lummi island wine tasting Spring Equinox ’20
click on photos for larger images
Wine Shop Closed Through March
In Solidarity with our neighbors across the country and across the World, the wine shop will remain closed through the end of March, perhaps longer. That means no weekend wine tasting and no Friday Bread. 🙁
However, in keeping with our long-standing policy to remain a Valuable Community Resource, we will do our best to be On Call for the many Wine Emergencies that are sure to arise under these difficult conditions. We can maintain appropriate social distance while catching up, filling your wine bags, and maybe offering you a sample or two while we visit! Give us a shout.
In the meantime, stay tuned for Updates and stay healthy! We can do this! Yes, we can!
Ten Foot Poles
Our vocabulary has long had expressions about the social distancing that we are now all committed to practicing, usually variations on the theme of refusing to touch something with a ten-foot pole. This is believed to have originated some 2000 years ago with Roman surveyors, who regularly used a measuring rod known as a decempeda (decem pedes = ten feet) in their work. Btw, the “foot” was standardized in 29 AD by Agrippa as 29.6 cm, more or less the same as it is now. Now That is a Legacy!
As to the modern use of the term, we find several noteworthy historical references:
One is from the The North Carolina Standard, 12 June 1839 about the political rise of famous North Carolina politician Henry Clay, that the “whigs” would not touch him with a ten foot pole; but many now declare they will not vote for any one that is opposed to Clay. — (click link to see original newspaper)
Another story has it that New York District Attorney Asa Bird Gardiner, when asked if he might be a candidate for Governor, said, “I wouldn’t touch the nomination with a ten-foot pole.” Btw, his is an interesting story.
Spring Equinox
March is a pretty Big Month when you think about it. You’ve got the Ides, when Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Roman Senate in 44 BC, just about 75 years before Agrippa standardized the length of a Foot. You’ve got St. Patrick’s Day, something of a worldwide excuse to get tipsy all ’round the World. And you have The Spring Equinox, when for a moment the Sun passes directly above a point on the Earth’s Equator on its way north toward its most northerly annual position at the Summer Solstice in June.
By the way, like St. Patrick’s Day, many ancient Christian holidays coincide with ancient pagan holidays, many of which were tied to major events in the solar calendar– solstices, equinoxes, and “cross-quarter days,” which have ancient significance in the human psyche.
This photo was taken at sunset tonight, March 19. From our vantage point the sun is setting just behind Duncan, BC on Vancouver Island, a tad north of West.
Mar a Lago Update: The World At A Standstill
In the last few days even Republicans have started to get it that they are not going to be able to BS their way through this particular Crisis. All the Spin has changed from “Nothing to see here” to “It’s a major crisis and we have it under control due to the brilliant Leadership of the Tweetster.” And even He seems Sobered by the Global Magnitude of the Problem.
At this point we are at a loss for words; it’s just Too overwhelming. But we think THIS will fill in the missing pieces in a holistic, right-brain, and thoroughly enjoyable kind of way…
Strange times. Scary. And yet, more than anything we have experienced before, this Global crisis is touching our common vulnerabilities as a species and uniting the world in poignant and unprecedented ways.
An old friend and colleague had a long-standing theory that only some “Catastrophic Global Crisis” would be able to bring the World together in a Common Defense. Well, at the moment the Virus from Hell and Climate Apocalypse are camped out on the doorstep next to the usual Petty Differences, Corporate Carpetbaggers, and Religious Shills, and for the moment they have our Full Attention. Maybe he was right; something like this Could Pull the World together in Solidarity. Let it be.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date : 16,241 as of 01/24/20
The wines we woulda tasted this weekend… 🙁
Cana’s Feast Vaso Bianco ’18 Washington $16
Pinot Gris-Chard, Gewürzt-Muscat blend; aromatic and light, with pretty floral highlights and buttery texture; palate of apple and pear fruits with a hint of toast.
Three Feathers Pinot Noir Rose ’18 Oregon $20
Pale pink, with nose of fresh flowers and palate of strawberry, green apple, and melon with hints of brioche. Crisp and refreshing.
