lummi island wine tasting jan 6, ’17
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads
Sonnenblumenbrot (aka Sunflower Seed Bread) – a hearty bread made with bread flour and fresh milled rye, a bit of malt syrup for sweetness and loaded up with sunflower seeds for flavor and crunch. A great all around bread that would be great with soup or stew for the cold weather this week -$5/loaf
Honey Wheat w/ Poppy Seeds & Lemon – made with a mix of bread and fresh milled whole wheat flours, some honey, poppy seeds and lemon zest make for a flavorful loaf. Some of you may remember that I made these as dinner rolls for the Heritage Trust dinner – $5/loaf
And for this week’s pastry…
Rum Raisin Brioche – A delicious rich brioche made with lots of eggs and butter and filled with bits of almond paste, raisins that are soaked in rum overnight, and topped with a delicious chocolate glaze. One of my favorites. These are delicious be sure to order early as quantities are limited – 2/$5
Wine Club Reminder
After several trial iterations in the last few years, we have settled on a pretty simple set of Wine Club principles: you pay us $35 per calendar year, and in return we will give you $5 off on your wine tastings through the year AND we will pay sales tax (8.7%! ) on all your wine purchases for the year.
As we are now entering a new Calendar Year, that means that you must renew your membership to continue these benefits in 2017, when, as nearly as we can tell at this point, your need for wine is likely to increase, and any economist can tell you that your marginal benefit from membership is increasing all the time. Any way you look at it, Wine Club membership may be one of the Last Best Bargains before, you know, the Collapse of Civilization As We Know It!
January Schedule
Old-timers will recall that we are usually closed much of January and February, and this year is no different. However, Bread Fridays continue on their own schedule, and if we are around, we will do a tasting as usual on Friday evenings from 4-7 pm. If we are not here, on some Fridays Janice will be delivering bread, and a sort of impromptu, customer-funded tasting might ensue.
What we can tell you now is that there will be both bread and wine tasting This Friday January 6, and next Friday, January 13.
Then there will be neither bread or wine tasting on January 20.
Mark your calendars, and stay tuned!
New Year’s Eve in Review
Magnuminity: Occurs when Various Elements of the Wine Trade say, “okay, if you buy three cases of This, we will throw in a Big Bottle of That to sweeten the deal.” Such was the case this past year when we bought one case of Tarima Hill Monastrell and got a magnum ( equal to two regular bottles– at left in photo); and, for buying three cases of Bogle Essential Red, we got a Jeroboam ( Three Liters!) of Phantom, their pretty tasty red blend of zin, syrah, and mourvedre (the Big Bottle in the photo). And these large-format bottles definitely added to the Festivity!
Best Finger Food Ever!
Every year our guests seem to try harder to Outdo each other. This year in particular seemed to bring out the best in our Foodie Community, with nearly every little “snack” inviting eye-rolling moans of pleasure. Yummy in Every Direction! So heartfelt Thanks to all of you for sharing your delicious Creations; can there be any greater Pleasure than Good Friends, Good Food, and Good Wine? Ahhhhh…!
Mary Jane’s Stuffed Jalapenos: Spicy, Toasty, Savory, and Rich, not to mention as Lovely as Salmon Swimming Upstream!
Michelle’s Chocolate-Dipped Gibraltar-shaped Macaroons: both Eye-Catching and Delicious!
Mary Beth’s two kinds of Potsticker/Steam Buns with Soy Dip: Fastest Disappearing Dish!
Barbara’s Baked Brie in Puff Pastry: Hot, Gooey, and Addictive!
Ann’s Pepper Bread with Camembert: moist, dense bread with a peppery kick and lots of Umami to accompany your glass of wine!
The Revelers
Principal Active Principle
This week has brought Coopie as close to Normal as we have seen for a couple of months. He is often feisty, energetic and playful, and has had a great appetite. Part of that is due to Pat’s commitment to feeding him along the guidelines of an anti-cancer diet, which as nearly as I can tell was written by dogs. As you might expect, it basically says that dogs should eat what WE eat: a blend of meat, veggies, rice, and even some kibbles (but all Kibbles are Not created Equal!). Both dogs have better appetites and silkier coats, whatever that might mean. And after his post-chemo week of Zero Appetite, his new enthusiasm for food is comforting, as are all the moment to moment manifestations of his particular Aliveness and our collective Companionship.
Tomorrow we take him in for a few tests to see if we need to tweak his treatment plan. For now he is a pretty happy dog, and that is a Wonderful Thing!
