lummi island wine tasting april 14 ’17
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Bread this week
Sonnenlumenbrot (aka Sunflower seed bread)– Made with bread flour and freshly milled coarse rye meal and loaded with toasted sunflower seeds, a little barley malt syrup which is a traditional ingredient for german breads for a little sweetness. Makes for a nice crusty bread -$5/loaf
Honey Wheat with Lemon and Poppy seeds – half bread flour and half fresh milled whole wheat, a little honey for sweetness and some poppy seeds and fresh lemon peel for added flavor. A great all around bread that would be a nice accompaniment for Easter dinner- $5/loaf
And a traditional Italian Easter bread for pastry…
Colomba di Pasqua (Easter Dove): A traditional Italian Easter cake similar to Christmas panettone. Made with plenty of flour, eggs, sugar and butter as well as candied orange peel and topped with a crunchy almond and hazelnut glaze and pearl sugar. The dough is baked in a dove shaped baking form. Limited supply so order early! $5/loaf
Story of Stuff Revisited
It’s been almost fifty years since the first “Earth Day.” A Singular Event in our history, it was a culmination of a lot of threads from the Sixties, a broadly shared acknowledgment that our Planet was Finite. This new awareness included a constellation of new ideas that all called for a rethinking the Industrial Economic system. A lot of us bought into these ideas and dedicated careers to them, hoping this new view would gain momentum, and indeed there were notable steps forward to protect our Air, our Water, our Endangered Species, and natural habitats. We recognized that environmental destruction is largely caused by the failure of markets to include environmental spillover effects in production and consumption decisions. And over the past forty years, significant progress has been made toward establishing constraints for economic and political decision frameworks that will restore and maintain a healthy, beautiful, productive, and sustainable environment.
But there has always been Resistance from Capital. Just as Capital has always been at War with Labor, Capital has also always been at War with Environment. And the most basic reason for this is that environmental resources are for the most part what economists have labeled “Common Property Resources.” Our air and water are primary examples. The essential characteristic of CPR’s is that there is no defined ownership right to any particular bundle of them. Do we have the right to smoke wherever we want, or do we have the right to clean air wherever we go? So, while there have long been established markets for resource extraction rights, which are tied to very specific locations, there have rarely been markets for waste dumping rights. Nevertheless, there has been an enormous amount of public debate and legislation since Earth Day about how better to entrain the economic decisions of producers and consumers with the extra-market consequences of their actions.
One Big Message of the Trump (hopefully very short-lived) Era is that Those Days Are Over. So One Big Question on the National Floor at the moment is whether we will allow this unlikely Alliance of Oligarchs, after having handily stolen our recent national “Election,” to wipe out forty years of hard-fought environmental, corporate, and civil rights legislation as if it had never happened.
Grenache
By happy coincidence, this week’s tasting happens to include two blends dominated by the grape varietal known in France as Grenache, in Spain as Garnacha, and in Catalan as Garnatxa. (around Barcelona– Catalans do not consider themselves “Spanish”). It is known for its bright notes of raspberry and strawberry; And though it has been widely planted around the world, grenache is essential to many of the world’s most famous wines, including snooty Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Lirac, its charming counterpart just to the south across the Rhone River.
While in most Rhone blends syrah is dominant, grenache provides solid warmth and suppleness with its relatively low acidity, and mourvedre can provide colour, structure and antioxidant properties, depending on seasonal variables. All three varietals are found in a broad geographic band from central Spain to eastern France along the Mediterranean, and are blended in every possible proportion. The big takeaway here is that syrah and grenache are broadly complementary in many proportions and seasons. In this weekend’s tasting, however, you have a rare opportunity to explore two examples of grenache mostly all by themselves…a rare opportunity!
This week’s wine tasting
Kiona Chenin Blanc ’16 Washington $12
This off-dry Washington Chenin Blanc has refreshing aromas of tart green apples and fresh cut straw, with crisp tropical flavors emphasized when served chilled.
Borsao Rose ’15 Spain $9
Spicy aromas and flavors of ripe red berries, orange, and pungent flowers; nicely concentrated and supple,gaining weight with air, picking up bitter cherry and melon notes and a lingering red fruit liqueur quality.
