lummi island wine tasting april 26-27 ’19
Friday Breads This Week
Cinnamon Raisin – Made with a nice mix of bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat as well as rolled oats. Some honey for sweetness, a little milk for a tender crumb and loaded with raisins and a healthy dose of cinnamon mixed into the dough. It is a hearty rustic loaf. Great for breakfast toast, even better for french toast – $5/loaf
Toasted Pecan & Flax Seed – Made with a starter that is fed with rye flour instead of wheat flour for a different flavor profile. The final adds fresh milled whole wheat, toasted pecans, flax seeds and honey, for a very flavorful bread – $5/loaf.
and pastry this week…
Morning Buns – 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
This Year’s Robin’s Nest, cont’d
click on photo to enlarge
Today, standing at the far end of the porch, we managed to get a glimpse of one of the hatchlings in the eave of our entryway. They are getting bigger!
The nest appears empty more often now as both Mama and Papa are away a lot fetching food. Yesterday morning we saw Mama delivering food to three hungry beaks, and then less than a minute later, Papa arrived with the next meal. Papa is smaller than Mama, and does not roost with the chicks, but does do some of the feeding and nest-guarding. Between them they may make over a hundred feeding visits each day. They must enjoy it, because in each annual season, a robin pair might breed three times, raising up to a dozen offspring in a year. They also take turns watching the nest from a distance and raising a distractive ruckus if the nest is threatened by other animals, you know, like us!
Apparently each hatchling is brought something like 12 feet of earthworms in its two-week hatchling stage in the nest…and that is just the Worm Course!
It does make one wonder…how come robins can be Complete Robins right off the Assembly Line, while Becoming Fully Human seems more Challenging…
Mas Doix Winery
Right about now (late April- early May) in the hauntingly austere Priorat wine region of Spain is the annual Priorat Wine Festival. If you imagine the Priorat region shaped like a funnel, with the wide end North and the funnel end South, the funnel would open into Falset, where the annual Wine Festival is held. We were fortunate enough to attend several years ago…imagine the better part of a week tasting great wine and eating great food in a spectacular geographic setting unlike any other…yes, we would go again!
This week’s offering from Priorat is from Celler Mas Doix (possibly pronounced something like “mahss doitch” in Catalan). It is blend of garnacha, carinena, and syrah from the northern portion of Priorat, from soils rich in the famous licorella soil consisting of slate (derived from clay or volcanic ash) and quartz.
While some scientists think “the plant cannot take up compounds from the soil that you would consider flavor,” others note that the licorella forces vines to grow very deep to find water, giving the wine unique character and concentration of flavors. We favor this latter view– there is something special going on with these wines, more so in some vineyards in some years, but strongly indicative of a unique, even iconic regional terroir.
Mar a Lago Update: Why so many Candidates for President?
We all were puzzled by the extraordinary number of Republican Presidential candidates in 2016. And we continue to be amazed at the breadth of the Democratic Field in 2019. The only thing that is different is that this time it’s a score of Democrats seeking to challenge the Incumbent Squatter to take over the Oval Office. It’s a good time to wonder…what changed in recent years to bring so many people with no chance whatsoever of winning to announce their candidacy?
The easiest answer is Advertising and Name Recognition. No one on the Planet had ever heard of you before you announced your “Run,” but quite a few will remember (if only vaguely) that you did…“oh yeah, what’s-his-name from where-do-you-call-it.”
That in itself serves to take someone from a backwater Local Stage into at least a minor slot on a Major Stage, and to be in a national Spotlight for a little while. This kind of exposure proves helpful for getting on lists for cabinet positions, building donor lists for future campaigns, building markets for future books, all manner of things.
One way to look at it…and it is Especially True with the current Fake President…running for President is The Best Ticket to getting yourself and your ideas seen and heard across the nation, and that kind of exposure Opens Doors and Creates Future Options. It can make an Oops candidate like Rick Perry, a spaced-out Brain Surgeon like Ben Carson, or a despicable human being like Newt Gingrich (Ging-Grinch?) into Cabinet Secretaries or well-paid Talk Show Pundits.