This week’s Wine Tasting
Jardin Unoaked Chardonnay ’13 South Africa $15
Alluring aromas of ripe pears and honey lead to a bright, crisp palate of fresh lemon, honey, and a touch of quinine. Delicious!
Steele Outkaste Red ’11 Mendocino $16
53% zinfandel, with syrah, tempranillo, petite sirah, and petit verdot; aromas of black pepper, raspberry, and cobbler, with palate of brambly blackberry, cassis, and spices.
Portteus Bistro Red ’13 Washington $10
54% Merlot and 46% Cabernet Franc. A food friendly wine with delicate, elegant texture. Notes of blackberry, pomegranate, cocoa, honey and licorice, with a creamy finish. Over-delivers for the $.
Tomas Cusine Lliebre ’14 Spain $12
Tempranillo, Merlot, Cab, Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan make for a full-bodied, spiced, currant-like wine reminiscent of old school California Cabernet Sauvignon, with nuances of tobacco, baking chocolate, and fennel.
Chateau Les Croisille Cahors Malbec “Croizillon” ’15 France $15
100% malbec organically farmed by hand; aromas and flavors of black cherry, saddle leather, blackberry, cocoa and spice.
lummi island wine tasting december 30 ’16
kk(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads
Seeded Country Hearth- a portion of the flour is pre-fermented overnight in a poolish which allows for a jump start on the enzymatic activity. Made with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Then loaded up with pumpkin sunflower and poppy seeds A nice hearty bread that is a great all around bread -$5/loaf
Levain w/ Pecans and Dried Cherries – made with a levain, also known as sourdough, a nice mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Then toasted pecans and dried cherries are added for a nice crunch and sweetness. The addition of dried fruit makes this a great pairing with cheese – $5/loaf
And a special Holiday pastry…
Gibassier – A traditional Christmas time french pastry that includes the sunny flavors of Provence. Made with a rich dough full of eggs, butter and sugar, and then olive oil, orange flower water, candied orange peel and anise seed are added. Ooh, la, la! Quantities are limited so get your order in fast so you don’t miss out – 2/$5
Holiday Chocolate!
If you are looking for last-minute stocking stuffers (or treats for yourself!) note that we have restocked our chocolate shelves with more offerings from Theo, Seattle’s Premier Chocolatier, and more of the super-refined bars from “Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate,” an innovative and refined chocolatier in Eureka, California, including their Truly Delicious, hedonistic, and Deeply Comforting Drinking Chocolate, both the Regular and the Peppermint.
With the New Year Looming, now is the time to make that Resolution you have been Waffling about for Decades: A Day Without Chocolate Is a Day Without Meaning!”
2016: Year of the Monkey
According to the Astrology Club , The Monkey is an inventive and independent problem solver who symbolizes irrepressible curiosity and creative energy. Intelligent, hyperactive, and sociopathic, the Monkey is free from inhibitions and guilt, not hesitating to test his theories on an unwitting audience. His innate problem-solving tendencies can turn the Monkey into a tricky, opportunistic, and deceptive tactician, whose unscrupulous and adolescent fantasies can both entertain and lead to Disaster.
As I said a year ago when I posted this paragraph, Hmm…I’m getting a bad feeling about this…!
So The Thing that is Now on All Our Minds is, um, now that the Monkey is In Charge, what about (cringe) 2017?
2017: Year of the Fire Rooster
The Rooster is one of three Chinese astrological signs that are energetically unbalanced, in this case the Fire side of Yin, which on the one hand can be sort of warm and fuzzy, hearth-like if you will, not at all a bad thing. It also suggests rewards under this sign will come more from hard work and patience than by chance. In general terms the 2017 combination of Fire with Metal (in each 12-year cycle the Rooster aligns with a different one of the Five Elements) will make for complications and tensions that make problem-solving even more challenging. So even though generally people will be more polite and less stubborn, they will be pragmatically oriented toward a sort of muddling through until things get better, which might take Awhile.
One possible Takeaway from this is something like “keep your eye on the ball, be kind, and stay focused on creating the conditions for things to get better a little down the road.
As I write this, the phrase comes to mind “Muddling Through Mediocrity,” which rings a bell as a book I read many years ago, but to which I can find no reference. Puzzling. Yet this is where this little toy thought train comes into the Station on the “Year of the Fire Rooster”…not so much in the Realm of Ultimate Disaster, but more that of “Keep Your Head Down till it all Blows Over…”
Twelfth Annual “East Coast” New Year’s Eve
Please join us for our annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve Party” from 7- 9pm on New Year’s Eve! We provide the wine, and You bring Something Delicious to Share. When the ball drops in Times Square three hours East, we all hoist our glasses, belt out Auld Lang Syne, and toast the New Year! We welcome this annual opportunity to thank all of you for your support during past year, and toast to even more fun in Aught-Seventeen! Arrrr, lads and lassies, mark yer calendars now ‘n’ start planning yer finger food!