Borsao Garnacha ’15 Spain $11
From 100-yr-old vines; heady, perfumed bouquet of ripe red and dark berries, incense and candied flowers; intense raspberry liqueur and cherry-cola flavors blending power, depth and finesse beyond its modest price point.
Idilico Garnacha ’13 Washington
Moderately saturated, showing flavors of cherry, strawberry, game and licorice, with flint and rock notes on the inviting nose. Graceful, pliant and sweet with a lingering, firm, ripely tannic finish.
Antinori Villa Antinori ’12 Italy $23
Rich and sumptuous in the glass, with considerable richness, the 2012 shows the darker, more voluptuous side of Chianti Classico. Even with all of its intensity, the 2012 retains considerable freshness.
lummi island wine tasting april 7 ’17
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Bread this week
Barley, Whole Wheat & Rye Levain – A great multi-grain bread made with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye as well as barley. Full of whole grain goodness – you’ll feel healthier just having some -$5/loaf
Pain de Beaucaire – From the southeastern region of France that was very popular until people started to prefer the lighter and crunchier baguette. Made with bread flour and fresh milled white whole wheat, it also has a strip of wheat bran that runs down the middle. A great all around bread- $5/loaf
And for a bit of pastry:
Rum Raisin Brioche: A delicious brioche dough that is full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with golden raisins and chunks of almond paste and topped with a chocolate glaze before baking. Ooh la la! – 2/$5.
Cahors
The French wine region known somewhat vaguely as the “Sud-ouest” (Southwest) includes a number of very old appelations, a number of varietals found elsewhere in France, and a number of varietals found nowhere else, often dating back to Roman times.
To the west of the very old city of Cahors lie most of he vineyards of the Cahors appelation, where the dominant grape is malbec. Yes it is the same varietal found in Bordeaux, and more recently made world-famous and extremely popular in wines from Argentina and Chile. But the same grape takes on different characteristics depending on the soil and climate where it grows. One winery we visited while visiting Cahors in September was Clos de Coutale, and we will be pouring their blend of malbec and merlot for you this weekend. Wines from this area have a certain rustic strength of character that we find very appealing; our goal is to taste more of them with you in the coming months.
Rats
from Daily Kos 04/05/17
Many a time I have called up the image of rats leaving a ship as a Harbinger of Doom. But in those images I always imagined the rats knew Something Bad was going to happen aboard and they would rather take their chances with Davy Jones. Like maybe the ship were Cursed somehow. You know, like the Unfocused Dread we have all been feeling for the last few months.
Thus this cartoon caught my eye, but the accompanying article sees the rats more as Ship’s Personnel being Thrown Overboard than as Voluntary Abandoners. So a few weeks ago we had the resignation of Mikhail Flynn, and more recently Darth Bannon was dismembered from the National Security Council, and Devil Nunes slunk away from the House investigation of Trump ties to Russia. A Lot of Rat Activity.
A long time ago I owned an old wooden sailboat, and asked an experienced boat builder to look it over and tell me what it needed. He was waiting for me in the cockpit when I came aboard. He had not been down below. He said, “You know what’s holding this boat together?”
“No,” I said. “What?”
“Habit,” he said.
From a broad metaphysical standpoint it doesn’t matter if these rats were pushed, or jumped, or fell, or even if they find another lair on board. It’s really about the state of the Ship, and while it’s getting painful to watch as this particular ship continues to Founder, wouldn’t we all breathe a Sigh of Relief to see its stern rail drop Quietly and Finally below the surface…?
Fundamentals and Hungry Ghosts
www.dylanvermeul.com
“Any economic system requires a set of rules, an ideology to justify them, and conscience in the individual to carry they out. .” Joan Robinson, Economic Philosophy
For all the railing they have done about “Entitlements” as a Bad Thing, Republicans in general and Dissembler-in-Chief McConnell in particular today declared their Own Entitlement to Have Everything Their Way, that the Rules and Ideology of our Constitution will no longer apply to them, and that there will be, literally, No Further Discussion.
