lummi island wine tasting oct 21-22
Hours this weekend: 4-6pm both Friday and Saturday
Voluntary Covid protocols remain in place while the weather permits outside seating. Please use discretion and kindness in protecting your own safety and that of others, thanks!
Also note: though there WILL BE BREAD PICKUP NEXT FRIDAY, Oct 28, the wine shop will be CLOSED both Friday and Saturday, Oct 28-29.
Friday Bread Pickup This Week 4-5:30 pm
Poolish Ale – the preferment here is also a poolish, made with bread flour, a bit of yeast and a nice ale beer for the liquid and fermented overnight. Mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. This makes a great all around bread with a nice crisp crust – $5/loaf
Buckwheat Walnut & Honey – A flavorful artisan bread made with a poolish preferment, fresh milled buckwheat, and bread flour. Though buckwheat contains no gluten, this bread is not gluten free as it also includes bread flour made from wheat. Buckwheat has an earthy flavor that in this bread is balanced with a little honey and toasted walnut; goes well with meats and cheeses – $5/loaf
and mmm, pastry this week…
Chocolate Croissants – a traditional laminated french pastry made with a bit of sourdough flavor and another pre-ferment to help strengthen the dough to create the traditional honeycomb interior. Rolled out and shaped with delicious dark chocolate in the center. – 2/$5
To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.
Wine of the Week: Sineann Merlot ’19 Washington $28
Though the Sineann winery is in Oregon, much of its fruit is sourced from top Washington vineyards. The following notes on this wine, taken directly from the Sineann website, tell its story in the winemaker’s own words.
“We almost decided to stop bottling a varietal Merlot. Despite making excellent Merlot off the Hillside Vineyard year after year, slow sales of the wine had us leaning towards abandoning it.
Merlot has been sabotaged in the marketplace by overpriced, under-fruited wines for years. That is what originally drove us to reduce crop size – the goal of producing a truly worthy Merlot to help resurrect its name. The wines we made have shown their stuff. The older ones have aged beautifully.
Then along came Merlot from Champoux Vineyard. We started getting Merlot from Paul Champoux in 2005. Wow! True to form, his vineyard delivers dark, rich (to the point of voluptuous), powerful wines.
No way we were not going to bottle this alone as a varietal! We’ve kept that up over many vintages, now sourcing fruit from Phinny Hill Vineyards – right across from the Champoux Vineyard…this is what Merlot can be: dark, supple, complex, powerful. We wish there were more of it!
Economics of the Heart: The One-Item Republican Platform: Toxic Masculinity
cartoon courtesy of Steve Greenberg, 1983
It has been at least since 2015 since Republicans abandoned any actual political platform. In the fifties they were all in with the John Birch Society, Joe McCarthy’s Communist Witch Hunt (where have we heard that before?), and claiming Ike as their own (but he wasn’t!). In the sixties and seventies they claimed they stood for that growing military-industrial complex Ike warned us about when he left office in 1961. But it was Reagan who deliberately threw the poor, the sick, and the mentally ill out of the New Deal lifeboat and began robbing the poor to benefit the rich as a national policy which endured until 2008.
While those policies were plenty mean-spirited enough in the Reagan years, it was the Gingrich Speakership in the 90’s that started turning the Republican platform into something actually Toxic, focused almost entirely not on a positive platform of beliefs and goals for the nation, but an ongoing negative campaign to end the New Deal once and for all and reduce the less economically fortunate to chronic poverty.
As we have lamented many times before, it has been the Republican sense of corporate Entitlement to gross and ugly excess profits that has defined it since Reagan. Devoid of any ethical underpinnings, the party under the Tweetster stands for nothing except wielding power. There has been no official Party platform since the Romney campaign in 2012. All that’s left are name-calling, criminal conspiracy, a nonstop torrent of lies from right wing media, and its latest variant, “toxic masculinity.”
