lummi island wine tasting september 23 ’15
(note: some photos may enlarge on clicking)
Friday Breads (Contact Janice to get on her email list!)
Pain au Levain- A reliable favorite, this delicious multigrain levain is made with bread flour, freshly milled whole wheat and rye flours and leavened with sourdough culture. A great, flavorful all around artisan bread – $5/loaf.
Polenta Pepita – A beautiful golden loaf made with bread flour, freshly milled whole wheat, polenta cornmeal and toasted pumpkin seeds – $5/loaf.
Gibassiers. These delightful pastries are full of the flavors of Provence. Orange, anise, olive oil and lots of butter and eggs as well, once baked they are brushed with melted butter and rolled in sugar, my oh my, who can resist – 2/$5.
A New Take on Terroir
It’s called “Saccharomyces cerevisiae,” an ancient species of yeast that has been in blessed symbiosis with the human diet for thousands of years. This is the yeast that came to humans like Saint Nick on Christmas, and has been refilling our stockings ever since with with bread, wine, and beer, all of which we love and are made possible by this little fungus, which grows naturally on ripe fruit– you know, like grapes! True, we humans did a lot of fiddling with it over the years to make it more user-friendly, like the development of granulated dry yeast during WWII which lets anyone make bread pretty much anywhere, but the basic stuff co-evolved with every other living thing.
We have often discussed in these posts the elusive concept of “terroir,” by which wines from a particular place share a certain typicite in their aroma or flavor profiles. Recent research has revealed that this little yeast, which is found throughout the world, plays a significant role in generating these local differences. So yes, we can still think of terroir as the set local characteristics of a specific micro-region, like soil composition, sun exposure, day-night heating and cooling, and so forth. Now, added to that constellation we know that terroir also includes whatever local variation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae settles on the ripe grapes in late summer. Read more
Bardolino
Lake Garda lies about halfway between Venice and Milan in northeast Italy. The little wine region of Bardolino lies along the southeastern shore. Established as a DOC (Denominazione di origine controllata) in 1968, wines called bardolino must be a blend of corvina, rondinella, and molinara, the same grapes used in the nearby Veneto region to make valpolicella. Typically Bardolino contains a smaller percentage of the more robust and flavorful corvina than Valpolicella. And since grape yields are often quite high in the Bardolino DOC, it can be argued that Valpolicella is more carefully restricted and perhaps higher in quality- and often lower in price.
This week’s tasting includes a Bardolino that strays from this stereotype. With 60% corvina and 30% rondinella, the blend has more weight and structure than a typical Bardolino, and in that sense is more typical of a Valpolicella blend. Wherever it comes from, however, and whatever the grape proportions, Bardolino tends to be light, fruity, and crisp, pairing well with many dishes, even those which normally would be served with white wine. It’s a good pairing for all kinds of dishes that are Flavorful without getting all the way to Robust. In other words, it’s a great wine for nearly all occasions!
I Still Blame the Business Schools
About thirty years ago our local newspaper, the Bellingham Herald, published one of my Letters to the Editor. Paraphrasing from memory, the basic idea was this:
“There’s a new kind of school that’s become Very Popular. All the young people want to go there. They’re called Business Schools. Mainly they teach students to always Wear a Tie. The ties are a Uniform that can be used to control their minds. The knot around the throat reminds them Never to Tell the Truth. The center part covers up their Hearts so they never have to Show Compassion. And the end covers up their Belly Buttons so they can Completely Forget they are Human Beings while they conduct Business.”
Well, not much has changed in thirty years, including my opinion of Business Schools, their Ilk, their Kith and their Kin. I still believe they are a Scourge on the Planet, the place where the new Overseer Class learns to Serve the One Tenth of One Percent for a little piece of the Action.
There are probably a bunch of reasons why this is coming up for me right now, including the Pope’s visit (Stranger in a Strange Land?), the so-called Presidential Campaign (Send in the Clowns?), the Global Refugee Crisis (Nowhere to Run to, Baby?), the deepening Climate Crisis (I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire?), and the continuing Concentration of Wealth (Buddy Can You Spare a Dime?).
I’m just saying, there is a Lot Going On, and I’m looking at this Sweet-Spirited Pope, and wishing he could get some Traction with his messages of Social Justice and Environmental Caring, but feeling and fearing that Leonard was so on target when he wrote, “Everybody knows that the War is Over; Everybody Knows that the Good Guys Lost…! sigh.. It’s been quiet in the wine shop during Drydock; come on by this weekend and cheer me up, huh…?!
This week’s wine tasting
Matthews Sauvignon Blanc ’13 Washington
A scintillating nose of lime, melon, green apple and hints of quince, with a racy background of grapefruit and herbs. Bright, crisp and steely, with bracing acidity and minerality.
Treana White ’13 Washington $16
Assertive aromas of poached pear, peach, honey, chamomile and vanilla, with a spicy topnote. Fleshy and broad on the palate, offering deep orchard and pit fruit flavors braced by zesty acidity and a gingery nuance. Distinctly rich but lively as well, finishing with solid punch and lingering sappiness.
Altos Malbec Clasico ’13 Argentina $10
Aromas of blackberry, strawberry, mocha and smoked meat, plus a hint of violet. Supple, soft and sweet flavors of black fruits and licorice, finisheing with smooth tannins and hints of chocolate and licorice.
Liberty School Cabernet Sauvignon ’12 California $14
Exudes aromas of plum, black currants, blackberry, smoke, and earth. Soft tannins and bright acidity add balance and substance; concentrated flavors of raspberries and black cherries dominate the entry, with refined notes of earth and pepper and lingering hints of cherry on the long and satisfying finish.
Corte Gordoni La Fontane Bardolino ’12 Italy $14
Bardolino is made from a blend of 60% Corvina for structure, weight and a sour-cherry aroma, and 30% Rondinella for the wine’s appealingly fresh, herby flavor. Corvina vines are Guyot trained; all other varieties are spurred Cordon Vines.
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