lummi island wine tasting sept 5 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Saturday Outdoor Wine Tastings By Appointment!
While Covid and good weather continue, we are offering limited Saturday afternoon outdoor wine tastings by appointment for two parties of up to five people each. To minimize overlap between groups we are scheduling the first group for 2:30 and the second at 4:00. Tasting fee is $5 each for a flight of four wines. Social distancing rules will be observed, and hand sanitizer will be provided. See guidelines below.
NOTES:
1. Note that the two slots sometimes fill early in the week;
2. Due to the outdoor venue, reservations are weather-dependent. (We are exploring ways to extend our season a bit, we’ll see how that goes…)
Social Distancing Guidelines
1. Everyone must wear a mask when they are not seated;
2. Groups sharing a table must be a “pod”of family or close friends that regularly share space together, or otherwise take responsibility for managing social distance within their group; and
3. Everyone agrees not to arrive before their appointment begins and to leave before it ends.
To make a reservation, call number next to our logo (above, right).
Drydock Wine Supplies
We have been stocking up our wine shelves a bit for Annual Drydock, which we all know means passenger traffic only from Sept 12 – Oct 3. Even when we are NOT in a Pandemic most of us old-timers try to avoid the close quarters on the passenger ferry and hole up here on The Rock till the car ferry returns, all spiffed up and ready to serve yet another year. So this year it should be Very Quiet around here, except for the occasional strange chugging, coughing, pinging sounds from the “Island Cars” that come into service while the Real Car in on the mainland in case you need to go to town for some reason.
In preparation for the inevitable Claustrophobic binging needs that Drydock evokes (each week it gets a little worse) we have stocked up on popular favorite wines and added a few new ones that presented just too good a deal to pass up. See our current list on the “Order Wine” tab at the top of this page.
When you have made selections, you can submit an order as follows:
- Send an email with the names and quantities of each wine you would like to order;
- Phone: call us at the number next to our logo, above right, and leave a message.
- Appointment: If you would prefer to shop in person, call to make an appointment. You bring a mask, we will provide hand sanitizer, and sorry, no more than two visitors in the shop at a time.
It’s that Simple!
Dreamtime For Sale
For whatever reasons, the way our lives have gone in the last few years has not provided much support for sailing, and with some ambivalence we have made the difficult decision to put our Montgomery 23, Dreamtime on the market. She is presently moored at Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham, probably until the end of Drydock, when she will likely go back on her trailer for the winter behind CityMac in Bellingham.
This is a sweet boat to sail, but there never seems to be the time and commitment actually to get underway. Click on the Dreamtime Pics button at top of page to see more photos.
Only about 20 of these boats were made, all between 1979 and 1984. They have become something of a cult classic along with their smaller counterparts, the Montgomery 17 and Montgomery 15.
Current asking price has been lowered to $16,000, which includes boat, custom trailer, Honda 9.9 outboard, and 8 ft Westmarine inflatable dinghy (with it ever-handy fold-down wheels!). Call or email for additional information (see logo area, above).
Mar a Lago Update: On Dignity
A friend recently loaned us his copy of the recent New York Review of Books to read this article by Joseph O’Neill, in which he reviews at some length Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save Our Country, a new book by well-known Washington Post journalist E.J. Dionne.
O’Neill begins with this: Somewhat unexpectedly, ensuring the success of the Democratic Party has become the most important political project in the world…(U.S.) leadership is essential if the climate crisis and other world-historical dangers are to be overcome. This can happen only if Democrats dominate the national government for the best part of the next ten years (because)…the contemporary Republican Party is (according to Noam Chomsky) “the most dangerous organization in human history.”