Folie a Deux Dry Creek Zinfandel $15
Fermented 20% whole cluster and aged four months in neutral oak; the aromas are pure, bright and fruit filled, with notes of raspberry, ash, cherry and flower; light, elegant, smoky finish.
Cana’s Feast Bricco Red ’18 Washington $16
Ripe raspberry, boysenberry and cocoa on the nose. Full flavors of cherry, brown sugar, and coffee serve as a base for more subtle mineral and iron nuances. Generous acidity and tannic structure support a long, round finish.
Baer Arctos Red ’13 Washington $39
84% Cab, 8% Cab Franc , 8% Petit Verdot; displays rich aromas of black plum and cherry, with notes of pretty violet, anise, bay
leaf, and savory cigar box. Seamless and silky on the palate, with fine tannins.
lummi island wine tasting march 13 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Wine Shop Schedule and War on Coronavirus…
Yesterday Governor Inslee declared War on the coronavirus across our State. As numbers of cases continue to grow rapidly here and around the world, and as it will likely be some considerable time before a vaccine can be brought to bear, we are all being asked to help slow down its spread by actively practicing “social distancing” by minimizing physical contact with each other. Because it will likely be many months before effective treatments or vaccines are designed, tested, and implemented, social distancing is the best strategy we have at the moment to slow the spread of the virus. It will be inconvenient and annoying as well as a little scary and isolating. But it is also Prudent and does offer us some protection both individually and collectively.
Until yesterday we had been debating whether to stay open for wine tasting this weekend, and now these new protocols have made the decision for us.
Therefore, here’s what you need to know about our schedule for the next few weeks:
- We will be open for the usual Bread Pickup (see below) from 4-6 on March 13, except that…
- There will be NO Wine Tasting...although
- Wine Purchases are possible!
- We will be CLOSED on Saturday, March 14 and will…
- REMAIN CLOSED FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKENDS.
We will miss you! Stay tuned and stay healthy!
Friday Breads This Week
Barley, Whole Wheat, & Rye Levain – made with a levain also known as sourdough which is built over several days and allowed to ferment before the final dough is mixed. Made with bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat, barley and rye flours. – $5/loaf
Le Pave d’autrefois – (aka “old paving stones”) This is a ciabatta like bread which has a lot of hydration so it isn’t really shaped so much as simply divided into approximate squares – hence the paving stones name. Made with a mix of bread flour as well as fresh milled whole wheat, rye and buckwheat flours for a lot of hearty whole grain goodness. -$5/ stone
Black Pepper Walnut- Bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and rye. A fair amount of black pepper and toasted walnuts give this bread great flavor with just a bit of peppery bite to it. Would go well with all sorts of meats and cheese – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Heavenly Butterhorns – a delicious pastry made with a rich Danish dough full of eggs, butter & sugar. The dough is rolled out and laminated with more butter before being rolled up and sliced, topped with almonds and glazed fresh out of the oven – 2/$5
(breads must be pre-ordered by Wednesday for pickup here at the wine shop at our Friday wine tasting, 4-6pm. Planning a visit to the Island? Email us to get on the mailing list!)
Mar a Lago Update: Corona Crisis
The past ten days have felt like a hundred # of Mass stuffed under great pressure into a Five # bag. Disturbing. Threatening. Out of control. Not likely to resolve itself any time soon. And all on the Tweetster’s Watch. This is the first Real Crisis he has ever had to face, and he is completely incapable of dealing with it. His usual band-aid assurances are woefully inadequate, leaving him no Cover from his responsibility. The Buck is circling outside his door and this time could actually stop right on his desk.
There can be no Real Leadership without full acceptance of Responsibility. We are about to see over the next few months how this will all unfold. If no one takes Responsibility, Someone will have to be Blamed. Fingers will be Pointed; a Story will be contrived.
