Lummi Island Wine Tasting Nov 5 ’11
INITIATIVE 1183 INITIATIVE 1183 INITIATIVE 1183 INITIATIVE 1183
Though we are a very minor player in the Washington wine industry, I do believe small wine shops like ours will be adversely affected if this initiative passes. At its most basic level, the entire purpose of the Initiative is to concentrate the wine and liquor business into a few very large and very profitable businesses like Costco and Walmart. It will give them an enormous advantage in negotiating prices from producers of wine and spirits. They will capture a large portion of the share of the market that currently goes to distributors and small retailers. They will be able to use volume leverage on their suppliers and their workers to drive competition out of business and keep wages at rock bottom.
At present, distribution of wine is highly regulated in Washington State, in a “three-tiered” system. Wine producers and distributors must post prices every month, and every wholesale buyer pays the same price. The reason you can buy wine at low prices at Costco is because their sales volume is so high that they do just fine with a 10-12% markup. If they get the additional break of being able to buy from producers at a much lower price than, say, we can, a lot of small wine retailers will go the way of the dodo.
it’s the Volume, folks!
A hundred years ago or so, the kinds of arrangements this initiative proposes were abolished by antitrust legislation; companies like A&P and Standard Oil were broken up because these “tying agreements” they were able to make with their suppliers to guarantee them the lowest prices, were declared illegal because they reduced competition in the market. Fast forward to today, and we have a government (and an uninformed, gullible electorate) that thinks the Big Box Stores are the Good Guys and regulators are the Bad Guys– my, they ARE good at selling things, aren’t they? Thirty years of deregulation have made the rich very, very rich while everyone else has had to struggle just to stay even.
My general rule is that I vote against any Initiative supported by Big Business, because I know in my gut it is not good for me, (and not good for puppies or children, either!). These guys already have a big enough piece of the pie, and I really don’t want to give them any more of mine than they already have. So I’m voting NO, and encourage all of you who support small neighborhood businesses to do the same. (sorry to be so wordy!)
CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE
We were off the island today and stopped by Pleasant Valley Dairy to load up on cheese. So we have a fresh array of their wonderful goudas, including Mutchli, Farmstead, jalapeno, provencal, fines herbes, and more, cut and pre-wrapped in handy 6 oz wedges. Yum!
HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN
There was something about our trip to France last month, something I can’t put my finger on, that tapped into and nearly drained some kind of tank I didn’t know I had or needed. Hard to describe. I think it has something to do with the roundabouts that were EVERYWHERE in France, so that going anywhere over, say, 20 kilometers away was going to involve maybe 30 roundabouts, with a decision at every one about which exit to take out of it.
Seriously, there is something strangely exhausting about that, and it is very, very different from how roads are organized here, where the more major the road you are on, the less often you have to stop, slow down, or make any navigation decisions. Here you are in the beautiful French countryside, and you just want to relax and enjoy it, but every few minutes you are in another roundabout wondering which exit to take…it adds up to a completely French sort of tension, definitely not something we experienced in Italy. I’m sure this theme will unfold more as time goes on, of how our various cultures can make people crazy.
In defense of French roundabouts, however, I will say that the signage on them is much better planned than some here. As you approach the roundabout, there is a “roundabout sign” (left) that tells you what is ahead…good idea, huh…?
FRIDAY NIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT FRIDAY NIGHT
We did bring back a few wines from France, some of which may not be available to us here. Over the next few Friday nights we will be pouring the occasional sample for the Faithful who drop by, a little taste of the Old World style…
Revelers from last week!
This week’s wines:
Novelty Hill Chardonnay Stillwater Creek 09 Washington 91pts $17
Smooth and round, with a spicy, creamy blanket wrapping around a deftly balanced core of pear and citrus flavors that extend into the graceful finish.
Castellare di Tonda Chianti ‘08 Italy $10
A pretty good value in Chianti– one that has a lot of fruit and charm for the price. Try this, and ask yourself if you don’t need a case around for quick pasta dinners!
Fernandez Dehesa la Granja ‘04 Spain $17
Toasty and smoky notes frame a core of plum and earth flavors in this austere red, which has chewy tannins and a smoky, cedary finish. 100% Tempranillo.
