lummi island wine tasting oct 11 ’19
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Friday Breads
Rosemary Olive Oil – Bread flour and white whole wheat for a little more flavor and texture. Fresh rosemary from the garden and olive oil to make for a tender crumb and a crisp crust. A great all around bread – $5/loaf
Multi Grain – Made with pre-fermented dough to begin the enzymatic activity and gluten development overnight in a cool environment. The next day it is mixed with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye, then flax, sunflower and sesame seeds are added for a nice bit of crunch and some extra flavor. – $5/loaf
Pumpkin Spice Muffins- Delicious muffins made with pumpkin and all the spices that go with pumpkin. Topped with a streusel made with butter, brown sugar and pumpkin seeds and as if that isn’t enough filled
with a cream cheese filling. Yum! Warning: somewhat addictive! – 4/$5.
( breads must be pre-ordered by Wednesday for pickup here at the wine shop at our Friday wine tasting, 4-6pm. Planning a visit to the Island? Email us to get on the mailing list!)
October Sunset
Langhe Nebbiolo
Barolo and Barbaresco, among the most esteemed of Italian wines, are made from the nebbiolo grape found mostly in the Piedmont wine region near the French border, where it thrives in sheltered, south-facing, well-drained calcareous marl soils. Flowering early and ripening late, it produces high levels of sugar, acidity and tannins. The vintner’s goal is to harvest the fruit when these three elements are in optimal balance.
The grape is known for its particularly strong tannic structure which usually takes several years of aging to soften into optimal drinkability. Because of their high prices ($50 and up) and need for cellaring, these two nebbiolo wines are out of reach for most of us for everyday drinking.
Fortunately, many of the appealing virtues of nebbiolo are available in a less expensive wine, Langhe nebbiolo, which is essentially the same grape but from less prestigious or declassified vineyards or younger, less select vines. Also, producers are allowed to blend small amounts of barbera or dolcetto to make it more approachable. Though Langhe nebbiolo does not develop the intensity, depth, or aging potential of the more expensive and collectible nebbiolo wines, they provide an affordable ($18-$30) way for all of us to enjoy them.
Mar a Lago Update: A Letter to Congress
We have been committed to writing this weekly commentary on the Ongoing Disaster of the Tweetster’s Occupation of our Formerly Respected White House since April, 2017, and have every intention of maintaining it until he is Gone…our little Indulgence for Mercy from whatever Capricious Fate is responsible unleashing this Menace on our Dear and Vulnerable Planet.
Two months earlier I had written a few letters to Congress about our Fears for the Future. Many of us recall our Inability to Accept that this Gigantic Mistake could possibly be allowed to continue. Here are the first few paragraphs of my letter to Senator McCain, sent in February 2017:
Dear Senator McCain,
I write to thank you for your excellent speech at the recent Munich Security Conference. As a fellow graduate of the Naval Academy (1967), I share your deep concerns about the rise of Authoritarianism both in Europe and here in the United States, and was reassured by your strong position on preserving our common values.
Your recent comments also suggest that you are as disturbed as most Americans that a man as singularly unqualified as Donald Trump should have somehow become President of our country. He consistently demonstrates a severe narcissistic personality disorder, the emotional maturity of a spoiled child, and the critical thinking ability of Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter, ever nattering in nonsensical riddles.
Perhaps no quality of leadership is more important or less appreciated than maintaining a steady and reassuring hand on the tiller. Yet each day Mr. Trump remains in office adds more chaos and confusion, upsets long-established expectations at home and abroad, and undermines our ability to achieve and maintain our strategic and economic interests around the world.
Today, almost Three Years later, anyone who has been paying attention in the last few days has to be both outraged and heartbroken that this Dog-Damned Fool in his “Great and Unmatched Wisdom” has single-handedly opened the door for the destruction of the Kurds, a People without a Country and our long-term allies in our never-ending Middle East Crusade…in the name of Jesus, Wall Street, and Dick Cheney, Amen.
Of the whole torrent of Outrageous, Breathtaking, Heart-Breaking Cruelties this Soulless man has inflicted on our country and our world, this betrayal of our core values and our responsibilities to a valued ally should not be tolerated by Anyone. The Tweetster should be Finished, Done, OUTA HERE with all deliberate haste so our country can act to protect a loyal ally, as our sense of honor Requires. Good Grief, when even Lindsay Graham can find enough moral character to condemn this betrayal of American responsibility, then no American of any political persuasion should be able to rest until we have taken action to assure the Kurds’ security.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 12,000 as of 6/10/19
This weekend’s wine tasting
Mayu Pedro Ximenez ’18 Chile $10
In the mouth, this dry Pedro Ximénez from Elqui on the edge of the Atacama desert feels plump and medium in intensity, with notes of kiwi and flowering herb lead to a crisp dry palate with a mouthwatering finish. read more
Chateau de Caraguilhes Rosé ’18 France $14
Fresh pink, clear and bright; intense and appealing aromas of gooseberry and cherry with clean mineral notes; round and well-balanced, rounded and elegant, a great pleasure to drink.
Chateau Sicot Bordeaux Superieur ’16 France $14
Classic right bank Bordeaux, organically farmed, and a blend of Merlot, Cabernet, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. Aged for a year in used and new barrique.
Castillo de Mendoza Vitaran Crianza ’15 Spain $14
Tempranillo from the classic home of Rioja Alta. Aged for a year in Hungarian and American oak and farmed organically.
Fenocchio Langhe Nebbiolo ’17 Italy $21
10 days on the skins, 6 months in stainless, and 6 months in oak before bottling. Nose of black cherries, dark fruits and gentle dark florals. Palate of ripe black fruit; Attractive and plush, with silky mouthfeel and fine tannins.
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2072 Granger Way