Because since the Reagan years Republicans have felt Entitled to control Government, they spent the Clinton Years and the Obama Years on a Mission of Obstruction against Every policy, every nomination however inconsequential, and every piece of legislation advanced by their Democratic counterparts. They are like Hungry Ghosts, with Insatiable Appetites but Pea-sized Throats. They can never have Enough Power or Enough Wealth. Their only satisfaction seems to be in denying satisfaction to others, however modest their needs. They have Much of Hubris, and Little of Kindness. Aye, lads, these be Dark Times, abound with Orcs, Goblins, and Wraiths without a Shred of Conscience. Arrrr, a good time to gather by the Hearth with yer mates and a bit of wine…!
This week’s wine tasting
Legoe Bay Pinot Gris ’12 Washington $11
Slightly off-dry; fruity and full-bodied with aromas of pear, apple, and melon. Nice balance of fruit and acidity with hints of spice and sweetness.
Mas des Bressades Rosé ’15 France $12
Spicy aromas and flavors of ripe red berries, orange, and pungent flowers; Nicely concentrated and supple, gaining weight with air, picking up bitter cherry and melon notes and a lingering red fruit liqueur quality.
Monte Antico Rosso ’12 Italy $10
A blend of sangiovese, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Medium to full body with dried cherry, milk chocolate and light chili aromas and flavors. Long and delicious. Caressing mouthfeel. Bright acidity.
Clos La Coutale ’14 France $16
From Cahors, 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot, creating an intense wine that juggles elegant rusticity with everyday drinkability.
Tomas Cusine Geol Italy $14
Elegant notes of cedar, eucalyptus, chocolate, and black currants with elegant and sweet wood on the nose. A wide and silky entrance, with rounded tannins; powerful, deep and persistent finish.
lummi island wine tasting april fools weekend ’17
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Bread this week
Whole Wheat – Made with a portion of the flour and water fermented overnight, then mixed with more bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and some honey for sweetness. Full of whole grain goodness this bread has great flavor -$5/loaf
Flax Seed Currant Ciabatta – This bread has a nice mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye flours and then loaded up with flax seeds and currants for flavor. Ciabatta is known as a high hydration dough, which means it has a lot of water which makes for a very slack dough which doesn’t allow for loaves to be shaped. The dough is simply spread out evenly and then cut into pieces- $5/piece
You gotta WORK for pastry this week! Come to the Annual Roadside Cleanup on Saturday morning and enjoy fresh pastry as you head out to give the island a good spring cleaning!
Celler Can Blau
We have been buying and enjoying wines from Celler Can Blau for many years now, as they set a high standard for great wines at very reasonable prices. So, when we visited Spain a few years ago, tracking down the Can Blau winery for a visit was something of a priority. And since we were spending a week in the Montsant wine region where the grapes are grown, we expended some effort in tracking it down. As it turned out, it wasn’t that easy, and we stumbled upon it quite by accident while visiting a wine Cooperativa not far from our lodging in Capcanes called Mas Roig. (“mahss roych”)
It turned out that the Can Blau Main Offices are located elsewhere in Spain, but in order to market the wines as from the Denominacion of Montsant, it is not enough that the grapes are grown in Montsant– no, no, no, Senor-– the wine must also be made in Montsant! And guess what, the wines were made in the very winery we were visiting, i.e., Mas Roig, which we discovered when the winemaker (Nuria Sarroca), imminently with child as I recall, breezed past us to check something in her part of the winery.
All you need to know is that we are restocked with Can Blau “Can Blau,” at 91pts a slight nod ahead of the Can Blau “Blau,’ at 90pts, but a few bucks more expensive. A blend of 50% Cariñena, 25% Syrah and 25% Garnacha, it’s a nice wine to tide you over in this strange nether-weather we have been experiencing that is not, let’s face it, Spring As We Know It.
Ulee update
Our new pup is now 14 weeks old, and has been with us for a month now. His weigh-in three weeks ago for his first shots was 11#. Yesterday his weigh-in for second shots was 19#. A generic growth chart suggests this “mini-Aussie” will fill out slightly under 40#. Not exactly “mini,” if you know what I mean…!