NOTE: The shop WILL BE OPEN Friday, Dec 30 as usual from 4-7, but only open on New Year’s Eve for The Party from 7-9!
Prizes! We will again this year have a Secret Operative sampling the dishes and Assigning Points! Yummiest Dish wins a $25 credit, and Yummiest-Looking Dish wins a $15-dollar credit! So make ’em Good an’ make ’em Pretty!
Another good week for The Coopster!
Coopie’s blood test last week showed his red cell count had increased from a barely alive 17 after his transfusion to 24, meaning he is making red cells faster than he is losing them. He has had good energy and a great appetite this week, and is enjoying being Himself. Though I realize I am probably not being entirely objective about this, it is becoming increasingly clear that yes, he is, indeed the Best Dog Ever, totally tuned in to what is going on around him in every moment.
As you know there are dogs that people love and leave alone all day while they are at work; then when they come home the dog has a vague look of “Have you been Gone?”
Herding dogs in general and Cooper in particular are more of the cloth of looking you directly in the eye as if to say, “You have Abandoned me for four hours and thirty-five minutes; how are you going to make it up to me?” In short, he has a Strong Presence and a Charismatic Personality, an Admirable Being in every respect, who stands Squarely on His Own Four Feet.
On a practical level we are getting better at administering his herbal supplements– turkey tail mushroom capsules to boost his immune system, and yunnan baiyao, a Chinese herb blend invented a century ago that is quite effective at reducing bleeding, either internally or from wounds. Hiding capsules in food is still hit or miss, but the easiest method of administration. However he is a smart guy and if he detects the capsule before he swallows its tasty wrapping he is adept at separating it from the good stuff and leaving it on the floor. At that point we resort to the more direct method of open the and getting better with practice. Still, though, it is So much Easier for All Concerned when pill is embedded in a nice piece of sausage!
This week’s Wine Tasting
Waitsburg Cellars “Three” white ’15 Washington $16
Outstanding blend of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Picpoul; Medium-bodied, pure, clean and lively, with lots of apple blossom, buttered citrus and hints of tangerine on the nose. Rich and fresh with hint of bitters on the finish.
Virginia Dare Pinot Noir ’14 California $17
Uncomplicated but entirely engaging with notes of blackberry, ground black pepper, and black olives along with typical Russian River notes of strawberry and pit fruits.
Gilbert Pilgrim Red Washington $17
Malbec, grenache, pinot noir; nose of dried cranberry and pomegranate with white pepper and mint notes; flavors begin soft, round, smooth and balanced.
Tommasi Poggio Al Tufo Rompicollo ’12 Italy 93pts $18
Opulent, with a raisiny nuance to the ripe, soft red cherry, sweet spice, and herb aromas and flavors. Velvety, opulent, well balanced and smooth, with long, with lush, smooth tannins. Terrific buy!
La Quercia Montepulciano Riserva ’12 Italy $18
100% organic montepulciano from low-yield vines; rich, port-like nose of candied cherries that carry through on the expressive, rich, earthy palate; nice balance of fruit and acidity.
lummi island wine tasting dec 23 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads
Pre-ordered Stollen will be available for pick-up on Friday in addition to your orders for:
Pain aux Noix- a delicious bread from fresh milled white whole wheat, milk, and butter, with lots of toasted hazelnuts, a traditional holiday bread. Shaped into a 4-strand braid. A delicious, refined bread that makes great toast or better yet, french toast. -$5/loaf
And for a bit of pastry…
Brioche au Chocolate – Made with a rich brioche dough full of eggs and butter. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and covered with chopped bittersweet chocolate, folded over and cut into strips. Yum, Yum! – 2/$5
Dick Taylor Drinking Chocolate!
Let’s face it, Life is often challenging, and at those times we all need a little help, a little boost. The downer you are, the bigger boost you need, and that’s where Chocolate comes in. Chocolate is there for you. It doesn’t criticize; it’s never passive-aggressive; it doesn’t make judgments. It’s There for you in the deepest possible way: sometimes it’s your Only Friend. Yes, yes, Sad but True. Because we never know when Life’s Delivery Person is going to show up with something indigestible, we all need to keep a little secret stash of Chocolate tucked away. File it under “Emergency Preparedness;” when the worst happens, you don’t want to be without it.