Thus ensues a detailed summary of Dionne’s arguments in support of these ideas, beginning with the catastrophic confluence of the irresponsible hubris of Trumpian Republicanism with the Perfect Storm of the global Covid pandemic, Global Warming, accelerating species extinctions, desertification, sea level rise, the increasing uninhabitability of large portions of the Earth due to flooding, heat, and increasingly destructive storm winds; the ever-increasing concentration of wealth in fewer and fewer hands while the human population grows exponentially beyond what the planet can sustain; and the ongoing physical violence against and economic disenfranchisement of entire subgroups of our fellow citizens solely from self-serving habits of prejudice.
Because it has become increasingly clear over the past four years that Republicans are All In with Denying that any of these things exist or matter, Dionne’s working Hypothesis is that the only way Life as we Know It can be saved is with the leadership and example of the United States, the only country in the world that can (or could at one time) organize and lead such an effort. The key to such a major shift in American politics, says Dionne, is a new kind of Democratic Party, in which the petty squabbles among the Myriad Interests (after all, Democrats are by default Everyone who is Not a Republican) can be put aside in recognition of and commitment to a broadly defined concept of Dignity.
By this he means a broad philosophical commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” The concept links issues of justice; recognition; the distributional effects of taxation, economic, and environmental policy; workers’ rights; and equal opportunities. In short, Dignity seems to focus what we usually think of as Equality from the more abstract to more measurable kinds of outcomes. An interesting idea…
lummi island wine tasting august 28 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Saturday Outdoor Wine Tastings By Appointment!
We have tidied up the wine shop entrance area to accommodate limited Saturday afternoon outdoor wine tasting appointments for two parties of up to four people each. To minimize overlap between groups we are scheduling the first group for 2:30 and the second at 4:00. Tasting fee is $5 each for a flight of four wines. Social distancing rules will be observed, and hand sanitizer will be provided. See guidelines below.
NOTES:
1. The two slots sometimes fill early in the week;
2. Due to the outdoor venue, reservations are weather-dependent. (We are exploring ways to extend our season a bit, we’ll see how that goes…)
Social Distancing Guidelines
1. Everyone must wear a mask when they are not seated;
2. Groups sharing a table must be a “pod”of family or close friends that regularly share space together, or otherwise take responsibility for managing social distance within their group; and
3. Everyone agrees not to arrive before their appointment begins and to leave before it ends.
To make a reservation, call number next to our logo (above, right).
Stocking Up for Drydock
We are now two weeks away from annual Drydock for our trusty Whatcom Chief. As usual there will be a passenger-only boat making regular runs across Hales Passage from Sept 12 – Oct 3. And due to the risks of Covid transmission in the close quarters of the passenger cabin, it is likely that many of us will not venture off the island at all during this year’s Drydock.
Therefore we want to alert you to check if your wine inventories might need a little padding to get you through. We will be stocking up a bit as well, hopefully enough to assure that No One will have to go Without Wine (OMD, the Horror!).
Use the Order Wine link above, or call, or email any orders!
We have been stocking up a bit for Annual Ferry Drydock which will run for three weeks beginning Sept 12. We all know the close quarters on the passenger ferry, so chances are most of us Old-timers will try to hole up here on the island till the car ferry returns in early October. We have stocked up on popular favorite wines and added a few new wines that presented just too good a deal to pass up. See the current list on the “Order Wine” tab at the top of this page.
When you have made selections, you can submit an order as follows:
- Send an email with the names and quantities of each wine you would like to order;
- Phone: call us at the number next to our logo, above right, and leave a message.
- Appointment: If you would prefer to shop in person, call to make an appointment. You bring a mask, we will provide hand sanitizer, and sorry, no more than two visitors in the shop at a time.
It’s that Simple!
Dreamtime For Sale
For whatever reasons, the way our lives have gone in the last few years has not provided much support for much sailing, and with some ambivalence we have made the difficult decision to put our Montgomery 23, Dreamtime , on the market. She is presently moored at Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham, probably until the end of Drydock, when she will likely go back on her trailer for the winter behind CityMac in Bellingham.
We confess some ambivalence about this decision. This is a sweet boat to sail, but there never seems to be the time and commitment actually to get underway. Click on the Dreamtime Links button at top of page to see more photos.