Maybe this time there will be Blowback…
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date : 16,241 as of 01/24/20
The wines we woulda tasted this weekend… 🙁
Cana’s Feast Vaso Bianco ’18 Washington $16
Pinot Gris-Chard, Gewürzt-Muscat blend; aromatic and light, with pretty floral highlights and buttery texture; palate of apple and pear fruits with a hint of toast.
Three Feathers Pinot Noir Rose ’18 Oregon $20
Pale pink, with nose of fresh flowers and palate of strawberry, green apple, and melon with hints of brioche. Crisp and refreshing.
Folie a Deux Dry Creek Zinfandel $15
Fermented 20% whole cluster and aged four months in neutral oak; the aromas are pure, bright and fruit filled, with notes of raspberry, ash, cherry and flower; light, elegant, smoky finish.
Cana’s Feast Bricco Red ’18 Washington $16
Ripe raspberry, boysenberry and cocoa on the nose. Full flavors of cherry, brown sugar, and coffee serve as a base for more subtle mineral and iron nuances. Generous acidity and tannic structure support a long, round finish.
Baer Arctos Red ’13 Washington $39
84% Cab, 8% Cab Franc , 8% Petit Verdot; displays rich aromas of black plum and cherry, with notes of pretty violet, anise, bay
leaf, and savory cigar box. Seamless and silky on the palate, with fine tannins.
lummi island wine tasting march 6-7 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Friday Breads This Week
Barley, Whole Wheat, & Rye Levain – made with a levain also known as sourdough which is built over several days and allowed to ferment before the final dough is mixed. Made with bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat, barley and rye flours. – $5/loaf
Fig Anise – One of the more popular breads in the rotation. Made with a sponge that is fermented overnight, then the final dough is mixed with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Honey, dried figs and anise bring in all the flavors of the Mediterranean. A great flavorful bread – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Morning Buns – Made popular by Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, and this is my interpretation. Made with the same laminated dough as croissants. The dough is rolled out, spread with a filling of brown sugar, orange zest, butter and cinnamon. Rolled up and sliced before baking. – 2/$5
(breads must be pre-ordered by Wednesday for pickup here at the wine shop at our Friday wine tasting, 4-6pm. Planning a visit to the Island? Email us to get on the mailing list!)
Corona Virus
Technically speaking, viruses are not living organisms. Since they cannot replicate on their own they must invade and hijack the cells of living organisms to reproduce. They are more like Zombies than living beings, half-alive and half-chemical, invading actual living organisms and using their reproductive systems to survive and reproduce. (You know, like Alien.) Since viruses can’t perpetuate on their own, they can only reproduce by commandeering cellular machinery from another organism’s genome. Btw, the word “virus” derives from Latin for “poison.”
Viruses are made of DNA/RNA enclosed in a protein coat that can shelter the viral proteins that cause infection, making a virus more like a chemistry set than an organism. But when a virus enters a cell (called a host after infection), it uses the cell’s own replication machinery to reproduce its own DNA or RNA and make more of itself.
The upshot is that the Corona Virus is more like a spill from Dow Chemical than a disease like the Measles: if you don’t get any on you, it won’t hurt you. So the Big Takeaway here is Let’s Not Get Any On Us!
To that end, we invite our faithful members to attend our Open Hours this weekend (4-7 Friday, 2-6 Saturday) as long as you feel Healthy and are not running a temperature, coughing, sneezing, or sniffling. Let’s take care of ourselves and each other by erring on the side of Prudence and staying home if we are feeling at all unwell. Let’s support each other in getting through this thing in good health!
Mar a Lago Update: The Comfort Factor
The world of Presidential Nominating Politics has had quite a week, huh? For nearly a year some two dozen hopeful candidates have thrown themselves into crowded and turbulent political waters. Over the last few months the field has continued to narrow as one by one has exhausted their resources and bowed out. A week ago we were all still fretting over How to Decide from the surviving (and mostly appealing) group of Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg, Biden, Klobuchar, Steyer, and that other guy, you know, the one from New York City with Bottomless Bank Account.
