lummi island wine tasting july 27 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
Breton – Incorporates the flavors of the french Breton region. Bread flour and fresh milled buckwheat and rye make for interesting flavor and the salt is set gris -the grey salt from the region that brings more mineral flavors to this bread. Goes great with meats and cheeses – $5/loaf
Semolina w/ Fennel & Raisins – A levain (also known as sourdough) 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. Judy A. says this is her favorite! These flavors also go really well with meats and cheese, but it also makes pretty darn good toast – $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Bear Claws! – Made with a danish pastry dough rich in cream, eggs, sugar and butter, rolled out and spread 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! – 2/$5
Ferry Perspectives
Last weekend one of our visitors shared this photo she took of our trusty Whatcom Chief heading back to the mainland. Hale Passage isn’t often this calm, so the combination of the reflection of the boat in the smooth water and the Imposing Perspective of Mt. Baker in the background makes it quite Spectacular!
Speaking of the ferry, for those of you who don’t live on Lummi Island, over the past several months there has been considerable public discussion about replacing our nearly sixty-year old ferry. In the last few years maintenance expenses and unscheduled time out of service have been increasing at an increasing rate, and there is pretty much a consensus that it is time for a replacement vessel.
Late in 2017 the County contracted with an engineering consulting firm ($350k!) to conduct an analysis of replacement options. Now anyone familiar with consulting knows that most studies like this are mostly “boilerplate,” i.e., the same for all similar clients– in this case, those in the market for a new ferry. But the Good Ones qualify the Boilerplate with an appropriate deference to the specifics of each Client’s situation.
Unfortunately in this case the consulting firm has an ongoing relationship with a Seattle shipbuilder which happened to have in hand a design for a 34-car vessel, but none, unfortunately, for a smaller vessel. So perhaps it was Coincidental when last week our joint Island-County ferry committee recommended only a single option, i.e., buying the 34-car vessel recommended by the consultant (as opposed to far less expensive 24-car vessel another Recovering Economist and I recommended).
Since it will no doubt be some years before any replacement ferry goes into service, from a personal perspective these issues are of little consequence. From a social welfare perspective, however, we find ourselves curiously attached to the conviction that Small IS Beautiful, especially when it delivers comparable service at far lower cost, both monetary and social. The Good News is that this advice does NOT cost you $350k; it is our 2-cent donation for today! And whatever ferry serves this community in the future, it will still be an Awesome place to live!
photo courtesy of Karen Van Winkle
Island Quilters Show Next Weekend!
click photo to enlarge
“Island Quilters” (aka ‘IQ’s’) is the name chosen many years ago by our beloved Wine Gallery and Life Partner Pat and fellow Islanders Myra R. and Mary B. for their collaborative Quilting Support Group. They have met regularly for many years to share work in progress, commune with Peers, share a bit of wine and conversation, and encourage each other’s Creative Muses. In the fifteen years or so that they have been working together, they have done a number of group shows here on the Island and at Galleries on the Mainland. Each of their pieces is at the very least months in the making and richly deserving of mindful contemplation. DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW!!
Since in recent years it has been difficult to conform their schedules to the Studio Tour (Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends), they have chosen to open their next show Next Weekend here at the Gallery. This will be their first group showing since Spring 2014, and will remain on display through August.
Opening Reception Thursday August 2 from 4-7 pm All three artists will be present, along with complimentary wine and snacks. Since these are not our regular hours, Mark your Calendars and plan to come by! The show will continue through August during our regular hours: Fridays 4-6 pm and Saturdays 2-6 pm.
PS: The quilt in the photo (click to enlarge) was done by Pat back in 2014 during what now seems like minor Angst during the Obama years– and which has, sadly, metastasized into Donald Trump’s Brave New World of 1984 Newspeak.