Only about 20 of these boats were made, all between 1979 and 1984. They have become something of a cult classic along with their smaller counterparts, the Montgomery 17 and Montgomery 15.
As of today (8/27) asking price has been lowered to $16,000. Call for additional information.
Mar a Lago Update: Authoritarians and Hungry Ghosts
Today’s interview with Nixon White House Counsel John Dean on Democracy Now! focused on the release of his new book ,Authorian Nightmare, with co-author Bob Altemeyer, a psychology professor with long experience studying the subject. In a way the book follows the theme of Dean’s earlier book a decade ago, Conservatives Without Conscience, which explored the increasing domination of the Republican Party by authoritarian personalities, both leaders and followers.
Authoritarianism is Scary Stuff. You can get a feel for it in this video clip from the classic 1972 film Cabaret. The scene chillingly captures the authoritarian fervor of the Nazi Youth movement in Germany in the early 1930’s. It is not unlike the MAGA movement of today’s Trump supporters, who cheer whenever he denigrates or punishes Blacks, Immigrants,Women, Democrats, long-time European allies, Reporters…everyone and anyone who dares to criticize him or hesitates to do his bidding.
Before our eyes, Trump (like all of us) is acting out his inner psychology with every word and action, and these words and actions tell the story behind the story. All of his actions point to a person (as his niece suggests in her book) who, like his siblings, experienced enough neglect and abuse as an infant and very young child as to deeply imbue two Unconscious Core Beliefs that have shaped his entire life. First: No One is Ever Really Going to Be There for Me. Second, by inference; There must be Something Terribly Wrong with Me. Thus has ensued a lifetime of his particular Dumb Cycle (we all have our own):
Seeks Approval by getting Attention –> Can’t absorb Nourishment from resultant Attention –> Seeks Approval by getting Attention –> etc.
While it may be a bit of a stretch, this feeling is curiously well-illustrated in the first 1:25 of this song from Superstar, which can easily be taken as a narcissistic lament from a Hungry Ghost. It is a metaphor for all of us who yearn for something so deeply that there is not enough of it in the Universe to fulfill our hunger. Trump seems more like a Hungry Ghost than a Dark Lord. But that doesn’t mean the Dark Lords (those who choreographed the Republican “convention,” four nights of Outright Lies) do not find him Useful. On the contrary, it is entirely likely They are using Him to their own self-serving ends. As the old saying goes, “When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the Flag and carrying a Cross.”
Certainly there is one unmistakable takeaway from the recent Conventions: the Democrats are all about Unification and Inclusion, while the Republicans are all about Division and Exclusion. The Democrats appeal to our Better Angels, and the Republicans to our Worst. What the World needs right now is a global commitment to save our planet from the damage we humans have already caused. The Right has made it clear they would rather end all life on the planet than give up the short-term gains from undiminished fossil fuel use. Their attitude is remarkably well portrayed by the image of Hunter S. Thompson as described in this interview with (we’re not making this up!) Johnny Depp.
lummi island wine tasting aug 21 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Saturday Outdoor Wine Tastings By Appointment!
We have tidied up the wine shop entrance area to accommodate limited Saturday afternoon outdoor wine tasting appointments for two parties of up to four people each. To minimize overlap between groups we are scheduling the first group for 2:30 and the second at 4:00. Tasting fee is $5 each for a flight of four wines. Social distancing rules will be observed, and hand sanitizer will be provided. See guidelines below.
NOTES:
1. The two slots sometimes fill early in the week;
2. Due to the outdoor venue, reservations are weather-dependent. (We are exploring ways to extend our season a bit, we’ll see how that goes…)
Social Distancing Guidelines
1. Everyone must wear a mask when they are not seated;
2. Groups sharing a table must be a “pod”of family or close friends that regularly share space together, or otherwise take responsibility for managing social distance within their group; and
3. Everyone agrees not to arrive before their appointment begins and to leave before it ends.
To make a reservation, call number next to our logo (above, right).