It’s about a year till the Primaries will decide who the candidate will be, and who the Also-Rans are, so for the next little while we can all sit back and watch it Unfold. Hopefully the process will be interesting, productive, educational, and effective at producing a winning candidate.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 9,451 as of 4/1/19\
This week’s wine tasting
Ronan by Clinet Bordeaux Blanc ’15 France $15
80% sauv blanc, 20% semillon; fresh and appealing aromas of yuzu, grapefruit, white flowers, and passion fruit; flavors of citrus, white fruits and warm spices are fleshy yet crisp and clean.
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!
Lagone Aia Vecchio ’16 Italy $15
“Super-Tuscan”blend of Merlot, Cab Sauv, and Cab Franc. Rich and expressive, with aromas of cherry, vanilla, raw beef, and herbs; structured palate of plum, wild berries, and hints of spice, with a long finish that begs for food.
Bieler La Jassine Cote du Rhone ’16 France $15
(63% grenache, 37% syrah) Solid, with plum and blackberry compote flavors forming the core, backed by a good snap of licorice and a dose of dark toast on the finish. Has good drive overall.
Mas Doix Les Crestes Priorat ’16 Spain $23
Garnacha, carignena, syrah blend from iconic licorella soil; balanced aromas of dark ripe cherries and dried herbs, palate of ripe stone fruit with bright and lingering acidity.
lummi island wine tasting april 19-20 ’19
note: some photos may link to larger formats when clicked…
Friday Breads This Week
Pan de Chocolate – Not a typical enriched sweet pastry dough made with lots of eggs, butter and sugar. Made with a levain it is a rich chocolate bread made with bread flour and fresh milled rye flour, honey for sweetness, vanilla and plenty of dark chocolate. Makes fabulous toast, even better french toast! – $5/loaf.
Brioche Loaves – Definitely not a poor man’s brioche– loaded with eggs and butter, a little milk and some sugar for a tender crumb and luscious flavor. Fermented in the refrigerator overnight, then formed into loaves and put into loaf pans for baking, this bread will make great French Toast! – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Colomba di Pasqua (“Easter Dove”) – A traditional Italian Easter bread similar to Christmas panettone. Made with a sweet italian levain as well as flour and plenty eggs, sugar, honey and butter plus vanilla bean and candied orange peel. Topped with a crunchy almond and hazelnut glaze and pearl sugar before baking in a dove-shaped baking form as a symbol of the Easter dove. $5/loaf
Saturday Concert April 20!
Make your plans now! Our Annual Spring Concert with singer-songwriter-minstrel Robert Sarazin Blake! This year’s concert will be from 2-4pm this Saturday, April 20 in the wine shop!
As Robert’s many local followers know, he is a modern-day troubadour who travels widely (mostly here in the Pacific Northwest , Germany, and Ireland) to share his craft, very often in pub atmospheres like our dear wine shop. And to all venues he brings his sonorous voice, open heart, wry humor, and engaging songs to weave a web of well-being around you. For those of you who have not attended any of our concerts, know that our little shop is a great venue for Robert’s style, which is is always engaging and energizing. Learn more about Robert’s music here.
Suggested performance donation is a modest $20 per person, and a selection of wines will be available by the glass. And since space is very limited, please confirm reservations soon!
Please note our regular Saturday wine tasting will follow the concert, from 4-6pm.
This Year’s Robin, cont’d
The robin’s nest above our entry over the last few weeks has brought to mind the classic image of the expectant father pacing in the hospital waiting room while the mom is in labor. In this case, there has been no sign of hatchlings since we saw three eggs in the nest when we got home three weeks ago, and we have been, well, Worried. Why is it taking so long? Maybe she is instinctively going through the motions but the eggs are not going to hatch…?
So today I couldn’t stand the suspense any longer and when Mama Robin was away I brought a stepstool onto the porch, climbed up and peered over. It was a Huge Relief to see two (at least) tiny chicks deep in the nest, craws open, waiting for Food. They are tiny, not more than a couple of days old ( photo at left is from two years ago, another robin entirely, whose chicks were close to fledging in this photo).
We also noticed the appearance of a male robin, who is participating in providing food for the babies and distracting intruders. In these challenging times, this simple scene is surprisingly Reassuring. Yes, we think to ourselves, there is still Magic all around us…!
Mar a Lago Update: Mr. Rock and the Pointless Forest
Today’s release to the Public and the ensuing All Day Punditry regarding– finally!– the release of most of the Mueller Report– has been both Compelling and Exhausting in its endless cycle of Spin and Counterspin. “Enough, Enough, I Can’t Take Any More!” we find ourselves ready to shriek, and the very next moment we tune in again…maybe This Time there will be a Point we can all Agree upon. Sadly, so far, no, not so much.
