lummi island wine tasting august 12 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads (email us to get on the preorder mailing list! )
Sonnenblumenbrot – aka Sunflower Seed Bread. This bread is made primarily with bread flour, but also includes a healthy amount of fresh coarsely ground rye for flavor and texture. A little malt syrup for sweetness then loaded with toasted sunflower seeds. A great all around bread – $5/loaf.
Breton Bread – A mix of hearty whole grains including both buckwheat and rye, in addition to the bread flour. The salt is the sel gris from Brittany which brings some mineral flavor to the bread. A bit of malt powder for sweetness rounds out the flavor profile. Great with meats and cheeses or fresh garden tomatoes – $5/loaf.
Bagels – Always popular! Made with a bit of preferment sponge, mixed, shaped and refrigerated overnight before being boiled and baked in the traditional manner. This results in a delicious chewy bagel. Four bagels per bag, one each sesame seeds, poppy seeds, mixed sesame-poppy, and plain. – 4/$5
This weekend
We are away this weekend, in Sonoma practicing Grandparenting. As nearly as I can tell, this job apparently has No Accountability whatsoever, except that you are supposed to do Only the Fun Stuff, and pass off everything Difficult to the Parents. Well, so far so good on that score!
However, it is Logical for our Regulars to be Concerned that you will be Left in the Cold by our Absence. Never fear, however, the Wine Shop will be Open as Usual, thanks to volunteers Janice H and Sue A, who have (Hooray!) Stepped Up to Serve you in our absence!
Therefore, be advised the Wine Shop will be open as usual this weekend, both Friday and Saturday, usual hours. We understand that all of you adapted splendidly during our absence last winter, so we are confident all w be well this weekend as well. We tip our hats in gratitude to your hosts, and invite all of you to show up in support of their efforts!
Baby 1.0
A zillion years ago (early sixties) there was a TV show (“Ben Casey”) that began with a little set of symbols drawn one by one on a chalkboard while a male voice intoned its name: ♂ ♀ ✳ † ∞… : “Man…Woman…Birth…Death…Infinity…” see video.
So here we are in Sonoma this week visiting with 10 week old Seriozha, and of course being totally fascinated by his moment to moment process of Coming Online. I am reminded of a recording of a long lecture given many years ago by Moshe Feldenkrais, whose work I studied and practiced for many years, in which he repeatedly asked, “What is the purpose of a Nervous System?” He would then proceed to offer a number of answers and one by one refute them. Although it took him a long time to get to it, his final point was in effect, “The purpose of a Nervous System is to make Order out of Chaos.”
This week, watching Seriozha exploring his World moment by moment, yesterday waving his arms seemingly at random, then later touching and grasping something but not able to repeat it, and today, more often able to reach out and touch with some will, we can see him programming his nervous system, as we all had to do, to make Order from the tumult of sensations we have been experiencing since Birth, building our individual, interdependent Worlds.
Vinho Verde 101
As our dear Portuguese-fluent friend Myra taught us years ago, the correct way to pronounce “vinho verde” is “veeng-yo vaird.” We should also note that when she says it, she moves her head and hands in space, painting the words in the air like a Samba. So you know this has to be, you know, Something Special. Which is true.
This little region of Portugal has been making this wine for some 2000 years. It’s in the blood, it’s in the landscape, it’s in the long cultural history of the region. There are some 19,000 individual “vineyards” spread over 51,ooo acres. A quick calculation reveals that on average, that’s about 2.6 acres per vineyard. But many of those are even much smaller family vineyards grown on stone walls, fences, and pergolas on whatever land is available.
Like our own Pacific Northwest in some respects, the Vinho Verde region gets a lot of rain from the North Atlantic. Grape varietals permitted in vinho verde include Alvarinho, Avesso, Azal, Arinto, Loureiro, and Trajadura, which all grow well in the area. Given the climate, however, these are not wines to be enjoyed young. They are typically bottled within three to six months after harvest, and are best drunk within a year of two of harvest.
