lummi island wine tasting aug 30 ’19 artists studio tour
click on photos for larger images
Friday Breads
Barley, Whole Wheat, & Rye Levain – a levain bread where the sourdough culture 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. A hearty whole grain bread that is a great all around bread – $5/loaf
Rye w/ Currants, Pumpkin Seeds & Cracked Coriander – Made with a levain that is made with rye instead of wheat flour, the final dough is about half bread flour and half freshly milled rye flour, some molasses for sweetness and pumpkin seeds, currants and cracked coriander seed make for an interesting flavor profile. Because of the high amount of rye this bread is generally a more compact loaf and is great with meats and cheese – $5/loaf
Rum Raisin Brioche: A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with golden raisins and chunks of almond paste AND topped with a chocolate glaze before baking. Ooh la la! – 2/$5.
(note: 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!)
Yummy Goodies!
Over the last few months we have been remiss in letting our stock of delicious artisan Chocolate dwindle and run out. So we have Good News: we have just brought in a new order of delicious Theo chocolate bars from their factory at the old Red Hook brewery on the shore of the ship canal in Fremont. They include dark chocolate peanut butter cups, two different milk chocolate bars, and four new dark chocolate bars.
In addition, of course, we hope to replenish our stock of the Deeply Delicious Dick Taylor chocolate very soon!
Since our recent trial run carrying Lummi Island Wild’s terrific sushi-grade albacore canned tuna was such a hit with so many of you, we have just brought in Two More Cases! If you have tasted it, you know it is Proof that all canned tuna is NOT created equal! And while the $7.50 price per can may seem high at first blush, it is truly Something Special!
Studio Tour Artist Kim Obbink
Returning this weekend as our Studio Tour artist is Kim Obbink, showing her latest series of finely detailed drawings and paintings of island botanical and marine life subjects. If you missed last year’s show, you owe it to yourself to swing by and spend some time with these newest paintings.
Her work uses mostly watercolor and colored pencils to capture not only the visual details of each subject but also to project its feeling and energy. And as she pointed out while hanging the show, like Audobon’s birds, their beauty is of their husks, the bodies they leave behind. Ah, we organic beings are so fleeting…!
Do not miss it!
Mar a Lago Update: Fools, Damn Fools, and Methane
Abe Lincoln famously observed: “You can fool All of the people Some of the time, and Some of the people All of the time, but you Can’t fool All of the people All of the time.” Well said, well said! These lines have always held for us a certain humorous and sensible wisdom. Until, that is, Fox News and the Religious Right banded together in the 80’s to mount a non-stop 24/7 attack on all forms of Critical Thinking, a campaign that has only grown more virulent and flagrant over time.
Right Wing Media embraced a number of despicable and Un-American tactics including libelous accusations and personal attacks against Liberal politicians and thinkers, turning what had been the News Media into an Orwellian world of Newspeak, constantly inciting anger and resentment among the Gullible. Each day for thirty-odd years the Fox news cycle has set a theme which left-leaning comedians like Jon Stewart and Stephan Colbert would often satire by showing host after host using exactly the same phrase on all news shows through the entire broadcast day: the Pharoahs of Phake News.
In Orwell’s words, the language of Newspeak would over time “make all other modes of thought Impossible…” with the ultimate goal that “eventually Oldspeak would be forgotten and Heretical Thought would be Literally Unthinkable.” In other words, All of the People could be Fooled All of the Time! For years now we have seen Newspeak dribble down the chin of Darth McConnell and the Empty Minions who stand with him in every Photo Op like a Silent Greek Chorus not granted the Gifts of Original Thought or Speech. It has now become Abundantly Clear that somewhere around 40% of Americans are Proud to stand among those who are Fooled All of the Time. It’s a little like an old Sci Fi theme where the main character realizes at the end that Everyone but him is now an Alien…gulp!!