At this late hour it has reminded us of a Sweet Little Animated Feature from some decades ago called The Point, written and performed by the Legendary Harry Nilsson. You can listen to the entire sound track here. You can see a brief trailer here.
The basic story is that in a land of Pointy-headed people a little boy is born with a Round head. Being Pointless, he and his dog Arrow are Banished to the Pointless Forest where they encounter many Teaching Moments. In particular, in light of today’s events, we are reminded of his exchange with the wise and Very Hip Mr. Rock, who, from his perspective of having been around nearly Forever and, like, Seen It All, tries to teach Oblio that it is perfectly okay not to have a point, and that he should “Be Cool…be Steady as a Rock.”
All day today we have all been wandering in the Pointless Forest, where no one’s opinion about Very Essential Truths seems to have changed in light of the Established Facts from a lengthy and conscientious Investigation. As Mr. Rock said to Oblio and Arrow, “you see what you want to see, and you hear what you want to hear…all you gotta do is open yo’ mind along with yo’ eyes…”
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 9,451 as of 4/1/19\
This week’s wine tasting
Excelsior Chardonnay ’17 South Africa $10
The nose shows hints of peach, lemons and orange blossom backed up by a touch of oak. The palate is fresh and creamy with great lengthand lingering acidity.
Campuget Tradition Rose ’17 France $11
Pale brilliant pink. Nervy, mineral-tinged aromas of orange zest and strawberry; Silky and light on its feet, offering zesty, light-bodied red berry and blood orange flavors and a bracing touch of bitter quinine.
Clone 7 Merlot Washington $10
Ruby black color. Toasty aromas and flavors of dark chocolate, creme brulee crust, and dried berries with a silky, bright, dry-yet-fruity body and smooth, breezy notes of earthy mocha with soft, dusty tannins.
Morgan Cotes du Crows Syrah ’16 California $17
Aromas of fresh berries, baking spices and chocolate get this wine going; full bodied yet balanced, with toasty black fruit flavors with grip and intensity.
Lopez Heredia Vina Cubillo Crianza ’09 Spain/Rioja $22
Juicy and soft; fermented with natural yeasts and matured 3 yrs in neutral barriques; aromas of leather, cherries, spices and smoke. On the palate deep, full-bodied, and balanced, with a long, classy, vibrant finish.
lummi island wine tasting april 10 ’19
note: some photos may link to larger formats when clicked…
Friday Breads This Week
Sonnenblumenbrot – aka Sunflower Seed Bread Made with an overnight pre-ferment before mixing the final dough with freshly milled rye, then loaded up with toasted sunflower seeds and some barley malt syrup for a typical German seed bread- $5/loaf
Pain Meunier – Made with pre-fermented dough it contains all portions of the wheat berry: flour, fresh milled whole wheat, cracked wheat and wheat germ. Always a favorite and a great all around bread. It makes the best toast! – $5/loaf
And pastry this week…
Traditional Croissants – No filling, nothing fancy, just delicious french pastry made with a levain as well as pre-fermented dough – The final dough is made with more flour, butter, milk and sugar, and laminated with more butter before being cut and shaped into traditional french croissants. 2/$5
Saturday Concert April 20!
Make your plans now! Our Annual Spring Concert with singer-songwriter-minstrel Robert Sarazin Blake! This year’s concert will be from 2-4pm on Saturday, April 20 in the wine shop!
As Robert’s many local followers know, he is a modern-day troubadour who travels widely (mostly here in the Pacific Northwest , Germany, and Ireland) to share his craft, very often in pub atmospheres like our dear wine shop. And to all venues he brings his sonorous voice, open heart, wry humor, and engaging songs to weave a web of well-being around you. For those of you who have not attended any of our concerts, know that our little shop is a great venue for Robert’s style, which is is always engaging and energizing. Learn more about Robert’s music here.
Suggested performance donation is a modest $20 per person, and a selection of wines will be available by the glass. And since space is very limited, please confirm reservations soon!
Please note our regular Saturday wine tasting will follow the concert, from 4-6pm.
This Year’s Robin, cont’d
We mentioned last week that a robin was brooding three eggs in a new nest above our entryway porch. The robin is still there, and as yet we have seen no signs of hatchlings. In theory the eggs should hatch within a couple of weeks, and it is now two weeks since we got home from our trip and found the new nest.