Chocolate Refill
Yes, yes, some of you have noticed that in the last month or two our Chocolate corner has been looking pretty desolate. Therefore all of you Chocolate Lovers will be please to know that we have restocked with our favorites from Theo Chocolate in Seattle. Their chocolate is made “from bean to bar” from mostly Fair Trade cacao beans and combined with other quality ingredients like sea salt, ginger, dried fig, coffee bean, coconut, and spices to produce delectable, addictive, and satisfying taste sensations.
Chocolate fan…? Come on by and try some samples!
This week’s wine tasting
Quinta de Aveleda vinho verde ’09 Portugal $10
Loureiro, Trajadura and Alvarinho blend; fresh and lively aromas of lime, pink grapefruit, peach and dusty mineral scents. Fresh and fizzy, with vibrant, assertive, sharply defined citrus fruit flavors.
Mas des Bressades Rosé Cuvée ’15 France $14
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.
Campo Viejo Tempranillo ’13 Spain $11
Aromas of ripe red fruit followed by gentle sweet notes of vanilla and spices. Perfumed, soft and fresh with a lingering finish of red fruit, vanilla and cocoa. A perennial go-to value here at AWG.
Portteus Bistro Red ’13 Washington $10
54% Merlot and 46% Cabernet Franc. A food friendly wine with delicate yet elegant mouthfeel. Notes of blackberry, pomegranate, cocoa, honey and licorice, with a creamy finish.
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 august 5 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads (email us to get on the preorder mailing list! )
Pain au Levain – Aka a french whole grain sourdough. This bread is made with bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye and sourdough starter. It is made the day before baking and has a long overnight ferment in the refrigerator to enhance flavor and jump start the enzymatic activity which helps break down the gluten. A great all around bread – $5/loaf.
Semolina with Golden Raisins and Fennel Seed– Made with half bread flour and half semolina. The semolina gives it a beautiful golden color, a little butter helps keep the crumb tender, then it is loaded with golden raisins and fennel seed. A really flavorful bread that goes well with meats and cheese. Judy A. says t’s one of her favorites! – $5/loaf.
Pain aux Raisin – – A great sweet roll dough made with sourdough, eggs and butter that is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and topped with a mix of golden raisins ad dried cranberries rolled up and sliced and baked. Your baker’s favorite pastry! – 2/$5
Found Hat
I have a few worn out wool caps similar to this one (which is hardly broken in), but I usually don’t wear them in the summer. Of course, until the last couple of years, “summer” was as much a State of Mind as measurable Reality around here. But in the last few years, summer months have actually been pretty warm, even to the point of prompting one to wear short sleeves and shorts on occasion, even inside the house, where it often stays cool enough for an extra layer or two most of the day, even in Summer.
Last weekend, however, was, as they might say in Maine, quite wawm, by Gawd, so it came as a surprise when someone found this nice wool cap on the stairs in the wine shop. So if you lost a hat, come by the shop and claim it. After all, though today was about as nice a day as one could imagine, there are already the smells and sounds of dry and falling leaves, and soon you are gonna start lookin’ for this hat. Well, we got it right here waiting for you!
Sciaccarello
Sciaccarello (pronounced check-ar-ello) is a highly perfumed, ancient red Italian wine grape varietal that is presently grown primarily in the limestone soil of northern Corsica near Ajaccio. It is typically blended with other red varietals like Niellucci (a close relative of sangiovese), to yield a highly drinkable, soft and spicy blend. (All three of our regular readers will recall that in May we poured a bold Corsican rosé made from Niellucci and grenache.) As is the case with most well-crafted blends, each varietal adds its own array of qualities, giving the winemaker a broad palette for creative blending.