For all these patently Sensible reasons, we have restocked our chocolate shelves with more offerings from Theo, Seattle’s Premier Chocolatier, and more of the super-refined bars from “Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate, ” an innovative and refined chocolatier in Eureka, California. More important for right now, with so many Cold days and nights, we have stocked up with their Truly Delicious, hedonistic, and Deeply Comforting Drinking Chocolate, both the Regular and the Peppermint. It goes fast; don’t miss it!
Twelfth Annual “East Coast” New Year’s Eve Gala Extravaganza!
Please join us for our annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve Party” from 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve! We provide the wine, and You bring something delicious to share. When the ball drops in Times Square three hours East, we all hoist our glasses and belt out Auld Lang Syne and toast the New Year! We welcome this annual opportunity to thank all of you for your support during past year, and toast to even more fun in Aught-Seventeen! Arrrr, lads and lassies, mark yer calendars now ‘n’ start planning yer finger food!
NOTE ON HOLIDAY HOURS: This year both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fall on Saturdays, when we would ordinarily be open from 2-6. Because so many people have other plans for these days, however, the wine shop will NOT be open for regular business on either day. The shop WILL BE OPEN both Friday, Dec 23 and Friday, Dec 30 as usual from 4-7, but closed all day on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve except for The Party from 7-9!
Important Note! Speaking of Finger Food, we will again this year have a Secret Operative sampling the dishes and Assigning Points! Yummiest Dish wins a $25 credit, and Yummiest-Looking Dish wins a $15-dollar credit! So make ’em Good an’ make ’em Pretty!
Doh! It was Never about Chads!
The movie was a long time ago, probably mid-fifties. I think it was “Abbott and Costello meet Captain Kidd.” The schtick is that they are Pirates, and in this particular scene they are dividing up The Spoils. So the straight guy (Abbott) is counting shares and he starts two piles of coins in front of him…
“There’s one for you…and one for me…
“And here’s two for you (one coin), and here’s one, two for me (two coins)…
“And here’s three (one coin) for you, and here’s one, two, and three (more) for me.”
The point is that the people who make the rules have a lot of power. We saw that in the 2000 election, when a Republican Secretary of State, with the help of the Supreme Court, got “W” appointed as President over Gore, who had won the popular vote. And we see it again now, before our eyes, with probability-defying results all over the map, including especially Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. among others. And we find that any attempts at conscientious recounts are effectively blocked. Our country has been Stolen from us. We Know it. We can Feel it. As one headline from the Bush era put it, they intend to “Roll Back the Twentieth Century.”
But hey, don’t Despair…since most of our members are Leftist Radicals, the Good News is that Wine Sales should be up for the next several years, or until the Collapse of Civilization As We Know It, whichever, you know, comes first…
A good week for Coopie
Cooper has done much better since his transfusion last Thursday. His red cells are still pretty low, but he has had better appetites for important things like food, walks ( sniffing and sending p-mail to other dogs plays a major role), snacks, snuggles, going in and out the flip-flop door, and of course his evening Greenie– in other words being pretty much Himself. Therefore we too have had a good week, are deeply grateful for it and hoping for a lot more!
Tomorrow he goes back to the vet for a numbers check– let’s all keep our paws crossed for good news!
This week’s Wine Tasting
Chateau L’Ermitage ’15 France $10
Roussanne, grenache, and viognier. Light gold in color with aromas of peach, flowers, and honey; the Grenache provides the richness and the Roussanne the balancing acidity.
Renegade Red ’13 Washington $11
Nicely crafted blend of Cab, Merlot, and Cab Franc; shows lots of red and black fruits, scents of loamy minerality, and fine grained tannins that are matched with balanced acidity.
Anciano 5-Yr Tempranillo Riserva ’08 Spain $11
Aromas of damp earth, mocha, tobacco, and black cherry. On the palate it is sweetly fruited, easy-going, and nicely balanced leading to a seamless, fruity finish.
Chapoutier Bila Haut Roussillon Villages ’15 France $14
Grenache, carignan, syrah from schiste, gneiss, and clay soils; exhibits distinctive pepper and spice of Syrah, but are bigger and rounder in the mouth, with great complexity coming from the Carignan and Grenache.