She is getting somewhat used to us, seeming less compelled to drop silently out of the nest, fly to a nearby tree, and sing to distract us from the nest. So everything seems to be unfolding as it should. Still, we find ourselves glancing up at the nest frequently, hoping to see or hear signs of a successful hatch.
So we fuss over Another little Local Drama…Spring comes, the grass grows by itself…!
Mar a Lago Update: The Jig is Up
Intensive Ongoing Research continues to confirm that at the End of the Day, which might occur much sooner than we have generally imagined, the impacts of Our Species on Global Climate might well cause Mass Extinction of most living species– including ours– currently inhabiting our Dear Planet Earth.
We have known about the Existential Threats posed by our unrestrained burning of vast amounts of fossil fuels for at least forty years, but our Leaders have chosen to ignore them. We are, after all, a “social species,” which apparently means we are at least as persuaded by the effects of our actions on our Standing in the Social Hierarchy Right Now as we are by what Reason has to say about the Distant Future, like, you know, a week from Tuesday.
We are reminded of the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare—(skip the ad for a surprisingly timely rendition) except that in the current case– in contrast to the Moral of the Fable– the Short-sighted Hares have taken almost complete Political Control of much of the world. Given that there are indeed lots of ego-driven Hares out there, our compelling Question– both Political and Existential– is How can We possibly Survive?
It is one thing to be skeptical about Opinions. It is an entirely different thing to be in Denial about, as Al Gore called them, “Inconvenient Truths.” Seriously, how can a person have lived through the last thirty years and not Get It that: Storms are getting Worse; Habitats are getting too dry, wet, hot, or cold to support the species which have lived there for Millennia; cycles of wet-dry-hot-cold are making the production of food more difficult in many places where it had been Easy; and long-established patterns of human development and habitation along coastlines and rivers have been increasingly devastated by flooding from increased rainfall, higher tides, and more powerful winds, all of which will continue to worsen for a long time even if we act now to slow the rate of change.
The takeaway here is this: anyone who doesn’t Get It that Global Warming is an Immediate Existential Threat to Life as Our Species has always known it is Part of the Problem in a time when we Most Desperately need Solutions. It is futile to argue with them, and time to move on without them.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 9,451 as of 4/1/19\
This week’s wine tasting
Lasso Bianco ’16 Portugal $12
Apples, green plums and peaches round out lemon zest acidity in this soft, fruity white wine. It is ready for drinking, finishing with an attractive warm finish.
Bieler Bandol Rosé ’17 France $17
Grenache-Syrah blend; soft and bright, with plenty of red-berry and currant flavors. Its fruitiness and balanced acidity make for an immediately attractive, easy wine.
Indaba Merlot ’15 South Africa $10
Crafted in a fresh, pure style, this velvety Merlot seduces with aromas and bright, juicy flavors of cherry, dark berry and plum backed by subtle mocha and herbal nuances and a delicate minerality.
Carmen Carmenere ’16 Chile $16
Aromas of fresh berries, baking spices and chocolate get this wine going; full bodied yet balanced, with toasty black fruit flavors with grip and intensity.
Seghesio Zinfandel Angela’s Garden ’17 $19
Nose has ripe bing cherries with a bit of leather that expand on the palate to ripe maraschino and Rainiers. Youthful and bright with a surprising depth of flavor and a youthful finish.
lummi island wine tasting april 5 ’19
note: some photos may link to larger formats when clicked…
Friday Breads This Week
Semolina w/ Fennel & Raisins – Using a levain, also known as sourdough, and 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. Judy A. says this is her favorite! These flavors go really well with meats and cheese, but it also makes pretty darn good toast – $5/loaf
Spelt Levain – Spelt is an ancient wheat grain with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor and less gluten than modern wheat. This bread is made with a levain, or sourdough, traditional bread flour and about 1/3 spelt flour, fresh milled whole spelt and fresh milled whole rye. It is a great all around bread – $5/loaf
Note: Pastry this week goes to fortify those who participate in Annual Island cleanup on Saturday morning, starting from the Grange at 9:45.
Saturday Concert April 20!
Make your plans now! Our Annual Spring Concert with singer-songwriter-minstrel Robert Sarazin Blake! This year’s concert will be from 2-4pm on Saturday, April 20 in the wine shop!