This weekend’s Faustine Rouge from Corsican winery Abbatucci comes from biodynamic vineyards on granite-rich soils that include free-ranging sheep, terraces of olive trees, and wild scrubland. It is a typical Corsican blend of Sciaccarello and Niellucci, aiming to combine the best qualities of each varietal to yield a wine that is on the one hand soft and fragrant, but with an underlying structural backbone of tannins, texture, and spice. Like a lot of Corsican wines, this one may seem a bit of a $plurge. On the other hand, it offers a unique expression of terroir, varietal history, and cultural tradition. (Read more in Tom Fiorina’s excellent blog article)
A Better Mouse Trap
Over the past year we have seen occasional signs of A Mouse in the wine shop. You know what I mean. Over time we have tried various Remedies, all aimed at Tightening Security to Prevent Entry. We have been Morally Opposed to Poison — for obvious reasons given what we have just gone through with our dog Cooper — and years ago when we explored “live traps” we were pretty Grossed Out by what happens in those traps if they are not checked regularly. Any way you cut it, the Rodent Menace presents moral, aesthetic, and procedural challenges.
So. Today’s Better Mousetrap idea arrived during Relaxation after Yoga Class this morning. The image is of a Modified Live Trap. What we really need here is a Detailed Rube Goldberg Drawing of the Entire Contraption, but given limited resources, you will have to settle for a Verbal Description, which starts with a Standard Live Trap, which involves a little Box with Attractive Bait and a One-Way door– i.e., the Mouse is lured out of the larger exploratory environment toward the Food beckoning Just Behind That Door.
Now, however, rather than leaving this poor little mouse to die of hunger, fear, and thirst, or if it is Lucky, to be Found and Released into an Idyllic Outside Natural Environment where it will be Free and Thrive, our new Idea is to modify the trap to have a Built-in Escape Route to that self-same IONE. All we have to do is modify the Live Trap so that: 1) mouse enters trap, eats bait, can’t go out same door it came in; 2) mouse finds alternate Escape Route, pictured in Our Promotional Literature as a tastefully designed, mouse-friendly Series of Tubes (like the Internet!) which lead the mouse on an enjoyable adventure that leads it to a Better Life Outside…!
I am Really Liking this idea….Stay Tuned, Operators will soon be Standing By!
This week’s wine tasting
Joseph Jewell Chardonnay ’12 Sonoma $12
Spicy green apple and ginger on the nose, with a hint of white pepper. Dry and tightly wound, offering nervy orchard and citrus fruit flavors.
Villa des Anges Rosé ’14 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.
Venta Morales Tempranillo ’15 Spain $9
Nice mulberry and cherry fruits, a hint of chalky minerality, and medium body, delivering luscious fruit and a delicious, soft and supple mouthfeel.
La Quercia Aglianico ‘14 Italy $12
The new vintage of one of our favorite italian reds; full bodied with notes of ripe plum and white pepper on smooth, fine-grained tannins. A lovely match with a wide range of savory dishes.
Comte Abbatucci Cuvee Faustine Rouge ’12 Corsica $30
70% Sciaccarellu with 30% Niellucciu (Corsican Sangiovese). It’s got the Corsican wildness with a refinement that makes for a unique and seriously delicious wine!
lummi island wine tasting july 30 ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads (email us to get on the preorder mailing list! )
Kamut – (aka Khorasan wheat) is an ancient grain that some who don’t tolerate modern wheat have found to be more digestible. It is a beautiful golden grain with a great nutty flavor. A good all around bread – $5/loaf.
Barley, Rye with Pumpkin Seeds- A delightful and delicious whole grain bread made with bread flour & fresh milled whole wheat, rye, and barley. A little honey and buttermilk help soften the crumb and add sweetness to the whole grain. Pumpkin seeds are added for a nice crunch. Top with a little cheese and make a meal! – $5/loaf.