As we approach what is likely to be the most consequential election in our history on Nov 8, we pause to take a brief look at two elements of the toxic political landscape.
While it has become fashionable for Republicans to whine about high gasoline prices and blame Biden for the global inflation actually brought on by two years of pandemic isolation, only about 3% of current inflation in the US is attributable to Federal policies. In yesterday’s Daily Kos, Rep. Katie Porter pulled out her economic charts and brought us all up to date on what has really been going on: 1) https://twitter.com/i/status/1582475617723113472 2) https://twitter.com/i/status/1582802684393816065 .
The takeaway from her analysis is that Corporate America was quick to see Covid as an excuse for exorbitant price hikes that had nothing to do with increased costs and everything to do with a golden opportunity to rip off their customers and blame it on”Biden’s inflation.” As the article notes, “Few have pointed out that corporate profits have shot through the roof at the exact same time and to such a degree that saying our current ‘inflation’ wasn’t manufactured by big business greed is laughable.” Even our local car wash raised its fee by $3 not because water was more expensive, but “because it could.” In economic theory this is called ( I am not making this up) “the bandwagon effect.”
Our other recommended piece is from prolific WaPo opinion writer Jennifer Rubin on the uniform adoption of Republican leaders of “toxic masculinity,” roughly translating to an ongoing “aggression divorced from virtue…turning bullying into strength (and) restraint into vice.” It seems to have taken hold across the party, a toxic denial of the virtues typically characterized as “masculine:” courage, strength, and honor. Indeed, she points out, the lot of them have regressed to cowering careerists who have thrown away their honor for a nod from the Tweetster. Or, as another female writer and “Never Trumper” put it, “Trump has emasculated every other Republican by demanding that they all become weak in his service.”
We have no idea how this election will turn out. We do know that if Republicans control even one branch of the legislature, they will make choices that serve their own political and economic interests, not their constituents’ and not their nation’s.
This Week’s $10 Wine Tasting
Cloudlift Viognier/Marsanne/Rousanne ’20 Washington $22
Aromas of white flowers and honeysuckle lead to well-defined flavors of melon and pear, a full bodied palate and ample acidity.
MAN Vintners Pinotage ’18 South Africa $11
Aromas of dark coffee beans, red berries, nutmeg, and vanilla spice turning to dark berries and smoky plum; rustic yet silky and juicy, with smooth tannins, balanced acidity, and comforting intensity.
Sineann Merlot ’19 Washington $28
Deep and dark, with nose of red berries, tobacco and chocolate, typical tannic structure, and elegant balsamic notes, well-balanced and soft, pairing well with well-seasoned meats and sauces.
lummi island wine tasting oct 14-15 ’22
Hours this weekend: 4-6pm both Friday and Saturday
Voluntary Covid protocols remain in place while the weather permits outside seating. Please use discretion and kindness in protecting your own safety and that of others, thanks!
Friday Bread Pickup This Week 4-5:30 pm
Pain au Levain – Made with a nice mix of bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat and rye flours. After building the sourdough and mixing the final dough it gets a long cool overnight ferment in the refrigerator. This really allows the flavor to develop in this bread. – $5/loaf
Cinnamon Raisin – Fermented overnight with a poolish of bread and rye flours before mixing with freshly milled whole wheat and rolled oats. Some honey for sweetness, a little milk for a tender crumb and loaded with raisins and a healthy dose of cinnamon. The cinnamon is mixed into the dough and flavors the entire bread for a hearty rustic loaf. – $5/loaf
and mmm, pastry this week…
Individual Cinnamon Rolls –Made with a rich sweet roll dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Then rolled up and sliced into individual rolls for baking. And boy are they delicious! – 2/$5.
To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.
Wines of the Week: Selections from Small Vineyards
Once or twice a year we attend a sit-down tasting for the next SV shipments about six months later. Last spring’s order has arrived and we are pouring three selections this weekend. Member wineries are generally small, family-owned operations in Italy with deep, multi-generational roots in their vineyards, and their wines typically over-deliver for their generally modest price points. Read more about Small Vineyards.