Stocking Up for Drydock
We are deeply grateful for the continuing support of your phone and email wine orders over the past five months of Covid Closure. (Five Months? Really? Where has the time gone??) .
We have been stocking up a bit for Annual Ferry Drydock which will run for three weeks beginning Sept 12. We all know the close quarters on the passenger ferry, so chances are most of us Old-timers will try to hole up here on the island till the car ferry returns in early October. We have stocked up on popular favorite wines and added a few new wines that presented just too good a deal to pass up. See the current list on the “Order Wine” tab at the top of this page.
When you have made selections, you can submit an order as follows:
- Send an email with the names and quantities of each wine you would like to order;
- Phone: call us at the number next to our logo, above right, and leave a message.
- Appointment: If you would prefer to shop in person, call to make an appointment. You bring a mask, we will provide hand sanitizer, and sorry, no more than two visitors in the shop at a time.
It’s that Simple!
Attention Shoppers!
A few weeks ago we wandered around the weekly Friday bread pickup pouring tastes of a very inexpensive Spanish blend of garnacha and carinena (grenache/carignan) packed in a wooden case for $84 (that’s right, $7 per bottle!). The wine is from Castillo de Monseran with these tasting notes:
An easy drinking, fruit-driven wine. Herbal overtones on the nose, bursting with ripe berry and plum fruit typical of Garnacha. Soft and round on the palate with gentle, well-integrated tannins making it suitable to be enjoyed while young. Lingering red fruit on the finish.
In full disclosure, we admit a certain bias toward any blend that includes carinena (aka carignan in France), but then again we have high expectations. As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the first tasting was quite impressive, only to find (as sometimes happens) it was not nearly as good the next day. If you like red blends with big fruit flavors and a soft texture you may find this a great value. We’ll bring some to Friday Bread pickup if you want to try it!
And remember: you get a nice wooden box with a sliding lid if you buy a case!
Mar a Lago Update: Are They ALL Crooks?
An article in today’s Washington Post nicely captures the rapid Descent of the Republican Party over the past five years. Beginning with the clusterf8%ks that were the Republican Presidential Debates in 2015, the entire Party has wholeheartedly ridden the Train to Hell with the Tweetster-in-Chief. One by one all of them (except Mitt Romney, whom we salute for his moral courage) have either voluntarily left office and/or their Party, or have discarded without apology every one of the supposed “principles” they had long claimed were their Bedrock Beliefs and Commitments.
In this article, Jennifer Rubin succinctly and effectively lists enough examples of this blatant Republican Hypocrisy to illustrate her point: “The party has become a smash-and-grab operation — smash democratic norms and institutions, and grab the limelight and cash for however long they can.”
This Reality is in sharp contrast to the last four days of inspiring voices streaming into our homes from the Virtual Democratic Convention. It is certainly a relief to be immersed in a little Hope again with millions of like-minded people after four painful and exhausting years of watching everything we children of the Fifties held dear about our country rolled back or erased completely— including most basically that whatever else might be going on, We Were the Good Guys, committed to Right vs. Might, and NOT the other way around.
Sadly, that concept has been eroding since at least 1980, accelerating sharply in the Dubya Administration, which was heavily under the influence of the Project for the New American Century, the primary Neocon think tank that also spawned the the American Enterprise Institute and the pre-911 idea that “What we need (to get some policy traction) is a New Pearl Harbor.” History shows they had plans on the table to use a 911-like event to leverage the immediate invasion of Afghanistan, followed a year later by the 2003 U.S. invasion (and wholesale destruction) of Iraq, billions of dollars unaccountably “lost,” and both everyday infratructure and ancient cultural artifacts looted or destroyed.