Pouilly Fuissé
The vineyards of Pouilly-Fuissé rest on a foundation of 200-million year old limestone fossil corals of Jurassic origin mixed with clay and schist which have crumbled down over the ages, leaving hillsides cut by small, steep-sided streams and a south-easterly exposure.The only grape grown in this little region is Chardonnay, where depending on the vintage and precise vineyard, shows great minerality from the limestone soil, with aromas that can range from almond and hazelnut to citrus, white peach, bracken, acacia, breadcrumbs, buttered brioche, and honey. The texture is rich, well-structured, and full of flavor.
It is their minerality which makes these wines perfect partners for prawns, lobster, and other shellfish.. With a great balance of acidity and smoothness they also pair well with poultry and many varieties of goat cheese. Their structure and minerality also pair well with spicy couscous, savory fish tajines, sweet-and-sour sauces, and even sushi.
Our white wine this week is fifth-generation winemaker Pierre Vessigaud’s “Vielles Vignes,” blended from the fruit of seven different plots, picked by hand, vinified together with the stems, and fermented naturally using only local wild yeast in mostly neutral barrels (only 5% new oak). Bottom line: white burgundy is the global standard for the best that chardonnay can be, and this is a worthy example!
Mar a Lago Update: Fooling Enough of the People Enough of the Time
One of Abe Lincoln’s famous quotes was something to the effect of “You can fool Some of the people All of the time, and All of the people Some of the Time, but you can’t fool All of the People All of the Time.” As with much of his speech, it was elegant, instructive, and True.
Fast forwarding to Today, we find that Truth is no so much the Realm of Agreed Upon Fact, but rather just another Variable to be Manipulated by Media, Malice, Money, and Malarkey. Below you will find a link to a recent PBS discussion about how the Tweetster has been effectively and systematically undermining not just individual facts, but the Very Idea That Facts Exist.
We have to accept that for Whatever Reason, he Owns nearly forty percent of the population, Zombies who have Surrendered their Independent Reason to the extent that today they can Believe Proposition A, and tomorrow they can Prefer its Exact Opposite while feeling no sense whatever of Cognitive Dissonance. It is Baffling Beyond Reason, and only seen heretofore in the Realm of Cults, Gurus, and other Brainwashing Experiments.
So it was with some sense of Reassurance and Relief that we watched a recent PBS Panel Discussion on the nature of Truth, which did a nice job of inviting consideration of the Policy Implications of a Deliberate Political Policy of Undermining Facts. Most obviously, a Charismatic or Religious Leader who can successfully claim Infallibility is Irresistible to Authoritarians of All Stripes. All of our attention and effort through the next Electoral Cycle should be focused on supporting Reason and Rejecting the Simplistic Dualism that the Psychopathic, Misanthropic, Parental-Approval Deprived Tweetster uses so successfully to manipulate that huge proportion of our population that seems to have suffered the same Disillusionments.
This week’s wine tassting
Vessigaud Pouilly Fuissé Vielles Vignes ’12 France $21
Blend from several Fuissé vineyards, ripe and expressive nose of floral and mineral notes with hints of spice, tea and honey; rich and unctuous on the palate, with notes of peach, pear, and almonds, with good mineral freshness. Delicious!
Bieler Bandol Rosé ’16 France $17
The fruit shows a beautiful balance between red fruit and the acid structure without either overpowering the other, or the savory, citrus and mineral core. Shows bright and lively fresh fruit in its aroma and flavors, and its crisp and chalky finish pair it well with simple seafood dishes.
Carmen Carmenere ’14 Chile $16
Composed berry, spice, herb and oak aromas are complete and inviting. In the mouth, this is ripe and dense, with chewy tannins. Blackberry, mixed herb and dark chocolate flavors are integrated, while this settles nicely on the finish.
Avignonesi Rosso de Montepulciano ’14 Italy $18
Perfumed aromas of red berries, violets, cinnamon, and almond flower. Juicy and bright, with precise strawberry and redcurrant flavors and lively acidity. Finishes long and fresh, with lingering floral perfume.