The Tweetster, it turns out, is the Current Product of all of this. Like Dubya before him, he was Chosen because, one might say of him, “not enough water to Float a Boat,” i.e., not enough There There to present an obstacle to Corporate Goals. On the other hand, his latest attempts to strike down EPA regulations on methane reduction have run into snags. The critical string of facts here is that: a) methane creates 80x more global warming per molecule than CO2: b) methane is largely a by-product of natural gas production; c) the Major Energy Companies are marketing natural gas as the “Clean Alternative” to oil and coal; d) the Majors Require that all leaks of methane be hunted down and eliminated; but e) smaller. regional oil and gas producers do not have the financials to clean up after themselves and want subsidies in the form of less regulation.
So curiously, in this case, long term environmental goals of the country and short term economic goals of the Majors are aligned, because natural gas is the logical transition fuel between the petroleum economy that is causing Global Warming and the renewable energy economy that we must develop as soon as possible. But at the same time, the smaller producers would prefer less regulation– i.e., they are not profitable enough to pay the environmental costs of their production and would prefer to pass those costs on to the public in the form of an increasingly uninhabitable planet.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 12,000 as of 6/10/19
This weekend’s wine tasting
The first thing you should know is that longtime Friend of the Wine Shop, Importer and Distributor Tristan will be pouring selections from his portfolio on Saturday; see below. Below are our tasting wines for Friday. We will be open on Sunday this weekend from 1-5pm because of Studio Tour, and we shall see what we will be pouring then!
Domaine de l’Amauve La Daurèle, CdR Villages Séguret ’17 France $18
Grenache blanc, clairette, viognier, & ugni blanc; expressive nose of white fruits, mirabelle plum, and acacia honey; soft on the palate with lively citrus flavors…very Food Versatile!
Chat. Ste. Eulalie Rose ’18 France $ 13
A delightful dry rose with flavors of fresh raspberries, strawberries, and crisp redcurrant fruit with a hint of spice: an excellent match for grilled Mediterranean vegetables and lamb.
MAN Vintners Pinotage ’17 South Africa $11
Dark berries, plum and a smoke on the nose. Rustic yet silky and juicy, with wild cherry flavors, smooth tannins and well-controlled acidity. good intensity to the plum and mocha flavors.
Sant’ Antonio Monti Garbi Ripasso ’15 Italy $18
A gorgeous, expressive, tasty Valpolicella; floral notes give lift to the expressive, beautifully centered palate and a long, polished finish.
Shatter Grenache Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes ’17 France $19
From Old Vines in Roussillon’s black schist soil; nose of dark fruit with a hint of espresso; velvety texture with black currant, spice and cured meat flavors with a touch of coffee; firm structure, supple tannins, excellent acidity and overall balance.
Saturday wine tasting:
Jane Ventura Brut Rose Reserva 2016 - $11.89 Chateau de Caraguiles Corbierres Rose - $10.49 Domaine Frederick Sornin Beaujolais Blanc - $11.79 Castillo de Mendoza Vitaran Crianza- $9.79 Chateau Sicot Bordeaux Superieur - $10.49 Cervoles Garnatxa "Les Garrigues" - $13.99
lummi island wine tasting aug 23 ’19
click on photos for larger images
Friday Breads
Honey, Wheat, Lemon & Poppy seeds – Made with a poolish that ferments some of the flour, yeast and water, but none of the salt, overnight. This results in a very active pre-ferment which is mixed the next day with the final ingredients which includes a nice mix of bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Some honey, poppy seeds and freshly grated lemon peel round out the flavors in this loaf. A great all around bread – $5/loaf.
Prairie Bread – Named for the ingredients that reflect all the goodness of the grains that grow on the prairie. Using regular bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat as well as oats, and cornmeal. And as if that wasn’t enough it is loaded up with poppy, flax, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds with just a hint of brown sugar for a little sweetness. – $5/loaf
Bear Claws – Made with a danish pastry dough rich in cream, eggs, sugar and butter. The dough is rolled out and spread with a filing made with almond paste, powdered sugar, egg whites and just a bit of cinnamon to round out the flavor. Then, because bears love honey, topped with a honey glaze after baking. As always, quantities are limited, be sure to get your order in before you miss out– 2/$5
(note: 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!)