Delille Doyenne Metier Rouge 08 Washington $30
51% grenache, 32% mourvedre, 17% syrah. Exhibits classic Grenache nose of strawberry leaf, white pepper, deep black cherry, vanilla and graham cracker cinnamon, followed by intense flavors of white rainier cherries and raspberries folded into a creamy texture on the palate. It is juicy, hedonistic and luscious and should remain so for many years to come.
Lummi Island Wine Tasting October 29 ’11 “Back from France…sort of”
Well, we’re back. Sort of. Still trying to integrate all the experiences. If Italy was a soft series of rich dioramas, France was more of a kaleidoscope made up of an endless maze of traffic roundabouts, old villages with labyrinths of narrow streets, and a vast array of micro-regions, each with its own individual character. We’ll have more to say about these things later on. For now, we just want to say it’s good to be home, and we’re looking forward to seeing you this weekend, Friday 4-7pm and Saturday from 2-6.
One of the cornerstones of every French village is the boulangerie, where you grab your morning baguette or croissants, fresh from the oven. Here’s a photo we took outside one:
Bread:
That’s life
It gives you strength and balance
Your bread is prepared
Before you with passion …
Your Boulanger kneads and fashions
With authentic gestures
Then he lets it sit to grow long
To give it its full flavor
It smells good the bread of your Artisan Boulanger!
This week’s wines:
Calera Chardonnay 08 California WA90pts $15
Offers abundant notes of honeysuckle, orange marmalade, white currants, and tropical fruits. Crisp, elegant, mid-weight, and revealing no evidence of its wood aging.
Vinosia Aglianico 08 Italy $12
Aglianico 100%; Deep garnet-purple colour. Raisin, blueberry and underbrush aromas. Some dried rose petals and spice. Crisp acidity and a medium body, velvety tannins, long finish. Addictive!
Townshend Red Table Washington $12
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah blend; aromas of black cherry, blackberry, strawberry, cedar and a hint of orange zest fill your glass and then your mouth with lingering pepper & tobacco . A definite winner as weather turns colder.
Cougar Crest Dedication 4 ‘07 Washington $19
44% Syrah, 32% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Luch, ripe plums, red currants, black cherries, and a hint of dried roses and herbs on the nose are balanced by acidity and tannins that are smooth and graceful, not overbearing. Rich on the palate and long on the finish–a favorite around here.
France trip October ’11 Part I: “Third Exit at the Roundabout”
Well, here we are in France, and so far our lodgings have been comfy, the scenery delightful, the wine ubiquitous and for the most part very good. Vineyards are everywhere. So are traffic circles, which replace all major and most minor intersections. We have a GPS that can’t tell the difference between a major road and a cowpath (hence our title, above). And access to wifi (“wee-fee”) has been intermittent, with few opportunities to post here for you.
We are continually thankful for Ryan’s great French class the last couple of months at the wine shop; it has been invaluable in meeting the everyday conversational challenges that continually arise. Bien fait, Monsieur! We hope you are all joining him at the wine shop Fridays and Saturdays while we are gone!
As I write this we are finishing three days at a sort of B&B near Sommieres that is a restored old stone farmhouse and outbuildings surrounded by beautiful fields of garrigue. (see link; the photo above is the vineyard at the Bertrand Stehelin winery in Gigondas, where we had a wonderful tour and degustation of his delightful wines.)
The last couple of days we have toured and tasted wine in a small region called Pic St. Loup, for which I have long had a particular fondness…and it turns out to be beautiful in many ways as well—we could easily spend a week or two right here, but alas, tomorrow we are off for a week in Lagrasse, visiting the wine regions of Corbieres, Minervois, and St. Chinian, all in the Languedoc region.
Stay tuned, mes amis!
Lummi Island Wine Tasting Oct 8 ’11
Just a note to let you all know that despite the fact that we are in France at the moment, notre ami Ryan will be taking over the reins at the wine shop while we are gone. So stop by and enjoy the fun on Friday from 4-7 and Saturday from 2-6 as usual.
Watch for more posts from France…at the moment internet access is very limited. Stay tuned!
2072 Granger Way