Pan di Chocolate – Another levain bread with honey, vanilla cocoa powder, and a little espresso for great flavor. Then loaded up with bits of dark chocolate. This is not a butter and egg filled sweet dough, but a great artisan bread full of chocolate flavor. Makes great toast, and maybe try it for french toast – $5/loaf
Bread Rising
Most of us are familiar with making bread using commercial dry yeast. The ancient alternative is somehow to harness natural yeasts to induce fermentation, a process the French call “levain,” and most Americans call “sourdough.” But it isn’t necessarily so that they must inevitably be particularly “sour.” On the contrary, many such breads have complex flavor profiles which may or may not include “sour.”
Levain is a mixture of flour and water that has been colonized by ambient yeasts and bacteria and which feed on the natural sugars in the flour, which is why you have to “feed” more flour to a levain periodically to keep it going. We all know people who have been feeding the same starter for many years– like, OMD, if we don’t it will be Gone Forever! But people have known how to start a new levain for thousands of years, in nearly all climates and cultures, so, like, No Worries, our flora can always start another batch!
So this is a lesson we can take from our “resident” baker, Janice. By my informal count, Bread Fridays in the last year or two have included at least eight different breads using a levain: whole wheat, semolina, kamut, rye, walnut raisin, pain au levain, and pan di cioccolate, two of which are repeated this weekend! Yum!
Tres Picos
The winery, Borsao, is actually a cooperative, like many we have encountered in Spain. The business model here is that there is a corporate “front office” that manages all aspects of vineyard management, harvest, winemaking, and marketing. Each member-grower is required to follow specific rules and guidelines, and in exchange they are guaranteed purchase of their fruit. Borsao has about two hundred member vineyards.
The garnacha vines that provide the fruit for Tres Picos date back to about 1920. As shown, the vines are head-trained, with no trellises, and lots of space between them. They have deep roots after nearly 100 years of effort, and yield has diminished to about two tons per acre. Such old vines dig deep into many layers of soil and provide these their grapes with corresponding layers of complexity.
We visited this Spanish vineyard a few years ago and were struck by the Gnarly Independence of each vine. After all, each of them has survived for nearly a century. So you would expect a certain philosophical independence, a Long View, and a profound acceptance of “this is my Essence, take it or leave it.” The thing is, of course, that across the Planet, vines this old are Rare, and it is our Good Fortune to commune with them from time to time…including the visit a few years ago when we took this picture. This wine consistently scores 91-92 points from Robert Parker, and this 2014 vintage also earned 92 points from more conservative wine critic Stephen Tanzer. Bottom line: though some years are better than others, this vineyard produces remarkable wine year after year. I.e., “It’s the terroir, Stupid…!”
Political Note
I have an Indelible Memory from the Fall of 1992, in the months between the Presidential Election and the Inauguration of Bill Clinton. At that time I was going to practice in Tae Kwon Do every day at noon. Many of the students attending were young, in their teens and early twenties. And it became apparent, through their guffawing hyperbole, that they were all being Particularly Entertained by someone named Rush Limbaugh on the Radio. Out of curiosity I listened once, and and that is when I first heard the Hatefully Delivered term “Queen Hillary.” And for the last 25 years I have been trying to figure out WTF that was– and has continued to be for the past Quarter Century– about. In my lifetime (and I am a pretty Old Guy) I have seen No One on the Public Stage more targeted with visceral, malicious. and hateful charges,than this one woman, dating back to when, for all practical purposes, the Nation had ever even heard of her.
So over the last few months, as an Ardent Bernie Supporter, I have followed the arguments for and against Bernie and Hillary across Democratic ranks, and have been increasingly Puzzled by the Hateful Rhetoric aimed at Hillary Clinton by those who profess to be Progressives. I fear that what it comes down to is how well each of us is equipped for Critical Thinking, the ability to differentiate between Truth and Lies. After all, we all know the Fox News Model that if you tell the Same Lie over and over for long enough, lots of people will eventually Accept it As Fact, without question. But I thought Progressives were better than that.