Nit de les Garnatxas
In 2
012 we spent a week in the little Spanish town of Capçanes. It is located about two hours west of Barcelona and about an hour inland from Tarragona on the Mediterranean coast. It is also about 15 minutes south of the town of Falset, the gateway to the somewhat legendary Priorat wine region. The purpose of our visit was to attend the annual Priorat Wine Festival. Capçanes is actually located in the neighboring wine region of Montsant, which have their own gravitas.
A few weeks ago we poured you a wine called Mas Donis from Celler Capçanes, a regional wine cooperative located in Montsant. This week we are pouring another for you, a wine we are quite excited about because it evokes such pleasant memories of our time in Capçanes and the Priorat Wine Festival.
The wine festival opens on a Friday night each year with an event called, in the Catalan language, the Nit de les Garnatxes, (i.e., “Night of the Garnachas”) and it kicks off the the Festival in a Big Way. The event started at 11pm in the courtyard in front the winery, about a five minute walk from the house we were renting just up the hill. We had no idea what to expect, but were pleased it involved food like the thin slices of delicious Jamon that were being sliced in the courtyard along with lots of other savory goodies, which we enjoyed on our way to the winery entrance.
Inside the
winery was an even bigger crowd spilling across several large chambers lined with tables dispensing wine and more goodies– like the Chocolate Fountain under which, fondue-like, one could bathe pieces of fresh fruit and other goodies…yum, yum, yum! And (have patience, we ARE meandering toward a Point…). In the Main Hall, by day probably the haunt of barrel-hauling forklifts, was a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd ebbing and flowing around a number of wine-pouring stations. Each one offered its current garnatxa for our tasting pleasure. Hence…the Night of the Garnatxes! Who Knew?
But that wasn’t All, not by a long shot! Oh, no, at some point we found a narrow flight of stairs that went down a couple of flights to a second floor, and even a third floor, where the spaces were smaller, and where there was even more wine, food, live music, and art.
The Big Takeaway here is that this weekend we are pouring the most recent of one of the specially made wines for the Nit de les Garnatxes by the winery where we attended the event back in aught-Twelve. The grapes were grown in the famous licorella slate soil of the region, and are a good example of the mineral-rich character of the wines of the area.
Last Week of Constance’s Paintings Show
Reminder that Constance will be taking down her show this weekend. Lots of us know her as our longtime Yoga teacher. I first met her and husband Terry decades ago at Art Fairs when I was a potter and they were doing interesting traditional fabric dying techniques. This is a side of her most of us have not seen before, and we encourage you to visit!
Mar a Lago Update: Recurring Nightmare
It can’t be Pleasant being the Tweetster. He rarely looks or sounds Happy. And it must be a Strange Burden to be living your Dream of being Constantly in the Global Spotlight, but Never Feeling you get the Emotional Nourishment you somehow thought it would provide, kind of an Existential Hell. There is a name for this kind of Hell: “the Nourishment Barrier.”
Every child experiences moments of disappointment and disillusionment. The essence of these experiences is realizing, at some point early in our lives, something we Really want is not going to be there for us, and it is Painful and we cry. We struggle to make meaning of the event; and often blame ourselves for some unknown inadequacy: it is Our Fault because somehow we weren’t Good Enough. After enough of these experiences, the Child starts believing s/he will never get what s/he needs (safety, attention, affection, or approval), and in response the Child develops a Behavioral Strategy to minimize the pain of this belief.
In broad strokes we know the Tweetster’s childhood history, and we can see that he craves constant attention and approval. But here he is the most powerful and well-known human being on the Planet, yet cannot get enough Approval to feel Okay inside. Sure, that’s how politics works, but there is also a “Dumb Cycle” here, driven by an inability to take in approval and affection when offered because it would be even more painful to have it yanked away just as you were starting to enjoy it.