Bill Kristol, one of the founding members of this war-mongering group, now appears regularly as a Tweetster Critic, probably because the T is more motivated toward social adulation than Global Dominance. So do not be fooled into thinking that these Neocon guys are now our Friends. On the contrary, there is evidence that Blackwater Dark Lord Eric Prince (who is, btw, brother of far-right Education Secretary Betsy Devos) had links to the recent Fed presence in Portland and other cities, possibly causing the “crime and vandalism” that “justified” their presence. There’s a lot going on, and it is not a big stretch to imagine that these people do not have our best interests at heart.
We may have many other menacing threats than the Tweetster to worry about and respond to, including a global pandemic; economic depression; racial inequality; and the growing costs of global climate change. Forces are likely already at work to rig the election in various ways. We can all Feel that tension between Hope and Fear. The last four years of 24/7 Mad-Hatter insanity have taught us that the Rules no longer matter, and our election could turn out exactly like the recent election in Belarus: Dictator Wins Landslide Victory! NOOOOOOOoooooo!
Arrrr, these be difficult times, lads; let’s keep a sharp Eye to Weather, keep our powder dry, ‘n’ take Nothin’ for Granted!
lummi island wine tasting august 15 ’20
click on photos for larger images
New: Saturday Outdoor Wine Tastings By Appointment!
We have tidied up the wine shop entrance area to accommodate limited Saturday afternoon outdoor wine tasting appointments for two parties of up to four people each. To minimize overlap between groups we are scheduling the first group for 2:30 and the second at 4:00. Tasting fee is $5 each for a flight of four wines. Social distancing rules will be observed, and hand sanitizer will be provided. See guidelines below.
The photo at left was posted on Yelp by our very first tasting group several weeks ago (was that Sweet, or what?!). The Saturday weather has been good, and each Saturday has been Deeply Restorative to be able to hang out with a few of you again for a bit. After all, spending time with all of you each week is really the only reason we have been doing this all these years; so even with appropriate distancing it really helps fill a tank that has been too empty for too many months!
Social Distancing Rules:
1. Everyone must wear a mask whenever they are not seated;
2. Groups sharing a table must be a “pod” like a family or close friends that regularly share space together or otherwise take responsibility for managing social distance within their group; and
3. Everyone agrees not to arrive before their appointment begins and to leave before it ends.
Obviously seating is very limited; call number next to our logo (above, right) or email us at info@artisanwineclub.com to make a reservation.
Wine Shopping: Online or By Appointment
We are grateful for the continuing support of your phone and email wine orders while the Shutdown continues. We think we have put together a worthy selection of better-than-average-for-the-price wines to suit the demands of this stressful time.
Wine orders can be ordered by email or by phone for pick up here at the wine shop by arrangement, or during Friday Bread Pickup at the ferry parking lot. Just click on the “Order Wine” heading at the top of this page for a partial list of our current offerings.
When you have made selections, you can submit an order as follows:
- Email: Click “Contact Us”on the website header bar at the top of this page; enter the names and quantities of each wine you would like to order, and click “Submit,” or…
- Phone: call us your selections at the number next to our logo, above right.
- Appointment: If you would prefer to shop in person, call to make an appointment. You bring a mask, we will provide hand sanitizer, and sorry, no more than two visitors in the shop at a time. It’s that Simple!
Pic St. Loup
At a recent tasting we poured an old favorite, the Chateau Lancyre Pic St. Loup Rosé. As usual each year, it hit the spot for those who tasted it— you lucky few who had made reservations for our limited (dare we say…exclusive…?) seating during Covid!
Whenever we offer a wine from this little region a short drive north from Montpelier, we can’t help mentioning a certain fascination with the appellation. Visible in the photo, the “Pic” is a 640-meter “Tooth” of Granite that dominates the view for miles in every direction, powerful, beautiful, vaguely remote, and totally dedicated to the grapes on its flanks.
The wines from Pic St. Loup must be predominantly syrah, grenache, and mourvedre (as in nearby Southern Rhone) and fairly consistently have a certain gravitas. The vines must be at least six years old (not the usual three) before considered mature enough for making red wines, but are perfect for making excellent rosé!). Vineyards are scattered among rugged hills sloping up from the Mediterranean and the climate tends to be cooler and wetter than elsewhere in Languedoc due to the influence of Atlantic winds and rain from the West and North.