Batasiolo Gavi ’20 Italy
Cortese grapes from limestone, clay and marl soils are destemmed and soft pressed; clear, bright, straw yellow with green tinges, fresh floral aromas, dry and fresh on the palate with lingering, characteristic notes of almonds.
Tre Donne D’Arc Langhe Rosso ’18 Italy $20
Blend of oak-aged Barbera, and Pinot Nero with unoaked Dolcetto and Freisa that makes for a lively, fresh wine with rich, moody fruit, bracing purity, and fascinating depth.
Tre Donne Langhe Nebbiolo
Deep and dark, with nose of red berries, tobacco and chocolate, typical tannic structure, and elegant balsamic notes, well-balanced and soft, pairing well with well-seasoned meats and sauces.
Economics of the Heart: The Case Against the Tweetster
image courtesy of https://www.rottentomatoes.com
Back in the mid-fifties, on many Saturday afternoons, a bunch the kids 0n our street would walk downtown (about a mile) to one of the three old theaters that showed Saturday matinees. Typical fare would include some combination of previews of coming films, a cartoon, a newsreel, maybe a serial episode, and a movie (often a Western!)
One summer for several weeks there was a lengthy preview hyping High Noon, a Western starring big-name actor Gary Cooper. The preview was dripping with tension about an approaching Showdown between Cooper and the Bad Guy. The theme song was “Do not forsake me, oh my Darling.” So of course when it came to the theater our little neighborhood of fourth-graders trudged down to see it.
Well…while there was definitely tension, it lasted so unbearably long and repetitively (Cooper walking down empty street…clock ticking…Cooper walking down empty street…clock ticking…Cooper walking down empty street…clock ticking, etc., etc.) After all that walking down empty streets in the noonday sun, the final showdown didn’t amount to much.
Today we listened to the last live hearing of the House January 6 Committee as it laid out chapter and verse of not only how the Tweetster planned, staged, directed, caused, encouraged, and executed not just the January 6 insurrection to overturn the 2020 election result, but also directed the entire plan beginning many months before the election. At the end of the session the panel voted unanimously invite the Tweetster to meet with them to discuss his role in directing the effort to overturn the election.
In an ordinary world, the hearing would have closed with a video of the Tweetster being arrested and hauled away to jail pending trial. Clearly this has not been an ordinary world since about 2015. At the moment most of the Republican Party is demonstrably committed to overthrowing the Constitution of the United States, and it is up to everyone else to suit up and fight back. The future of this country and the entire planet depend on this nation’s will and ability to remove these conspirators from office and send them all to the brig for a very long time.
The revelations of the Jan 6 committee have revealed in granular detail the breadth and commitment of the conspiracy to do away with Constitutional government in our country. These facts, in addition to the shredding of the Constitution now underway by an ultra-right Supreme Court, underline that there is already a Civil War going on in our country, and the sad truth is we all need to take sides and, as their leader said, “fight like hell or we won’t have a country anymore.
lummi island wine tasting sept 30 ’22
Hours this weekend: 4-6pm both Friday and Saturday
The autumn light and color continue to be soothing as we enter October; COVID looks to be evolving into a manageable worldwide woe; and Jupiter is dazzling us every night with its once in a hundred years proximity brightness…all Good Things, and all very welcome!
Here at the wine shop we will continue to provide ventilation and air filtration during open hours, and ask that the unvaxed continue to find seating outside as weather permits.