As a Staunch Supporter of Bernie Sanders, I have always believed that it was the Longest of Long Shots that he might actually win the Nomination. But at the same time I have been grateful for his timing and his Progressive message of Social Justice. The Big Question among Dems seems to have been whether Candidate Clinton will carry the Sanders Banner forward, or if she will follow the less assertive middle-of-the-road Obama legacy. All I can say is that tonight’s Convention Coverage has gone a long way toward inspiring my belief that she will indeed pick up and carry the Sanders Banner forward, empowered by the linkages of a lifetime of Political Experience. Besides, I have long felt that “show me someone who can Laugh from Their Belly, and I will show you someone with little Guile.”
No doubt we will elaborate on this theme as time goes on; for now, I am moved to paraphrase the default President in Battlestar Galactica…“There was a War. It’s Over. We Lost. Time to Move On.”
This week’s wine tasting
Blanco Nieva Verdejo ’14 Spain $15
From 100 year-old vines, this beautiful white shows mineral-driven lime, quince and floral scents with notes of anise and mint. Graceful, focused and pure, with zesty lemon/lime and pear flavors.
Montfaucon Gardettes Rosé ’10 France $12
A rosé de saignée with a deep pink blend of Cinsault, Counoise and Grenache with delicate aromas of peach and violets.
Spindrift Pinot Noir ’14 Oregon $16
Aromas of red fruit, cherry, earthy and toasty notes. Big cherry flavors with some oak, sweet tannins, bright acidity and lingering finish.
Maryhill Winemaker’s Red ’11 Washington $11
Aromas of berry jam, chocolate, and cinnamon, with fruity notes of strawberry, caramel, and hints of white pepper, oak, and tart marionberry.
Tres Picos Garnacha ’14 Spain 92pts $15
Heady, exotically perfumed bouquet of ripe berries and incense, with a smoky minerality and spice. Vibrant flavors of raspberry liqueur and cherry-cola show power, depth and finesse with velvety tannins.
lummi island wine tasting july 22, ’16
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Friday Breads (email us to get on the preorder mailing list! )
Multi Grain –— Half bread flour and half whole milled whole wheat and rye, loaded up with flax, sunflower and sesame seeds. Makes for a flavorful bread with a lot of texture. You’ll feel healthier just eating a slice of this whole grain goodness! – $5/loaf
Black Pepper and Walnut – A new bread this week. Also made with a mixture of bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye, with the addition of toasted walnuts and fresh ground black pepper. This bread should be great with meats and cheese. – $5/loaf.
Brioche au Chocolate – Starts with a rich brioche dough that is fermented overnight, rolled out and spread with pastry cream and then topped with chocolate. Folded over and sliced for a delicious treat – 2/$5
Name That Tune
Events this week at the Republican Convention brought to mind an old line often mistakenly attributed to Sinclair Lewis: “When fascism comes to America, it will be draped in the Flag and carrying a Cross.” When I first heard that a few years ago I did some kind of forehead-slapping mental double-take, because it Rang So True.
Most basically fascism is a concentration of political power into a single party and a single leader. It took form in Italy under Mussolini in the 20’s as a reaction to the social, political, and economic turmoil after WWI, which was magnified further by the humiliation and hardships of the Depression. A Really Tough Time. And as in any time of social disruption, people were fearful and easily persuaded to blame Others for their many difficulties. By amplifying and appealing to Nationalism, frustration, and fear, Fascism offered scapegoats to blame and punish, much-needed personal identification with a national vision of Superiority, the seductive Comfort of an Authoritarian Leader, and the promise of a Bright Future.
If, as we have often suggested in these pages, feudalism is the default system of human political organization, in which the strong Few terrorize the weak Many into complete submission, we very well might view Fascism as Feudalism 2.0, in which complex industrial societies are dominated by a Dictator and a tiny Elite of military, industrial, and financial interests. Interestingly, Fascism does not have a particular ideology; it is more a reactionary being in the sense that it considers all other organizations inferior and threatening, and not to be tolerated. Other textbook indicators of Fascism include: 1) aggressive militarism to claim a dominant place on the world stage; 2) a single political party; 3) willing use of violence to discourage opposing views; 4) deference to an authoritarian leader or ruling elite; 5) militant over-reaction to opposing values; 6) attacking of minorities as inferior and conspiring.