Tonight the wires are humming with commentary about what many are calling a major T-Meltdown over the past week, as indicated by increases in daily Tweets per minute, a growing inability to retreat from photo op press banter, and an increasingly incoherent message. Candidates and financial interests are starting to materialize who might oppose him within his own party, something unthinkable until a few days ago. He’s gotta be Feel’in’ da Heat, huh…?
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 12,000 as of 6/10/19
This week’s wine tasting
Quinta de Aveleda Vinho Verde ’17 Portugal $10
Loureiro, Trajadura and Alvarinho blend; apples, lemons and a touch of ripe pear fill the palate. It is an off-dry very young white wine, refreshing and crisp with a mineral aftertaste.
Chat. Ste. Eulalie Rose ’18 France $ 13
A delightful dry rose with flavors of fresh raspberries, strawberries, and crisp redcurrant fruit with a hint of spice: an excellent match for grilled Mediterranean vegetables and lamb.
MAN Vintners Pinotage ’17 South Africa $11
Dark berries, plum and a smoke on the nose. Rustic yet silky and juicy, with wild cherry flavors, smooth tannins and well-controlled acidity. good intensity to the plum and mocha flavors.
Avignonesi Rosso de Montepulciano ’15 Italy $14
Perfumed aromas of red berries, violets, cinnamon, and almond flower. Juicy and bright, with precise strawberry and redcurrant flavors and lively acidity.
Nit de les Garnatxes Slate ’16 Spain $21
100% grenache from legendary licorella soil, with plenty of desert flower and wild herb aromas and elegantly dry tannins make for a really complex wine with a high minerality and balsamic aromas.
lummi island wine tasting aug 16 ’19
click on photos for larger images
No Bread this week
Our Baker is away this week, so no bread this weekend.
Look for her email on Sunday for next week’s selections.
(note: 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!)
CSA
Since early Spring we have been sharing a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription with Janice, our Baker. The weekly produce basket is usually delivered to her house on Thursdays, and then she brings our half to the wine shop on Fridays along with her breads for the week.
This week, as noted above, she is away, and so late this afternoon this basket was delivered by Simon, the Steward of this Island Abundance grown at his farm over on Centerview Rd. It’s over a mile by road, but half that as the crow flies. He came by about 5:30, when the summer Sun was still pretty high and bright in the west.
The colors of the beautiful produce demanded that we take the photo at left! Beautiful! We are Lucky Ducks!
Tres Picos
Borsao, the winery that makes Tres Picos, is a cooperativa, like many in Spain. The most common wine coop business model is a corporate “front office” that oversees all aspects of vineyard management, harvest, winemaking, and marketing. Member-growers are required to follow specific rules and guidelines set forth by coop management, 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…that’s right, they are a Hundred Years Old! As shown, the vines are head-trained, with no wires, no trellises, and lots of space between them. They have deep roots after nearly 100 years of effort, and diminished yields of about two tons per acre. Such old vines dig deep into many layers of soil and provide their fruit with corresponding layers of complexity.
We visited the Tres Picos vineyard several years ago and were struck by the Gnarly Independence of each vine. Vines this old are Rare, and their fruit has depths of nuanced flavors not seen in younger vines. Tres Picos consistently earns high scores (92 points is typical) from wine critics. Bottom line: though some years are better than others, this vineyard produces remarkable wine year after year. I.e., “It’s the terroir, Stupid…!” This wine is very consistent and never disappoints. We think you will agree!
Mar a Lago Update: Gandalf, We Need You!
