trying to convince us that Sanders and Warren are too Liberal, Buttigieg is too Young and too Gay, Harris and Booker are too Black, Klobuchar and Bennet are too Boring, and so on. This Goldilocks Gap is now bringing even more Democratic candidates into the 2020 race (Bloomberg, Patrick) who think they have a shot at this Elusive Sweet Spot.
If we are patient, at some point the better polls will start giving us better information about which candidate will be most likely to prevail against the Tweetster. In the meantime, we recommend keeping your wine rack well stocked!
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date 13,445 as of 10/10/19
This week’s tasting
Granbazán Etiqueta Verde Albariño ’17 Portugal $15
Straw yellow color with green tones. In the nose, shows a medium-high intensity: citrus, grapefruit, lime, kiwi, white flowers with balsamic background. Fresh mouth with fine bubbles, fruity with a good intensity, slight oily and balanced.
Casa Fortunata Tempranillo ’15 Spain $11
Aromas of spicy plums and currants with hints of raspberry that continue on the palate and finish with earth, tobacco and a kiss of tar.
Carma Riserva Carmenere ’16 Chile $10
Aromas of mud, slate, and smoke lead to a juicy palate of stewed strawberry- plum jam.
Townshend Cellar T3 red blend Washington $17
Bordeaux style blend of cab, merlot and cab franc; fruit forward with hints of black currant and vanilla, with layers of complexity and depth through extensive oak aging in French and American barrels.
Gilbert Cellars Allobroges ’14 Washington $22
Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah; savory nose of dried herbs & citrus rind. The palate is round and lush with hints of boysenberry, clove, and cinnamon. Subtle spice and light tannin linger on the finish.
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