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.
lummi island wine tasting december 16 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads
Challah- A traditional celebratory bread. Made with bread flour, plenty of eggs, a bit of sugar and vegetable oil – no milk. Shaped into a 4-strand braid. A delicious, refined bread that makes great toast or better yet, french toast. -$5/loaf
Cinnamon Raisin Bread – For your whole grain loving guests. Made with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat, rolled oats and milk and honey for a tender crumb and some sweetness. Unlike other cinnamon breads the cinnamon and raisins are mixed throughout the loaf. This is a nice rustic bread that also makes great toast.- $5/loaf
And for a bit of pastry…
Palmiers (a.k.a. ‘Elephant ears’) – Made with a buttery puff pastry that is rolled out, spread with sugar then folded over and sliced. When baked the sugar on the outside gets caramelized into a crisp, crunchy delightful crust. Di says these are one of her favorites! – 4/$5
Long Day
It’s been a tough week for all of us. Coopie did not bounce back from his chemo last week. Quite the contrary, gradually but rapidly losing his appetite and strength despite the barrage of remedies we forced him to take and a parade of favorite foods that he turned away from. If you have not been through this, it is a challenge learning to dance between a need to make sure he takes all the stuff we Hope is Good For Him and the Inner Voice that keeps telling us to Trust His Inner Wisdom.
There is an old Zen saying, “The Three Realms are just like a Burning House…No One can Remain There for Very Long.” My sophomoric take on that is that Consciousness is embedded in the Illusion of Continuity among Past, Present, and Future, an illusion to which we become understandably–even Necessarily– Attached. With all our hearts we want our Future to have Cooper in it for The Duration, and that is hard to let go of.
This morning we found him unable to stand up, his gums a ghastly white, indicators that his cancer had Spent his red blood cells trying to repair the Damage it was continually inflicting. The day evolved to his getting a transfusion of Fresh Young Blood from a Healthy Young Dog, which has miraculously brought him Back From the Brink for a Little While, whatever that means. Yes, every Stay of Execution draws an inevitable Sob of Relief, which is necessarily followed in the Very Next Breath by the Sobering Reality of its Fleeting Nature.
So. Coopie is home tonight, running at about 50% of Healthy, and we are Deeply Grateful for this Blessed Reprieve. As everyone who has lost a beloved companion animal knows, each moment is an Ephemeral Blessing to be Cherished, alongside a Raging Anger at our Inability to Protect Them from Harm. Seems All Wrong somehow, but we are wired to cherish and protect those we Love.
Twelfth Annual “East Coast” New Year’s Eve Gala Extravaganza!
Yes, our annual “East Coast New Year’s Eve Party” is now an Established Tradition; from 7-9pm on New Year’s Eve we provide the wine, you bring something delicious to share, and when the ball drops in Times Square three hours East, we all hoist our glasses and belt out Auld Lang Syne and toast the New Year! We welcome this annual opportunity to thank all of you for your support during past year, and toast to even more fun in aught-seventeen . Arrrr, lads and lassies, ye best mark yer calendars now ‘n’ start planning yer finger food!
Important Note! Speaking of Finger Food, we will again this year have a Secret Operative sampling the dishes and Assigning Points! Yummiest Dish wins a $25 credit, and Yummiest-Looking Dish wins a $15-dollar credit! So make ’em Good an’ make ’em Pretty!
Also, please note that, as in 2011, both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fall on a Saturday, when we are usually open from 2-6. Our People have been talking to Our People about how to handle this; current inclination is to be open Friday, Dec 25 and Friday, Dec 30 as usual from 4-7, but closed all day on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve except for The Party from 7-9! Stay tuned!
This week’s Wine Tasting
Maryhill Viognier Washington $10
Vibrant aromas of orange zest, honeysuckle, and pink grapefruit; flavors of lemon, pear, and white peach. The mouthfeel is delicate, yet full-bodied, with lingering notes of fresh flowers.
Marchetti Rosso Conero ’14 Italy $10
Rich and inviting aromas of blue florals, plums, brown spices, and hillside brush. On the palate, dry and round textured with red and black cherries, ripe blackberries, cocoa and spice. Culminates in a satisfying, lengthy finish.
Writers Block Cab Franc ’13 California $15
A perennial favorite here, with aromas of red cherry, raspberry, plum, and licorice. Flavors are of red fruit, raspberry, and plum with smooth acidity, followed by soft tannins.
Porca de Murcia Douro Tinto ’13 Portugal
Dark, ripe, and tannic wine with a nice sense of balance between structure and rich, chewy, and full-blown blackberry fruit.
Betz Clos de Betz ’13 Washington 94pts $55
Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauv, mostly from Red Mountain; sexy, supple, perfumed and beautifully complex, with notes of currants, dried flowers and and garrigue; a full-bodied beauty impossible to resist.
2072 Granger Way