lummi island wine tasting sept 28 ’18
Bread Friday this week
Fig Anise – One of the more popular breads in the rotation. Made with a sponge that is fermented overnight, then the final dough is mixed with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Honey, dried figs and anise bring in all the flavors of the mediterranean. A great flavorful bread – $5/loaf
Rye w/ Currants, Pumpkin Seeds & Cracked Coriander – Made with a starter fed with rye instead of wheat flour, with final dough about half bread flour and half freshly milled rye flour, some molasses for sweetness and pumpkin seeds, currants and cracked coriander seed. – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Pain aux Raisin – Made with the same laminated dough as croissants, rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with a mix of golden raisins and dried cranberries that have been soaked in sugar syrup. Rolled up and sliced before baking. Yum! – 2/$5
Sangiovese
The truth is that drydock has seriously depleted our inventory. We were hoping to bring in a wine order late this week, but the ferry return schedule (Friday evening after 6) has put a damper on that. A search of the cellar revealed enough wine to save us schlepping wine to the island on the passenger boat. It turns out that two of those wines are Italian sangiovese from different parts of Tuscany. And as with other wine grapes, sangiovese has a set of general characteristics with a lot of variation depending on the soil and microclimate where the vines are grown, as well as their age, local tradition, and individual winemaker.
In general sangiovese shows flavors of ripe, tart red fruit like sour cherry, herbal notes like fennel, rosemary, and thyme, local notes of tomato, iron, or balsamic; and varying degrees of minerality. While it must make up 80% of any Chianti, it is also used in many other blends in Tuscany. Both of this weekend’s wines are from Morellino, in the Maremma wine region, which requires 90% sangiovese. It will be interesting to see what distinctions we can find between the two wines!
This week in pictures
(click images to enlarge)
Mar a Lago Update: Fake News Goes Mainstream
Here we are coming up to Two Years of the New World of Fake News. At first we thought LOL, then OMD, and then WTF, and now we are so far down a Very Long list of acronyms we don’t even have words for them anymore. Political propaganda is well along toward replacing even the most basic facts with bald-faced Lies regularly presented directly alongside said facts. We expect an Updated Official Count of the Tweetster’s Lies from the Washington Post in a few days. But that says nothing about the more broadly orchestrated Big Lies generated constantly by Darth McConnell and his minions.
Today’s All-Day Spectacle at the Confirmation Hearing of Brett Kavanaugh as the Far Right Swing Vote on the Supreme Court shows a Chilling Quantum Leap in Deceit Management. While it no doubt has its risks, their strategy has almost certainly provided the Minimal Cover Republicans want to go ahead and confirm their boy without losing any of their base.
Act One was beautifully choreographed to the tune of the Me Too Movement by funneling Republican questions to Judiciary Committee guest witness Christy Blasey Ford through motherly prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, who later told Republican Senators that based on Ford’s testimony, she would not charge Kavanaugh or even pursue a search warrant. As we go to press tonight several Republican Senators and a couple of Democrats from Red States are weighing the political costs of allowing their own ethical values (an admittedly anachronistic notion) to play a role in their decision on Kavanaugh.
If the theme of Act One was Playing Nice and pretending to be respectful of Ford’s possible traumatic experience with Kavanaugh, Act Two was a complete Reversal, energetically making Kavanaugh the Victim and changing the subject entirely from the allegations against him to an alleged Left Wing Conspiracy Against him. After categorically denying all of Ford’s charges, and refusing to answer even the most basic and direct of questions from Democratic Senators, Kavanaugh went on an emotional Rant against Ford, Democrats, the Clintons (he was a hatchet man for Ken Starr), and the Left for their Obvious Conspiracy against him, his family, and his High Reputation by taking a Woman’s word against His.
He was supported by a similarly worded and well-acted outburst by Leave it to Beaver look-alike Lindsay Graham, outraged at the Unfairness of it all. Ah, well played, gentlemen, well played. Despicable, hateful, and Unconscionable, but well played. All of this, we presume, carefully aimed two messages at their Base: 1) Golly gosh, ladies, don’t worry yo’ pretty little heads about us good ole boys bein’ misogynists, cuz we’re all about feelin’ yo’ pain and defendin’ yo’ honor; and 2) All you gun-totin’, Tweetster-votin’, immigrant-notin’ guys gotta help us keep them Dems from takin’ your country away from you and givin’ it to a bunch of Illegal Aliens.
The Republican Calculation here is whether their long term goals will be better met by trying to save House and Senate majorities in the November election, or by taking control of the Supreme Court for the next thirty years by confirming Kavanaugh. Our bet is that a reliable majority on the Court is more valuable to the billionaires who own the Republican Party than short term House control. We shall see…
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, withnotes of fresh flowers.
Teutonic Pinot Noir Rosé ’15 Oregon $19
An elegant rosé that’s low in alcohol, showing notes of dark plum, pink apples, and cassis. Voluptuous and succulent with fresh strawberry notes, good minerality, and zesty acidity.
Maryhill Winemaker’s Red ’12 Washington $11
Fruit-forward and smooth with hints of cherry, blueberry and red fruit. Off-dry with fruity notes on the palate accented by cherry and vanilla. Food-friendly and perfect for everyday enjoyment.
Perazzeta Sara Rosso ’15 Italy $12
90% Sangiovese, 10% Ciliegiolo from the Tuscan south; bright and full-bodied with cherry, crisp acidity, and tantalizing earth tones make this pretty wine a winner with savory dishes.
Bocelli Sangiovese ’16 Italy $14
Bright, lush, and appealing; deliciously ripe and smoky, with notes of marasca cherry, granite, and rhubarb compote. Finish is long and dry, with admirable acidity that makes the palate taut and pleasing.
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