Then, beginning Saturday, in the space of a few days the field narrowed to Only Two. Something coalesced in the Group Unconscious beginning with the South Carolina Primary stunning victory to former VP Joe Biden. Three days later on “Super Tuesday,” a Domino-like wave of support rippled forth for Biden as if a long-constipated Political Lake Missoula had suddenly broken through its surrounding glacier and burst forth like a Tidal Wave across an up-till-then Quiet Palouse. No One predicted That!
Though Biden was broadly presumed to be the Safest candidate (most likely to beat the Tweetster), he entered the race later, raised far less money, and until about a week ago performed with less energy and charisma during the debates than many of the other candidates. He also had a series of disappointing finishes in Iowa, NH, and Nevada, and looked like a Goner. So it was quite amazing how he Crushed the South Carolina Primary, so Decisively that on Super Tuesday he swept five of the remaining six opposing candidates out of the race Just Like That! Which leaves us with Bernie and Joe.
As a good friend put it, Biden is like a comfy old easy chair. You shop around for something newer and better, but when you get really tired of shopping, it’s just such a Relief to let it all go and relax into that old familiar chair with a nice glass of wine…Ahhhhhhh. At the same time, we have great respect and affection for Bernie’s commitment to advancing the Progressive cause. IOHO, his one little Mistake has been incorrectly calling himself a Democratic Socialist, when the correct term for his values is “Social Democrat.” And that semantic difference, at a time when so much is at stake in selecting the Tweetster’s Rival, is likely to make all the difference.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date : 16,241 as of 01/24/20
This week’s tasting
La Bella Prosecco NV Italy $11
Italy’s refreshing, festive and crisp sparkling wine; aromatic, fresh and lively with a distinctive taste; fine, persistent perlage, good minerality and notes of apple and peach.
Folie a Deux Pinot Gris ’18 Calif $14
Guava, pineapple and lemon-lime flavors make for a fleshy, brightly layered expression of the varietal, both soft on the palate and crisp on the palate.
Tenute Rubino Oltremé Susumaniello ’17 Italy $14
Fresh, fragrant notes of cherries, pomegranate, raspberries and hints of ripe plum; fruity, minerally, and round on the palate with soft, pleasant tannins, a versatile and seductive pairing with richer dishes.
Oregon Solidarity Pinot Noir ’18 Oregon $25
Rich and intense fruit flavors that reflect the warm and dry growing season. Aromas and flavors of cherry, blackberry and spice. Excellent balance, with solid structure, concentration and firm tannins.
Seven Hills Walla Walla Red ’14 Washington $20
85% Cab, 10% Malbec and 5% Petit Verdot; green herb, black fruit, coffee and anise aromas give way to beautifully balanced red- and black-fruit flavors. The acidity brings a sense of vibrancy, while the tannins provide plenty of structure.
lummi island wine tasting feb 28 ’20
click on photos for larger images
Friday Breads This Week
Poolish Ale – the preferment here is 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 also made with a poolish, fresh milled buckwheat and bread flour. Buckwheat is not a grain it is actually a seed and closer in the plant family to rhubarb and sorrel than to wheat and contains no gluten. Though this bread is not gluten-free (it is includes bread flour made from wheat) it has an earthy buckwheat flavor balanced with a little honey. Some toasted walnuts add a nice crunch…goes well with meats and cheeses – $5/loaf
Brioche Tarts au Sucre – aka brioche sugar tarts. A rich brioche dough full of eggs and butter is rolled into a round tart and topped with more eggs, cream, butter and sugar. – 2/$5
(breads must be pre-ordered by Wednesday for pickup here at the wine shop at our Friday wine tasting, 4-6pm. Planning a visit to the Island? Email us to get on the mailing list!)