Typically, Pic St. Loup reds show deep color and satisfying depth of flavor, with bold, spicy, and earthy complexity. They also tend to display more elegance and refinement than wines from the hotter Languedoc plains to the south. This week we are pouring (among other things) the Chateau la Roque Pic-St. Loup Rouge, a blend of 65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, annd 10% Mourvèdre.
As one reviewer puts it, “Perhaps it’s the horse-farmed, chemical-free vineyards, far from present-day pollutants, or perhaps it’s the minimalist winemaking and unfiltered bottling, but there is something timeless to La Roque’s Pic Saint Loup, its herbal bouquet and rich, fleshy texture, all free from any hint of modern trappings.”
Chateau la Roque Rouge ’17 France $18
65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. A lithe and expressive red, with fine balance and well-structured flavors of dried cherry, plum and boysenberry, featuring hints of tarragon and cream on the finish.
Mar a Lago Update: Domestic Enemy #1
As he crossed the Rubicon from Gaul back into Roman lands in 49 BC in defiance of orders not to return to Rome, Julius Caesar is reputed to have said, “Alea iacta est!”— The die is cast! That action began a five-year war that would transform the 700 year-old Roman Republic into the Roman Empire, creating karmic currents that still drive human history.
We seem to be at such a moment in the history of our own country, in which our current “leader” has just this week crossed his own Rubicon, boldly admitting (bragging…?) that he was taking deliberate action ( appointing one of his Yes-Men to be in charge) to keep the US Postal Service from reliably being able to collect, sort, secure, and deliver mail-in ballots in the upcoming November election for the very Seat of Power that he now holds and wants to keep holding.
At present our own State of Washington is one of five (plus Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, and Utah…huh? Utah??) that do only mail-in balloting. It is easy and has many built-in safeguards, including what some of us consider the Gold Standard of Voting: a physical, verifiable paper ballot that can easily be audited to confirm its validity. Moreover, you can vote two or three weeks before the actual election (makes collating and counting easier), and you don’t have to drive somewhere or wait in a line to vote. In short, it’s the most secure system yet devised.
It is also well established that changing demographics in the U.S. are becoming increasingly unfavorable to traditional Republican “values.” To paraphrase an old cartoon, picture a Boomer Mom of the Fifties in her “modern” kitchen with her young daughter, who asks “Mommy, is it true that Republicans have Hearts of Stone?” To which Mommy replies warmly, “No, dear…Republicans don’t have hearts.” In response to the erosion of their traditional base, over the past twenty years we have seen Republican politicians across the country focus on grotesque gerrymandering, voter suppression tactics, national manipulation of state legislatures by the Koch brothers lobbying group ALEC, slanderous reporting on Fox and Right Wing radio, and increasing affinity with authoritarian foreign states.
Here we are today, a few months away from perhaps the most pivotal election in our Nation’s history, and our already-once-impeached and so-called President has today declared with full confidence in his Godlike Authority (and almost certainly backed up by 99% of Congressional Republicans) that he is taking deliberate action to make sure that voting by mail in the November election fails to deliver a convincing outcome. This will likely involve attempts to use the Postal Service to lose ballots, suffer weeks-long delays in reporting results, and creating issues in many states that challenge the validity of election results.
And from the resulting chaos, the future of the Empire and the entire world will be decided. This is Serious Stuff, folks. In one direction lies a hopeful future of human unity, carbon neutrality, environmental stewardship, mutual respect, kindness, patience, and wisdom. In the other lie many possible Dystopias of self-centered ignorance, violence against other living beings, distrust, anger, and our own possible extinction.
Today War has officially been declared; everything we hold dear is at stake; and the future depends on our ability to restore Order to the process we call America. The next three months will decide that future.
2072 Granger Way