ALSO… Please note: the wine shop will be closed next weekend, October 7-8 (except for Friday bread pickup)
Bread Pickup This Week
Pear Buckwheat – Begins with an overnight poolish preferment mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled buckwheat; the preferment allows the dough to begin to develop before the addition of toasted walnuts and dried pears soaked in white wine. – $5/loaf
French Country Bread – A a rustic country loaf made with bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat, and and a bit of toasted wheat germ. After building the levain with a sourdough culture and mixing the final dough it gets a long cool overnight ferment in the refrigerator. This really allows the flavor to develop in this bread. – $5/loaf
and mmm, pastry this week…
Rum Raisin Brioche: A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with golden raisins and chunks of almond paste and (wait there’s more!) topped with a chocolate glaze before baking.- 2/$5
To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.
Wine of the Week: Radman Cellars Syrah ’17 Washington $27
A few years ago, pre-Covid I think, we were on a familiar pilgrimage to Oregon wine country, camped for several days at Champoeg State Park in St. Paul. The area is one of the first populated settlements at the north end of the Willamette Valley, in the heart of what is now “pinot noir” country.
Unobtrusively hidden across the road from the park are two of our favorite wineries, Sineann and Lady Hill. On this particular day we spent a good part of the afternoon in the Sineann “tasting room,” really just an open area in the winery barn. It was a warm afternoon, doors were open, and about a dozen of us were gathered around a couple of barrels that served as a “bar.” And there were flies buzzing around, lots of flies, so many that you kept your glass covered. Numerous fly swatters were deployed, including a couple of electric ones that zapped them with a little sizzle. Though it sounds horrible, the situation was strangely festive.
It turned out that the woman (Lisa) who was managing the tasting that day, was also a winemaker with her own label: Radman Cellars. As I recall, the winery name is an anagram of her actual last name plus the R and the A. Or something like that. Anyway…we tasted two of her wines, a cab and a syrah. They were good, very good, and we came home with a case of the cab, made from (I think) fruit from Washington’s legendary Red Mountain AVA, known for its concentrated intensity and flavor. … Philosophy
All you need to know is that “our people” who frequent the wine shop are generally thrifty, so a $20 bottle is a luxury, and anything more $$$ has to Really Ring some Bells. Therefore the fact that we sold most of that case at $40 each the first night we poured it tells its own story. We brought back another case a few months ago, and there may still be a few left. So this weekend we pouring the 2017 syrah. Come by and check it out!
Economics of the Heart: Republican Fascism Proudly Steps Out of the Closet
Benito Mussolini and Donald Trump (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)
A lot of Republican politics in the past thirty years has been trending closely in the direction of Mussolinian fascism. We’ve all seen it, complained about it, tried to work with it, lamented it, and failed to name it for what it was, and is. Gingrich laid the foundation in the early 90’s, which led directly to the so-called Tea Party of the early 00’s. It then metastasized into McConnell’s sotto voce racist tactics in the Obama years and then directly to the hateful hyperbole of of the Tweetster’s slogan-rich MAGA rallies right out of the Mussolini playbook, which Hitler deeply admired and deliberately adopted. The Fascis-ization process has correlated directly with the increasing prevalence and virulence of right-wing media and its thirty-year War on Facts.
Like the Italian fascist movement, MAGA mobilizes the masses through all available media, with repetitive slogans evoking hyper-nationalism, leader cultism, racism, and violence against vaguely defined social and political rivals. The enemies list– there is always an “enemies” list– includes Democrats, anyone not a Fundamentalist Christian, higher education, critical thinking, science, women’s rights…you know, all the things we used to consider the necessary prerequisites for an informed and empowered electorate in a literate, educated, egalitarian society. In case you hadn’t thought about it for a long time, We are those they referred to as their Posterity. Nowadays we fear there will not necessarily be any posterity for much longer.
Every day brings more revelations about the depth, breadth, and commitment of the movement to overturn Constitutional governance in our country, and yes, replace it with this new Fascism, firmly clutching Jesus on his Cross while loading their AR-15’s to keep women cranking out babies. Millions of Americans who consider themselves devout Christians have giddily embraced this new American fascism. There is no logic that can explain how a follower of the New Testament could support policies that deliberately cause suffering. And yet they do, day in and day out, all in the name of Jesus, he of the Sermon on the Mount.