At this age, in people years he is about a two-year old, and so it is natural that he oscillates wildly between calm, sweet, and inquisitive closer to what one owner of a different, particularly energetic breed referred to as “a two-year-old with a chain saw,” Ulee’s first puppy classes start in a week or so; he is a bright, inquisitive, entertaining little being that we are growing very fond of very fast. Training is coming along, with increasingly frequent opportunities for affection, and decreasingly frequent — but unpredictable — manic episodes of unfocused high energy and Lots of Very Agile little Razor Teeth as he explores His New World. And yes, we both find ourselves calling him “Cooper” from time to time, which is even more Evidence that The One Dog has Many Comforting Faces.
The Dumb Cycle
We are all prisoners of a sort in our own psyches. We all have various ways in which we either fail to take in information, or fail to interpret it correctly, or fail to act on it appropriately, or fail to enjoy it when it comes. Each of these failures is a sort of internal psychological Boundary that at some early age we decided never to cross, essentially because it promised to be too painful. A more or less Healthy Person with a need for social approval is like a bee going from flower to flower, getting some nourishment here, some there, taking it in and enjoying it when available, and learning to search more effectively when it isn’t. Problems arise for each of us, however, when we get stuck at some point in the cycle, as most of us do.
One current example is our current Acting President. Here is a person who is almost Entirely Driven by a need for Social Approval. But evidence suggests that no amount of Social Approval will ever be Satisfying, because the Need for it is So Deep and So Intense, and the ability to take it in is so Vestigial. There is an Insatiable Need for Approval right alongside a Deep Core Belief that it will never be there. How else can we explain behavior which consistently moves in the direction of alienation:
takes a bold stand –> reaps disapproval –> blames others –> takes a bolder stand –> reaps more disapproval –> blames others –> etc.
How low will his approval ratings have to go before he a) responds to what people really want, or b) implodes? Stay tuned.
This week’s wine tasting
Coopers Creek Gisborne Albarino ’14 New Zealand $15
All free-run juice from a great harvest; Crisp, dry and zesty, showing pure white peach and lemon flavours; round and creamy with decent weight in the mouth. Excellent varietal character with intense flavour concentration indicative of low yields. Deee-licious.
Jean-Luc Colombo Rosé Cape Bleue ’15 France $11
Soft, delicate pink bouquet with subtle hints of peach, rose petal and pepper on the nose; complex flavors with intriguing notes of raspberry, cherry and black olive.
Can Blau Blau ’14 Spain 90pts $12
50% Cariñena, 25% Syrah and 25% Garnacha. Spice-accented black & blue fruit aromas with notes of violets and woodsmoke. Round and seamless with juicy blackberry and cassis flavors lifted by zesty acidity; finishes with gentle, harmonious tannins and good persistence.
Liberty School Cabernet ’13 California $14
Dark berry and peppery spice scents and flavors deepened by notes of licorice and mocha. Broad, warm and fleshy with a hint of cracked pepper; finishes with a touch of blackberry liqueur.
Tenuta Rubino Oltreme Susamaniello ’14 Italy $14
Fresh, fragrant notes of cherries, pomegranate, raspberries and hints of ripe plum; fruity, minerally, and round on the palate with soft, pleasant tannins, a versatile and seductive pairing with richer dishes.
lummi island wine tasting march 24 ’17
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Bread this week
Barley & Rye with Pumpkin Seeds- After fermenting the levain overnight the final dough of this bread includes bread and barley flour as well as fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A little buttermilk makes for a soft crumb, some honey for a little sweetness to balance all those whole grains and toasted pumpkin seeds for a bit of crunch. This is a very flavorful bread that would go well with meats and cheese -$5/loaf
Kamut – an ancient grain rediscovered in modern day Iran a number of years ago. It is also known as khorasan wheat. It has great flavor and some say it is more digestible than modern day wheat. This bread is made with bread flour and fresh milled whole grain kamut and makes a great all around bread that makes really good toast – $5/loaf
And something different for pastry this week…
Pane de Cioccolata – aka “chocolate bread.” This bread is a rich chocolate artisan bread, not a soft brioche or sweet bread, but has great chocolate flavor. Made with bread flour and a bit of fresh milled whole wheat and rye, as well as honey, vanilla and a bit of espresso to bring out the chocolate flavor before being loaded up with chocolate chips. Great toasted with coffee, or maybe even french toast – $5/loaf
Early Rosé
It’s not exactly Spring around here. At least not the Spring we have gotten used to. More like Springs of the past, when it was hard to tell if March was coming or going as a Lion or a Lamb, or both, or neither.