A recurring theme in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the Dark Smoke rising from Mordor. We don’t know what was burning or why it was burning, but it was Ominous. And Poisonous. see video clip
It is increasingly hard to look around at Our Country and Our World and not feel the same Burdens, the same Darkness, the same Fears that Drain our deep stores of Psychological, Spiritual, and Natural resources. Nation-states are failing across the world and being seriously Threatened or have already been Taken Over by Feudal Dictators. National economies are being systemically ransacked by Populist so-called Leaders, leaving millions of people homeless, destitute, and desperate to migrate to Safer Ground and escape the Populist Psychopaths they once thought would Save them. They drown in the Mediterranean, they starve in Central America, they are separated from their babies and Detained Indefinitely on the US Border. Do You have room for them in Your Lifeboat?
Meanwhile, a MILLION SPECIES of living beings on our planet are threatened with Extinction by OUR ill-conceived and Suicidal actions, such as: Doh!, Okay, maybe those Lead water pipes were not such a Good Idea after all, but hey, we can fix it by delivering water to everyone in Megazillions of little plastic bottles that can be thrown into oceans and streams and landfills where they can make Millions of Other Species extinct as well!
Then, of course, there is Global Warming, the Big Kahuna, the Mordor of all Mordors…The Path to Destruction from which there is No Escape. Is it really Our Destiny to join countless generations of Lemmings who only realized Their Terrible Mistake at the Very Last Minute? As we all go over the cliff, will we, realizing our Huge Mistake, and like at least one Presidential Hopeful famously uttered as the political waters swirled to his neck, “…Oops!”
Time is getting Very Short. There is a Very Old Saying that seems to fit the moment:
Awake, Awake, Be Mindful in Practice!
Time Flies Like an Arrow;
It Will Not Wait For You!
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 12,000 as of 6/10/19
This week’s wine tasting
Linen Sauvignon Blanc ’18 Washington $11
Aromas of citrus, grapefruit, lime and melon. Crisp and clean, with full flavors of lime, grapefruit, star fruit, and a gentle twist of lemon.
Whidbey Island Winery Rosato ’18 Washington $15
A dry, vivacious, Provençal style rosé from Sangiovese and other Italian varietals; intriguing flavors of strawberries and cream, white cherries and kumquat…Summer in a bottle!
Simple Life Cab Sauv ’16 California
Lifted aromas of boysenberry, blackberry, violets and baking spice; juicy on the palate with lush fruit and a subtle mint chocolate note, soft, polished tannins, and a lingering, mouth-coating finish.
Tres Picos Garnacha ’14 Spain 92pts $17
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.
Lady Hill Ad Lucem Elaina Red ’15 Washington $21
Grenache, syrah, mourvedre blend; aromas of toast, dark fruits and berries and grilled meat that expand into mouth-watering rich flavors and crisp acidity on the palate.
lummi island wine tasting august 9-10 ’19
click on photos for larger images
Friday Breads
Spelt Levain – Spelt is an ancient grain that is a wheat. It has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor and has gluten but it isn’t as strong as the gluten in modern wheat. This bread is made with a levain, or sourdough, traditional bread flour as well as spelt flour, fresh milled whole spelt and fresh milled whole rye. – $5/loaf
Semolina w/ Fennel & Raisins – Another levain bread made with bread flour, semolina and some fresh milled whole wheat. A little butter for a tender crumb and fennel seeds and golden raisins round out the flavors. – $5/loaf
Gibassiers – A traditional french pastry made with a delicious sweet dough full of milk, butter, eggs and olive oil. The addition of orange flower water, candied orange peel and anise seed bring great flavor to these pastries. After baking they are brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with more sugar. Ooh La La a delightful pastry to go along with your morning coffee or tea. – 2/$5
(note: 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!)
Susumaniello
Susumaniello is an Italian wine grape found only in the Italian wine region of Puglia, which runs along the Adriatic coast from the Achilles tendon of the Boot of Italy to the heel. More familiar varietals from the region include primitivo, negro amaro, and red and black malvasia. The name of the grape refers to its high levels of production when the grapes are quite young. A black grape variety genetically related to garganega, it is named after its prolific production in its first ten harvests, after which productivity strongly decreases harvest by harvest, down to an average of less than one kilo per plant.