Tomas Cusine Geol ’12 Spain $21
Carinena, merlot, cab sauv; Elegant notes of cedar, eucalyptus, chocolate, and black currants with elegant and sweet wood on the nose. A wide and silky entrance, with rounded tannins; powerful, deep and persistent finish.
lummi island wine tasting july 20 ’18
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Bread Friday this week
Honey, Wheat, Lemon & Poppy Seeds – Made with a very active poolish pre-ferment using some of the flour, yeast and water, but none of the salt, overnight and mixed the next day with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Some honey, poppy seeds and freshly grated lemon peel round out the flavors- $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, plus poppy, flax, sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds with just a hint of brown sugar- $5/loaf
and pastry this week…
Brioche Tarts au Sucre – otherwise known as 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
Refosco
We opened the wine shop in May, 2005, with only a vague idea of what we were trying to do. Now thirteen years later, we still have only a vague idea of what we are trying to do, but realize it doesn’t matter very much, because the whole process just unfolds by itself…!
Sometime that first summer in 2005 a young man came by for wine and conversation (our stock in trade) and asked if we had any Refosco, wherein ensued a lengthy conversation about his favorite wine, a Slovenian varietal of the same name. He returned a year or two later for another visit, during which he continued to extol the virtues of this obscure varietal, inspiring in us a curiosity and a vague sense of Duty to track down this Mythical Varietal and pour it for our Faithful.
Fast forward to last week when after several months of ineffectual communication, we managed to connect with a boutique importer specializing in organic and biodynamic wineries for a wine tasting, which included what may be Slovenia’s best example of its elusive refosco grape. It comes from winemaker Uroš Rojac, who has long been committed to producing organic/biodynamic wines, bottling when the moon is new, adding only as much sulfur as necessary to protect the wine, and using only native yeasts to initiate spontaneous fermentation.
We are pleased to report that after all these years since a customer’s original request, this weekend we will finally be pouring for your Education and Pleasure a Slovenian Refosk that is rustic, compelling, and rare. It finishes with notes of sappy, herb-inflected dark cherry and blackberry fruit complemented by hints of leather, smoke, and pipe tobacco. Stock up now and enjoy over the coming five years with hearty stews, lamb shanks, rich bean casseroles, and marinated Portobello mushrooms!
Sharecropping
There are lots of ways for Capital and Labor to coordinate: Slavery, Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, among others. As in any coordinating agreement, there is a negotiation for Power. Capitalism in practice has been an ongoing Contest to allocate relative returns to Capital and to Labor. All you need to know is that since 1980 the real value of the share going to Labor has remained constant while the real value of the share going to Capital has increased exponentially.
At various times in Human History (our source for both Tragedy and Comedy), the ongoing battle over Shares of the Pie among workers, owners of land, natural resources, and machines has created circumstances for innovation, ingenuity, and compromise. One of this week’s wines is called “Sharecropper,” in acknowledgment of one of the particular compromises once made between owners of land and workers, under which growers contracted to deliver their crops to a particular Buyer, rendering them Interdependent, so that the better either one does, the better they both do. These days this is a relatively common arrangement between wineries and vignerons in many parts of Europe.
Friends of the wine shop know that we have a long-standing Issue that Oregon pinot noirs are Overpriced, and therefore we are always looking for examples that deliver Good Value. We recently met the founder of Owen Roe, which begat Sharecropper, which now has its own label, and will soon offer examples of his newer wines (Lady Hill). In the meantime, this weekend we offer, untasted and sheerly by reputation (always Dangerous) we offer for your Pleasure the latest vintage of Owen Roe Sharecropper Pinot Noir.