Sure, as in typical PNW Spring, we have had numerous days in which we have enjoyed a bit of Rain, a bit of Wind, a bit of Sun, and a bit of Hail while temperatures swing wildly from 40-ish to 60-something. But This Time it is Different. Though I did see one little batch of daffodils on today’s dog walk, there are NOT yet daffodils in the other usual places for this time of year. Like, you know, our own yard.
Nevertheless, in our Quest for some semblance of Normality in these Dystopian times, we are this weekend Shifting into our Customary Spring-Summer wine-tasting pattern of one white, one rosé, and three reds. Yes, we may be overly Optimistic (you might be surprised to know we are often accused of Incurable PollyAnna-ism), but we Deeply Believe that the Mere Idea of drinking Rosé is enough to hasten the Arrival of Spring!
We have Heard your Calls and Feel your Pain. So: Come Rain, come Snow, come Sleet, come Hail, Hell, or High Water, we are pouring rosé a tad earlier this year as an Enticement to Spring. Come on, folks, You gotta Believe…!
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
This classic 1956 sci-fi film has been sometimes seen as a shining example of Cold War fear of Communist Infiltration, but also seen as a cautionary tale about Creeping Totalitarianism in the Post-McCarthy Era. It was seen by some as an indictment of the suburban conformity of the post WWII conformity and by others as a protest against the loss of emotion, imagination, and individual identity in an increasingly Mechanized Age. read more
My own impression, having seen it on the “big” screen in the fifties, was that it was that, while it was almost devoid of the Usual Sorts of Violence, it remains one of the most Terrifying films I have seen. Briefly, a bunch of Giant Seed Pods from Outer Space find their way to Earth. If one gets left near your house when you go to sleep, the pod becomes a Womb that Delivers a Clone that replaces “You.” Like, kind of a “Stepford Wife.” Looks like you, sounds like you, but not You, because “you” had been taken over by The Pod while you slept. Resistance was, like, Totally Futile…the frightening scene here is the Pod growing in the back yard, the Victim trying Every Trick to Stay Awake, and, Inevitably, No One can stay awake For Very Long. Yeah…very Creepy!
I bring this up because this morning Democracy Now! presented a provocative analysis of exactly how DJT actually became President. The short version is that his “election” was the wildly unlikely outcome of a Broad Conspiracy that included Donald Trump, Breitbart News Guy Steve Bannon, and most importantly, eccentric Billionaire Robert Mercer.
The Rough Outline is that: a) Trump surrogates Bannon and Conway are long-time Mercer operatives; b) Mercer is a Far, Far Right Neo-Fascist who spent billions on a brilliantly focused propaganda campaign to discredit Hillary Clinton and get Trump elected; and c) Mercer has close ties with the Alt-Right movement and its goal to dismantle Government authority over all aspects of the Private Sector.
This week’s wine tasting
San Pietro Alto Adige Pinot Grigio ’15 Italy $12
Straw yellow in the glass with a nose of tropical fruits and hints of honey. The palate is fruity with excellent freshness and balanced acidity.
Villa des Anges Rosé ’15 France $10
Spicy and focused on the nose, showing fresh citrus and red berry and a hint of white pepper. Dry and nervy on the palate, with refreshing bitter cherry and berry skin flavors.
Rio Madre Rioja Graciano ’14 Spain $10
Brilliant violet color. Intensely perfumed dark berry and scents of anise, violet and pipe tobacco. Sweet and expansive, offering sappy black and blue fruit flavors, with energy and power on the lingering finish.
Goose Ridge g3 Red ‘`14 Washington $14
Syrah-cab-merlot blend; supple ripe plum and blackberry notes with hints of spice, vanilla, black currant and Bing cherry. Nicely balanced with a lush, round mouth and a long, lingering finish.
Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico ’14 Italy $18
Fermented with ambient yeasts and aged in cement for up to eight months to rest and lock in its fruity freshness; easy palate of bright berry; silky and seductive mouthfeel.
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