Despite this peculiarity, plantings of the grape have been increasing, beginning at Tenute Rubina winery in Brindisi, in 75yr-old vineyards incidentally purchased in the 1980’s as part of a much larger vineyard acquisition. The goal is now to develop Susumaniello into the Flagship wine of Puglia. Helping that goal along, Rubino also runs a restaurant called Numero Primo, which offers instructions for the perfect food matches for the wine, both crostoni.
Constance’s Art Show Continues
Last Sunday we held an opening reception for our new art show at the Gallery, featuring long-time Island yoga teacher and (as we now have learned) accomplished painter Constance Drake. The opening was very well attended and her work very well received. All use oils on wood or canvas to develop complex textures and color ranges that evoke the many moods of the Pacific Northwest that we all recognize even if we have a hard time defining.
The show will run for only a few more weeks, through the month of August. Don’t miss it!
Mar a Lago Update: El Paso vs. Tweetster
From one perspective it is a Puzzle how the Media decide which Mass Shootings to report and which not to report. However that works, it has become evident that there have been 248 Mass Shootings in the United States so far in 2019. That’s averaging more than one per day. So why does it seem like Big News that on one day this week there were two mass shootings (Dayton and El Paso), when we have been seeing more than one a day for at least seven months? Why do some few enter and stay in the News Cycle for weeks while most go unmentioned?
However it has happened, it is a Shock to hear it as a Matter-of-Fact Fact. Like, Really? Every Fookin’ Day a Mass Shooting and everyone just goes about their business? How Did We Not Know This?
Actually, besides the El Paso (Aug 3) and Dayton (Aug 4) shootings, there were four more mass shootings on Aug 4 (two in Chicago, one in Grenada MS, one in Memphis); two on Aug 5 (Brooklyn, NY and Suitland, MD); one in Detroit on Aug 6, and one in St. Louis on Aug 7. To summarize, in this country so far in 2019 we have had 248 mass shootings, with 246 people killed and 979 people wounded.
We all know the usual scenario: politicians wring their hands and mouth Sympathy for a few days until the News Cycle turns to something else, and nothing changes. Will it be Different this time? Well, it does feel different this time, doesn’t it? We see a Unified El Paso standing up to the long Campaign of race baiting waged by the Tweetster since 2016. They have called him out on his racism. We know that some 90% of Americans favor background checks for anyone seeking to buy guns. It feels like we are on the threshold of something. But on the down side we know that Darth McConnell refuses to bring any Democratic bills before the Senate for a vote.
Oh, and by the way, a recent article on Political Polarization makes a strong argument that most of someone’s political affiliations can be accurately predicted by knowing their race, religion, education, gender, and age. And that should make us wonder if our values determine our political affiliations, or, in this world of media and social media manipulation, it is the other way around.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 10,000 as of 5/1/19
This week’s wine tasting
Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino ’18 Italy $14
Pale golden-tinged straw color; Botanical herbs and white stone fruit on the nose and palate, with good length and freshness, finishing clean and medium-long, pairing well with everything from salad to pasta to fish and even savory meat dishes.
Oregon Solidarity Pinot Noir Rose ’18 Oregon $16
When a California winery canceled huge contracts for pinot noir grapes two days before harvest, area wineries united to buy the fruit, make excellent wines and save the vintners’ bacon. Chardonnay and pinot noir to follow soon.
Borsao Garnacha ’17 Spain $11
From 100-yr-old vines; heady, perfumed bouquet of ripe red and dark berries, incense and flowers; intense raspberry and cherry-cola flavors blending power, depth and finesse.
Tenute Rubino Oltremé Susumaniello ’16 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.
Shatter Grenache Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes ’17 France $19
From Old Vines in Roussillon’s black schist soil; nose of dark fruit with a hint of espresso beans. Velvety texture with black currant, spice and cured meat flavors with a touch of coffee; firm structure, supple tannins with excellent acidity and overall balance.
2072 Granger Way