The breadth and depth of the conspiracy to replace American democracy with a Republican-controlled neo-fascist state has been detailed rigorously over the past week in a series of prime time interviews with Denver Riggleman, an experienced data analysis consultant who has been working with the January 6 committee over the past year. His new book, “The Breach: The Untold Story of the Investigations into January 6th,” lays out in detail the clear and present danger to our democracy that the January 6 plotters still pose to our nation. (watch video)
Mussolini’s stated vision was for membership in his new fascist group to “commit all fascists to sabotaging the candidacies of the neutralists of all parties by any means necessary.” The ongoing revelations before us suggest that the conspiracy against the last election likely includes many more players at many more levels than we had imagined, is backed by very powerful players with very deep pockets, and is committed to making the United States a neo-fascist, racist, fundamentalist Christian state enforced by a white totalitarian elite.
Worst case scenario: the 2020 election conspiracy might be far deeper and wider than we have imagined, and chunks of our legal infrastructure might be unable to find the necessary prosecutorial traction. Hmm…what was that old saying about living in interesting times….?
This Week’s Tasting Flight $10
Natura Rose ’21 Chile $12
Cold-soaked before pressing and cold-fermented on the skins to develop rich and nuanced aromas and flavors of grassy lime, tropical fruits, and lychee, with a crisp, lingering finish.
Dom. Les Gryphees Les Balmes Beaujolais ’20 France $ 17
From 100 yr old vines on a steep slope of limestone from ancient seashells, clay, and “pierres dorees,” the mineral-rich, golden chalk of Beaujolais); shows off this classic beaujolais style.
Radman Cellars Syrah ’17 Washington $27
Made in Oregon with Washington grapes; deep and dark, with concentrated aromas and mouthfilling flavors of fertile earth, dark plum, and umami that linger on the palate.
lummi island wine tasting sept 23-24 ’22
Hours this weekend: 4-6pm both Friday and Saturday
It has been quiet on the Island since Labor Day. Though it is not so quiet as the many recent Septembers when the car ferry has been in dry dock for annual maintenance, there is still noticeably less traffic, and the autumn light and color are soothing. Don’t know about you, but backing away from Covid restrictions still feels a little threatening after all this time (2 1/2 years!) of distancing.
Ne’ertheless, as we creep our way toward normalcy we will continue to provide ventilation and air filtration here at the shop, and ask that the unvaxed continue to find seating outside.
Weather this weekend will be 60-ish, with varying degrees of cloudiness Friday and a bit of sunshine Saturday.
Bread Pickup This Week
Multi Grain Levain – – Made with a sourdough culture and a flavorful mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A nice mixture of flax, sesame sunflower and pumpkin seeds and some polenta add great flavor and crunch. And just a little honey for some sweetness. A great all around bread that is full of flavor – $5/loaf
Polenta Levain –– Also made with a levain, aka sourdough, from a starter fed and built up over several days, then mixed with bread flour and polenta in the final dough mix. This bread is a nice rustic loaf with great corn flavor. – $5/loaf
and mmm, pastry this week…
Traditional Croissants – Made with both a sourdough levain and a prefermented dough – aka “old dough” where a portion of the flour, water, salt and yeast is fermented overnight. The final dough is then made with more flour, butter, milk and sugar, laminated with more butter before being cut and shaped into traditional french croissants. –2/$5
To get on the bread order list, click on the “Contact Us” link above and fill out the form. Each week’s bread menu is sent to the list each Sunday, for ordering by Tuesday, for pickup on Friday. Simple, right..? If you will be visiting the island and would like to order bread for your visit, at least a week’s notice is recommended for pickup the following Friday.
