lummi island wine tasting september 15 ’17

Posted at September 14, 2017

(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)

Bread this week

Buckwheat Walnut & Honey – a nice flavorful artisan bread. Made with a poolish which takes some of the flour, water and yeast and ferments it overnight before mixing the final dough with fresh milled buckwheat and bread flour. A little honey to balance the earthiness of the buckwheat and some toasted walnuts for a nice crunch. This bread goes well with meats and cheeses – $5/loaf

Sweet Corn & Dried Cranberry – Made with polenta and bread flour, then enriched with milk, butter and honey before being 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 for pastry this week…

Brioche Tarts au Sucre – aka Brioche Sugar Tarts. A rich brioche dough full of eggs and butter is rolled into a round tart and topped with more eggs, cream, butter and sugar. – 2/$5.

 

Tator Talk

Today was a big milestone for Tator. Just within the last hour or two she managed to get herself up from the floor, from lying to standing, the first time she has been able to do that in almost a month! Mes amis, it would be hard to overstate what a Big Deal that is for us, especially since I made a special trip into town today to pick up a Rx for some pain meds for her. We are hoping this marks the Turning of a Corner on her Road to Recovery.

At this point we still have No Idea what is going on with her beyond her bout with  Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia ( IMHA).. Her ultra sound exam last week showed no likely candidates for causing her condition, so it is all a Puzzle. All the more Reason why these little steps Forward are So Encouraging. Which leads us to Wonder on behalf of our Four-Footed Friends…is Progress measured in One Step At a Time…? Or Two, Three, or Four…? All you need to know is that Yes, she Got an Extra Greenie for standing up on her Own Four Feet tonight! Yay!!

 

Getting Off-Of Track

It probably comes as a Surprise to Those Who Labeled Us that It Isn’t Easy being Coastal Elites, at least by current standards. That is, I always thought of Elites, Coastal or Otherwise, as being characterized mainly by their Wealth, not by their Liberal Views or penchants to sip Lattes. Of course No One likes a Snob, or to be thought of as a Snob. Which brings us Right to Today’s Point: is it Elitism to expect today’s Communications Professionals to use Proper Grammar? To wit, in the past week I have heard numerous Otherwise Reputable Reporters commit the Same Grammatical Error: using “Off of” (a double preposition) when the rules of English grammar dictate using simply “Off.” It’s pretty simple. As in “we’re getting Off Of track,” say…the “of” simply adds confusion.

I imagine that my High School classmates (oh yes, from a Very Long, Long Time Ago) would still agree that our English Teacher Miss Fraser (a weird part of the Old Days was that unmarried women of all ages were burdened with the Title “Miss,” which in retrospect conveyed a vague but ongoing Under-the-Breath and Eyebrows-Raised sense of Shame that a Normal Adult Woman could somehow remain Unmarried) was Very Particular about the Rules of English Grammar, and did her Best to Instill that concern in us as well. The Big Takeaway was that if Language is allowed to be Imprecise, Meaning Itself falls into Question…which is Really Scary! And Since we are now Living in a Time when Proven Facts are constantly weighed against Uninformed and Manipulated Public Opinion, Linguistic Precision looms as a Critical Bastion to be Defended.

So the Question arises: Who Are Today’s “Elite?” And how does One Become One of Them?

 

Mar a Lago Update: The Tweetster, Chuck, and Nancy

It is possible the term “Strange Bedfellows” was coined in reference to this Very Situation. Here we are, eight months At Sea, yet to Set a Course, Gale Force Winds, No One on the Bridge, and the Captain in Steerage watching Fox News to see Where the Ship is Going. And Lots of Rats are Abandoning the Ship Every Day…Republican Rats for the most part.

So it seems Natural and Inevitable in a way that the Tweetster would Hook Up with Chuck and Nancy. After all, Paul and Mitch have been Dissing him Something Awful, and he’s a Sensitive Guy, right? Right? Am I Right? Of course I’m Right.

It is possible that Stranger Things have happened, somewhere, sometime, when the Party’s Candidate had no Real Loyalty to Anyone but His Public, and was Therefore Always Available for a Better Offer. So it is in some Sense Refreshing that the Tweetster has found Common Ground with Chuck and Nancy. And in the Longer Term, unlikely as it may seem now, it is Conceivable that, in exchange for the Adulation he Craves, the Tweetster would Support things like Dreamer Protection, tax cuts for the Middle Class, and even Single-Payer Health Care. You know, like Only Nixon Could Go to China…!

 

This week’s wine tasting

Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino 201 Italy     $13
Pale golden-tinged straw color; Botanical herbs and white stone fruit on the nose and palate, with good length and freshness;, finishing clean and medium-long.

Barnard Griffin Rosé of Sangiovese  ’16   Washington   
Mouthwatering raspberry, orange and pomegranate flavors are balanced by the perfect amount of juicy
acidity. Dry, tangy and vibrant! Just a touch of lime and mineral notes checks in on the long finish.

Quinta des Aves Noctua Syrah ’14   Spain
Bright cherry red with purple hints. Deep and long-lasting aroma of red fruits and crisp, spicy strawberry; soft and fruity, silky and long on the finish.

Orowines Bluegray Priorat ’14     Spain     $17
Named for the licorella slate of Priorat, which yields intense, terroir-specific wines from the harsh soils that challenge local varieties like Grenache and Mazuelo to the utmost, yielding tobacco and spice notes to the raspberry jam flavors. Rustic, earthy, spicy, and wildly aromatic.

Syncline Subduction Red ’15   Washington    $18
Syrah dominant Rhone blend; perfumed aromas of fresh blue and purple fruit, spice, and herbs lead to rich fruit flavors and a plush texture that persists effortlessly through the finish. Delightful!

 

 

Wine Tasting

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