Climate Notes: Anti-Greta
Over the last decade in general and roughly coinciding, we notice, with Darth McConnell’s Death Grip on control of the US Senate (Abandon All Hope All Bills Which Enter Here…), our country has been taken down an evolving (devolving?) road of Epic Environmental Ignorance and Catastrophe which threatens the existence of All Life on our Dear Planet Earth. One of the bright lights that has recently buoyed both our spirits and our hopes for continuing Life on Planet Earth has been the emergence this year of the young voice of unlikely environmental heroine Greta Thunberg. In the past year, young Greta has reflected our complacency back upon us, basically pointing her finger at us and crying a deeply touching lament: we are killing the Planet that sustains what may be the only Life in the entire Universe. Heavy stuff, bringing a Profound sense of Grief to those of us who have studied and warned about these things for the last fifty years, to no avail. And we keep asking, WTF is wrong with our species?
The latest entrant in this ongoing-for-a-few-more-years Existential Moral Combat is a young woman named Naomi Seibt, who has been recently recruited/created by the Heartland Institute, a right-wing think tank committed to Denying that the global climate is getting dangerously hostile to Life because of human destruction of the thermodynamic balance that brought forth and has maintained Life in this tiny, fragile, unique, and fleeting Oasis for hundreds of millions of years.
Nineteen-year-old Naomi has been designed and weaponized to counter the visceral emotional appeal that Thunberg evokes when she speaks of the Global Destruction Sequence that has already been initiated by two hundred years of exponentially increasing combustion of fossil fuels by our species.
Naomi Klein introducing Greta Thunberg
Mar a Lago Update: At Stake This Weekend
As one would expect, fivethirtyeight.com has some very interesting takes on the importance of the coming week in determining who will be the Democratic Presidential candidate in this year’s election. We have the South Carolina primary this weekend followed by “Super Tuesday,” when another dozen states including delegate-rich California and Texas hold their primaries on March 3.
At the moment the race is leaning toward Bernie Sanders, but Joe Biden is expected to do well with black voters who make up the majority of the electorate in South Carolina. The link above analyzes three different scenarios for the SC primary outcomes, all looking closely at the likely Sanders-Biden relative outcomes. Although Biden did not show well in the Iowa, NH, or Nevada caucuses/primaries (all of which Sanders won), his long relationships with SC politics make him the favorite in this particular primary.
When the primaries are one at a time, winning can give a candidate something of “Bandwagon Effect” that adds Momentum to a campaign in States to follow. All that adds up to a lot of pressure on Biden to achieve a strong showing in SC this weekend, and he is widely expected to do quite well. The big Takeaways from the 538 article are that: 1) the better he does in SC, the better he will do on Super Tuesday (the Momentum factor), and 2) the better he does on Super Tuesday, the better shot he has at the nomination.
All of that adds up to a lot at stake for them and for the country in the coming week. This article does not even look at other candidates than Biden or Bernie in this piece. We are still trying to decide our votes for our own WA primary on March 10, though of course we all have our leanings. But one thing is for sure: Anyone but the Tweetster! So say we All!
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date : 16,241 as of 01/24/20
This week’s tasting
Terra d’Oro Moscato ’18 California $14
Intoxicating aromas of perfumed peach blossom and fresh honeysuckle with sweet, creamy lemon cheesecake flavors and bright, fresh apricot and white peach on the palate. Crisp, rich, and balanced with lingering notes of rose petal.
Chat Auzias Cabardes Red ’17 France $11
Dark berries with a hint of eucalyptus; medium body with good acidity and notes of raspberry and sweet oak on the lingering finish.
Townshend Cellars T3 red blend Washington $17
Bordeaux style blend of cab, merlot and cab franc; fruit forward with hints of black currant and vanilla, with layers of complexity and depth through extensive oak aging in French and American barrels.
Edi Simcic Duet ’16 Slovenia $30
Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc; bold and compelling, with notes of chocolate, cherries, cheesecake, and coffee on silky tannins and a lush, ripe, fruit-full body that goes on and on.
Lady Hill Cabernet Franc ’16 Oregon $32
Aromas of raisined berry fruit, sugared dates, chocolate, caramel and orange peel lead to a rich, lush, palate with flavors of raisin, cocoa, coffee and toffee. Great on its own or with any kind of chocolate, Stilton cheese. or toasted walnuts.
2072 Granger Way