Wine of the Week: Ryan Patrick Rock Island Chardonnay ’20 Washington $15
Ryan Patrick winery began as a small family winery in 1999. Founders Terry and Vivian Flanagan named the winery after their two sons, Ryan and Patrick. Ryan focused on learning vineyard management, and Patrick was training to become winemaker. Sadly, Patrick was lost to a car accident in 2004. The family continued making wine and marketing it through their tasting room in Leavenworth.
In 2012, the winery was acquired by growing Washington wine giant Milbrandt Vineyards, which already owned a number of brands and hundreds of acres of Washington vineyards. Vivian Flanagan manages the Milbrandt Leavenworth tasting room, and Ryan manages Milbrandt’s esteemed Evergreen vineyard near Quincy.
Clearly the winery has seen some evolution in its 20-year history. Current winemakers Joshua Maloney and Jeremy Santo have won several awards for the quality of their recent wines. This particular chardonnay strikes a nice balance between oaked and unoaked styles, and has become a favorite of many of our members in recent years, so chances are you’re gonna like it!
Economics of the Heart: When Chickens Forget the Way Home
www.backyardchickencoops.com.au
It has been an eventful week for our nation as we head into the next national election. Several vectors of inquiry have coalesced into a lot of challenges for the Tweetster, so many that he is now claiming that as former President, he only needs a single thought to declassify a document…no need to say or write anything, it is all telepathic. Yes, he actually said that.
He is suddenly facing a new set of legal challenges: colossal civil fraud charges in State court for his New York business practices that will likely lead to federal criminal charges, and two significant legal defeats with regard to his misappropriation of classified federal documents: one from Judge Dearie requiring him to decide whether to have his cake or to eat it, and one from the 11th Circuit that the FBI may use the documents in its ongoing criminal investigation. These woes are in addition to the long list of possible Federal and State charges associated with the coup attempt on January 6.
One would think that even long-time Tweetster sycophants would start easing away from their spineless servitude to this huckster, but so far all the usual suspects continue to toe the line in his defense. There are rumors of some Republicans whispering concerns in the cloakroom, but still too afraid to back away from him publicly, so they don’t, and that is cause for serious head-scratching. Are they afraid incurring his wrath will banish them from his endorsement? Or that he will make public whatever dirt he has collected on them? Could it be that they actually Admire the man…??!! Have they not a shred of honor among them?
As we mused recently, the Supremes’ decision in Dobbs has drastically changed the election playing field this year, giving millions of young women a huge incentive to vote against all these white dudes who are taking away their most basic rights to manage their own bodies. These are many of the same guys who demand the right to infect anyone they want by asserting their right to bodily autonomy and refuse to get a vaccine during a global pandemic. We all see the obvious contradiction here, both men and women.
We mentioned last week that the outcomes of the November election will commit us to a course for our nation and the world with regard to everything we hold dear and depend on for our survival and well-being. Our everyday (but not to be taken for granted) rights and freedoms, the ongoing habitability of our planet, the availability of food and water, and increasing destructiveness of wind, rain, and floods– all of these will require a unified effort. Yet everything we still see in front of us says that because Republicans do not believe these challenges even exist, they condemn us all to making them worse.
So maybe the Tweetster was right about one thing: if we don’t get fight like He!! by getting out the pro-choice vote, we won’t have a country anymore…
This Week’s Tasting Flight $10
Ryan Patrick Rock Island Chardonnay ’20 Washington $15
Aromas and flavors of wildflowers, crisp apples, honey, and cinnamon roll with a round, crisp, body and a graceful finish of sumac-spiced croutons.
Angeline Cabernet Sauvignon ’20 California $14
Deep garnet hue with aromas of lush cherry, cassis, and plum lead to rich cherry and plum flavors and lingering notes of vanilla and creamy oak.
Pomum Red ’16 Washington $18
Carefully made Bordeaux blend of cab, cab franc, malbec, petite verdot, and merlot; aromas of red fruit-leather and exotic spices; flavors of black cherry, cranberry, and garrigue.
2072 Granger Way