Mar a Lago Update: A Bridge Too Far
Wow. It’s been a Big Week for the Tweetster. And for All the Rest of Us. Wow…like, did All of This Really Happen??? We seem to have arrived at a point in our Collective Cognition at which our Tiny Brains refuse to accept More Nonsense, and where we have no better choice than to throw up our Tiny, Ineffectual Hands in Consternation and Disbelief while looking for a Viable Exit.
This is the point in the Dream where we expect to Wake Up, but instead we just see more and more Dots Connect. OMD, we Realize, the Russians have not only put the Tweetster in Charge of America; they have also broken up the EU with Brexit, sown Populist Dragon’s Teeth to disrupt even the most Remote local elections across the Globe, and look forward with Glee to the Collapse of NATO, the EU, and Global Free Trade. As when seeing for the first time the Alien juvenile bursting forth from a human body, we are both Horrified and Frozen with Existential Horror. Really? Has it all come down to this?
We find ourselves at a critical Inflection Point. Mathematically this occurs when a curve changes from increasing at an increasing rate to increasing at a decreasing rate. It marks a first detectable change in Trend, a Small Sign of Hope in a Dark Hour, inspiring us as In the immortal words of Captain James Lawrence as he lay dying aboard the USS Chesapeake, “Fight her Till she Sinks and Don’t Give Up the Ship!” Or, more or less along the same lines, Obiwan Kenobi saying “Use the Force, Luke!”
However we phrase it, our Path is Clear; we are at War, and Everything We Hold Dear is Suddenly at Stake.
This week’s wine ta sting
Popolo di Indie Bianco ’16 Italy $13
100% Cortese; aromas of white fruits blended with sweet citrus and a hint of tropical fruit. These fruits appear delicately on the palate, intertwining with fine acidity and a touch of mineral flavor. The finish is long, yet soft.
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.
Sharecropper’s Pinot Noir ’16 Oregon $15
Aromas of bing cherry, rose petals and pomegranate with hints of baking spice and forest floor, and flavors of cherry, and olive with toasty cinnamon notes.
Dom. Belair Moulin a Vent Beaujolais ’15 France $19
Perfumed and rich in tannins and generous, ripe black fruits. Aged nine months in wood, it shows hints of caramel and spice that adds extra dimension. It is juicy, ripe and needs to age further.
Rojak Refosk ’15 Slovenia $16
Opaque black-plum hue with classic Refosco aromas of wild blackberries, elderberries, cured meats, bitter medicinal herbs, and piquant soil. Wild and rustic on the palate, with big layers of blackberry, huckleberry, violets, star anise, and white pepper.
lummi island wine tasting jul 14 ’18 Bastille Day
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
French Country Bread – A levain bread made with mostly bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat and and a bit of toasted wheat germ. After building the levain with a sourdough culture and mixing the final dough it gets a long cool overnight ferment in the refrigerator to develop a great rustic country loaf. – $5/loaf
Brioche Loaves – 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. Makes great toast and even better French Toast – $5/loaf
…and for pastry this week, continuing our French theme
Kouign Aman: As with croissants, has both a little levain for the sourdough flavor as well as some pre-fermented dough to help build strength. When rolling out however, instead of using flour to prevent sticking, sugar is used. The dough is cut into squares and baked in cupcake tins where all that sugar and butter caramelizes and makes for delicious, crunchy, delightful pastry. – 2/$5
This Weekend
Lots going on! We are in Oregon with our trailer on grandparently duty. Simple thing, right? But then there are always those little things that our Imaginations don’t always consider as Worth Worrying About.
Like, okay, just because you usually hit the road in your trailer in the colder months, when there is never a shortage of sites, doesn’t mean you should take for granted that it will be the same in the summer, when every family in America is On The Road.
Or, just because for 99.999% of our experience, Interstate Highways, particularly though high-volume areas like Seattle, are open as best they can to deal with more traffic than design specs doesn’t mean that at random several miles of your route can’t be taken Offline for Maintenance for several days.