So here we are in 2016, and a major US political party has just put forth a ticket that includes a Narcissistic and Incoherent Billionaire (so he says) who will Make the Country Great Again (you know, like back in, um, hmm, when exactly..?… and how exactly…?) and a religious Zealot for VP who has officially Declared War on women’s rights and our Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. The Bottom Line is that Your assignment over the next few weeks and months is to watch and listen and notice how much of what either one of them says fits into the above bullet points defining Fascism. read more
Bandol
Bandol is part of Provence, so of course one expects excellent rosé. It lies east of Marseille, on the coast a little past Cassis, and south of Aix. And although the predominant grape in red wines from Bandol is mourvedre, rosé still follows the recipe from much of Provence, which is a blend of cinsault, mourvedre, and grenache. As we mentioned in a previous post some while back, some people (like legendary wine importer Kermit Lynch) think Bandol makes the definitive Provençal rosé. As shown in the detailed notes below, critics have high expectations of rosés from this area, detailing every nuance.
Of course, rosés by their nature are essentially red grapes made into almost-white wine. The color is determined by time on the skins, sometimes measured in mere hours. The flavor profile excludes almost all of the tannins that would naturally come from extended contact with the grape skins over time. So rosé is really about the freshest components of the red grapes that go into it. They are all good, some are just better than others. And this is supposed to be one of the good ones. Come by and check it out!
Music at the Wine Shop
This past Saturday our friend Rob Hutchings dropped by late in the afternoon with his guitar. We had talked the week before about his doing a little gig with us. As we have mentioned before, we encourage musicians to come by with their instruments on Saturday afternoons. Drop by about 4pm, play a 20-mnute set, and enjoy a free wine tasting! The space is very well suited to acoustic music, and we have been really pleased with how good everyone sounds in our space.
We have known Rob for a number of years now, but only recently discovered his musical talents. Many of his songs are original and expressive, hauntingly full of feeling, a little raw in some ways, but maybe Honest is a better word. His style is no doubt influenced somehow by time spent in Nashville ( I am not making this up!). Anyway, it was a Good Time, and made an impression on all of those present! It is our intention to try to persuade him to do a Sunday concert at the wine shop before the summer ends; we think you would all enjoy it. So stay tuned, more on this later!
In the meantime, you learn more about Rob and his music on his website.
This week’s wine tasting
Domaine le Galantin Bandol Rose ’15 90pts $18
Extremely pale orange-pink. Assertive aromas of orange pith, red berries, jasmine and garrigue show very good clarity and a dusty mineral element. Juicy and sharply focused, offering energetic strawberry and tangerine flavors that spread out nicely with air. Silky and dry on the incisive, very persistent finish, which strongly repeats the floral and mineral notes. I find this wine quite graceful and accessible as young pink Bandols go.
Giocato Chardonnay ’15 Slovenia $11
From the Italian border with coastal Slovenia; freshly styled, with notes of apple, lychee, citrus, warm croissant, and sea salt.
Domaine La Croix Belle Caringole ’12 France $10
Syrah, Carignan and Merlot blend from Languedoc’s Cotes de Thongue region; fresh and supple with flavours of cherry, and black olive, and herbs.
Robert Ramsay Mason’s Red ’13 Washington $16
Easy-drinking cinsault-dominant Rhone blend; subtle nose of black cherry paste with a hint of cinnamon spice that expands on the palate to a soft anise finish.
Crios de Susana Balbo Malbec ’13 Argentina 89pts $14
Aromatic and fresh, with notes of violets, ripe plums and a touch of brown sugar, quite showy, with the profile of a cool vintage, the sweet tannins of the Malbec, some sweet spicy flavors, and good length.
2072 Granger Way