As Robert’s many local followers know, he is a modern-day troubadour who travels widely (mostly here in the Pacific Northwest , Germany, and Ireland) to share his craft, very often in pub atmospheres like our dear wine shop. And to all venues he brings his sonorous voice, open heart, wry humor, and engaging songs to weave a web of well-being around you. For those of you who have not attended any of our concerts, know that our little shop is a great venue for Robert’s style, which is is always engaging and energizing.
Suggested performance donation is a modest $20 per person, and a selection of wines will be available by the glass. And since space is very limited, please confirm reservations soon!
Note our regular Saturday wine tasting will follow the concert, from 4-6pm. Learn more about Robert’s music here.
This Year’s Robin
We returned home last week to find a new robin’s nest in the eaves over the entryway. Unlike last year’s nest, which was high above the seldom used back deck, this one is right over the entry, where there is the highest traffic.
We saw the nest the day after we got home, but saw neither mama bird nor signs of young. I climbed up and found three eggs, but supposed they were abandoned. Not until today did we see mama leaving the nest and chirping to distract us as she flew onto a nearby limb. She stayed in the vicinity and after twenty minutes or so worked her way back toward the nest. We worry that if she takes off every time we or one of the dogs comes onto the deck the eggs might not incubate enough to hatch.
So, we are monitoring. If necessary we may have to find another way in and out for a few days. Hopefully all eggs will hatch into healthy fledglings. Stay tuned!
Mar a Lago Update: Standing Up to Existential Grief
We mentioned last week that our March road trip was hard to relax into. Having been home for a week now, a new perspective and accompanying resolve seems to be forming. Most of us have been in a kind of trance since the 2016 election, waking up every day somehow expecting that Today the Horrible Mistake would somehow be set right. However, since the mid-term election and even more since the too-little-too-late Mueller Report, the Intense Grief of seeing our once-proud Country turned into an ongoing Media Cartoon Soap Opera Circus seems to be undergoing a Catharsis.
Perhaps the Grim Realization that we are stuck with at least another two years of the Mitch and Tweetie Lie-Fest that keeps our planet accelerating toward Mass Extinction is creating an Urgency that no longer allows the Luxury of Hopelessness. Rather, it has become manifestly clear that Republican Reality in this Congress and this White House is none other than the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, where Nothing Makes Sense, and Nothing Ever Will.
So the first thing we have to do is stop paying attention to these Bozos. It is a waste of time and energy to try to dialogue with people who assert the logical equality of Established Science and “Alternative Facts,” as if the established laws of physics, chemistry, and thermodynamics were just another Opinion we can safely ignore. We have spent two years now leaning our heads against tree trunks and whimpering Charlie Brown’s Default Mantra: “I Can’t Stand It!”
Turning all this around at this late date in the growing Climate Crisis is by no means a slam-dunk, even if everyone on Earth joined together wholeheartedly. The best we can do in our country is to do everything we can to replace Mitch and Tweetie with bright, sane, kind, wise leaders who will commit to the long-term goal of a Better World for Fewer People.
Washington Post Tweetster Lie Count to date: 9,451 as of 4/1/19\
This week’s wine tasting
Treana White ’16 California $16
Seductive blend of viognier, marsanne, and roussanne. Aromas and flavors of pineapple, dried apricot, peach and Clementine orange with floral notes of honeysuckle and elder flower and sweet notes of marzipan, honey, graham cracker and cinnamon.
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 the wines, and save the vintners’ bacon. This is the rose, to be followed by a chardonnay in May and a pinot noir in August.
Airfield Cabernet Sauvignon ’17 Washington $14
Bramble fruit aromatics from blackberry to ripe raspberry; A hint of strawberry preserves leads into an intriguing layer of exotic spice. The palate is round and displays rich secondary flavors of boysenberry and pomegranate that exits with a silky, lingering finish and a lively burst of fresh fruits.
Altarocca Rosso Librato ’15 Italy $14
Unoaked blend of canaiolo and cab franc from volcanic soils in Umbria, Zesty, spicy, lush, and smooth.
La Rocaliere Lirac Classique Rouge ’15 France $16
Grenache, mourvedre, syrah from sandy and pebbled soils; floral and spicy bouquet reminiscent of garrigue scrubland. Powerful and full-bodied, it finishes crisp and rich, matching perfectly with the spirit of contemporary cuisine.
2072 Granger Way