Or, just because the many times you have stayed at the local Fairgrounds RV park have somehow unconsciously assured you that it will be available 24/365 doesn’t mean that it doesn’t Close Completely for a month in the summer because it is, after all, a Fairground with Camping, not a campground with the Occasional Fair.
Sometimes Common Sense is a bit Elusive.
Mar a Lago Update: Interdependence or Autocracy?
In a recent Salon interview, author and career intelligence operative Malcolm Vance provided an array of insights on the Tweetster’s Mad Experiment in Government and his Apparent Goal of making Vladimir Putin the Happiest Man in the World. Not only has be been actively undermining NATO since he stole office, he has successfully enlisted the active cooperation and support of Congressional Republicans, who have abandoned Principle after Sacred Principle to Stay in his Favor…like keeping Russia at Heel with a strong NATO alliance and supporting “Free Trade” around the world (well, the Megacorporate version, anyway).
In Today’s World, due in no small measure to concerted Russian cyberattacks, we have seen a proliferation of Autocratic candidates vie for leadership in both Eastern and Western Europe, with varying degrees of success. They share a Narrow View of the World which aggrandizes this or that Ethnic Superiority as the Good Old Days, or as the Tweetster is fond of saying, “Make America Grate Again,” which many of us have been doing for the past couple of years.
Despite the Steady Forty Percent of bigots, shallow thinkers, religious fanatics, gazillionaire capitalists, uneducated white males, women married to uneducated white males, stoners, latent racists, people who have to blame Someone, and of course habitual and unquestioning Republicans (but we may repeat ourselves), our only hope is that within the ranks of sensible and thoughtful Republicans (if there are any) we will find Allies who recognize the Mortal (and Permanent) Danger the Tweetster represents to Our Country’s future.
From this point in time, the Future is likely to unfold in one of two directions, each of which, as we have noted before, is Dystopian to one side and Utopian to the other, which seems True but is Really Hard to Get Your Head Around: toward Ethnic Insularity or Global Interdependence. At the moment the Tweetster is bound hell for leather toward the autocratic, fundamentalist, racist, Lowest Denominator of Human Traits, and he’ll take democracy with him if we don’t find a way to Stop Him.
This week’s wine ta sting
Martorana Insolia ’17 Italy $17
Straw-yellow with hints of green; aromas of flowers and tropical fruits, and flavors featuring citrus, nuts and herbs, a soft acidity, finesse and elegance.
JM Cinsault Rose ’17 Washington $23
Bigger, more textured, and more aromatic than one expects from a rosé; in the dark could be mistaken for a full-bodied white blend…delicious!
Bodegas Ayuso Estola Reserva ’15 Spain $10
Tempranillo/ cab sauv blend; Warm aromas of spices and ripe fruit; wide and round palate, easy drinking, great buy!
Clos St. George Chevaliere ’08 France $14
Dark and rich, with notes of cherry, plum, and fig with a hint of spice; complex and round, and full bodied on the palate with fully developed tannins; a great value red.
JM Cellars Bramble Bump Red ’15 Washington $25
56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, 13% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot, made to enjoy now. Big and powerful with strong tight blue and black berry fruits.
lummi island wine tasting july 6 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
Polenta Levain – Made with a levain preferment, then mixed with bread flour and
polenta in the final dough mix for a nice rustic loaf with great corn flavor. – $5/loaf
Pan de Cioccolate – A delicious chocolate artisan bread. Made with
a levain preferment for a rich chocolate bread made with bread flour and fresh milled rye
flour, honey, vanilla and dark chocolate. – $5/loaf.
And our pastry this week…
Brioche au Chocolate – A rich brioche dough made with lots of butter, eggs and
sugar and rolled out with pastry cream and dark chocolate. The dough is folded over all that delicious filling and cut into
individual pieces. 2/$5
Barred Owl
Owls being what they are– nocturnal, silent hunters who keep to themselves– encountering one is always a little Magical. So it was last week when we were on a usual neighborhood dog walk. As we rounded a curve on our own road we spotted a strange silhouette on a low branch quite close to the road. We slowed our pace to find a backside view of some kind of Owl (!), and then slowed even more, already awed by the rare daylight sighting.
As we came alongside it was clear the bird was sleeping, with its head turned to the side and eyes closed. However, as we stared it moved its head to the front and opened its eyes directly at us…OMD! But it didn’t fly away, it just held its pose, in a way that we could imagine was saying something Shaming and Wise, subtly accusing us of various levels of Karmic Intrusion. Let’s face it, these birds have an Archetypal Mystery, Power, and Dignity, and every rare encounter has a Strange Magic, leaving us with a feeling of How Wonderful That Such Creatures Exist!
Alsace Pinot Gris
A couple of weeks ago Judy dropped by with her Giant Wine Bag and poured us some Samples. The first wine was an Alsation pinot gris at just the right temperature and just the right amount of aeration. We have all learned over the years that Wine Moments Happen at random…for some reason you go somewhere, you have some wine, and for Whatever Reason it Resonates in the Moment.
So it was with this Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris. We tasted though the other samples but kept sneaking back to this one, marvelling at how great it tasted. So of course we ordered some and are pouring it for you this weekend. Alsace you may recall is a wine region of northeastern France bordering on Germany, which over the centuries has been variously part of France or part of Germany to the point where it should probably become its own country.
The wine is a bit off-day, with great compensating acidity, flavor profile, and texture, a Genuine Treat for the senses. But don’t take our word for it…come by this weekend and see for yourself!
Mar a Lago Update: The Crossroad to the Future
In the Great Epic War between Good and Evil there have been many Battles. So far none has been Decisive. But in the past week it’s all gone Up for Grabs, and yes, we Are talking about the Supreme Court, the Referees, the Rule-makers.
On the one hand it is Peculiar to find oneself lamenting the loss of Justice Kennedy, who voted with the Conservative (…um, What exactly are they trying to Conserve…?) Side of the Bench on many cases which have Broken Our Hearts, e.g. Bush v. Gore and Citizens United, while also occasionally siding with the liberal side of the Bench particularly on issues regarding marriage rights and gender identity.
On the other hand it is Heartbreaking to consider the Strong Likelihood that for the next thirty years or so the Court might be Stacked to the Corporate Will, eliminating environmental safeguards, consumer protections, gerrymandering excesses, women’s rights, immigrants’ rights, and the sanctity of “one person, one vote,” in favor of “one dollar, one vote.” The underlying feelings are of Rome Burning while Nero Fiddled, the Titanic sinking while the Band Played On, and an Illegitimate so-called President who begins every day with “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…”
Bottom line: it’s the Not OK Corral, and Everything is At Stake.
This week’s wine tasting
Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris ’16 Alsace $21
Nose shows archetypal Alsatian limestone influence, with nice nutty, toasty and minerally hints. The palate is powerful and dense as aeration brings out some honey and ripe fruits with a velvety.
Teutonic Pinot Noir Rosé ’15 Oregon $19
An elegant rosé that’s low in alcohol, showing notes of dark plum, pink apples, and cassis. Voluptuous and succulent with fresh strawberry notes, good minerality, and zesty acidity.
Abacela Fiesta Tempranillo ’15 Washington $21
Opens with aromas of red fruit, cherry, plum and spice notes. This sleek and silky Tempranillo unfolds into flavors of black currant, mocha, French vanilla with a lush and velvety tannin.
Lagone Aia Vecchio ’15 Italy $14
“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.
Latta GSM ’13 Washington $28
58% Grenache, 23% Syrah and 19% Mourvèdre ; mesmerizing aromas of kirsch, white pepper, boysenberry, black plum and raspberry with a hint of barrel spice, depth, and texture, with lingering coffee notes on the finish. a stunning wine, especially at this price.
2072 Granger Way