lummi island wine tasting june 8 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
Whole Wheat Levain – A sourdough levain helps the fermentation process to start and the gluten to start developing. This particular dough adds bread flour and about 25% fresh milled whole wheat for a ‘toothy’ crumb, great texture and flavor and a nice crisp crust. – $5/loaf
Pear Buckwheat – Uses a poolish preferment of bread and milled buckwheat flours, water, salt and a bit of yeast and fermented overnight. Since buckwheat has no gluten using the preferment allows the dough to begin to develop before the final mix. The addition of toasted walnuts and dried pears soaked in white wine makes for a really flavorful bread – $5/loaf
For pastry this week…
Chocolate Babka Rolls – A sweet pastry dough full of eggs, butter and sugar, rolled and spread with a chocolate filling, rolled up and cut into individual rolls that are placed in baking forms for baking and then brushed with sugar syrup after baking. I’ve heard some people say they hide these to keep them all to theirselves. Be sure and get your order in early as quantities are limited – 2/$5
Whidbey Island Winery
Little-known Whidbey Island Winery has been around for over 25 years, since 1992. Owner-winemaker Greg Osenbach planted his vines on Whidbey back in the late 80’s. A number of white varietals do very well on Whidbey, including an award-winning Sigerrebe we carried last year, as well as Madeleine Angevine and Madeleine Sylvanver, which locals in our area will recognize as varietals that have done well right her in Whatcom County at Mt. Baker Vineyards.
We had a chance to taste through WIW’s current releases at a recent tasting, and continue to be impressed by the care and precision represented in many of the wines. In this case we found the 2015 Rosato bright, lively, and full of summer flavor. It is a blend of sangiovese and a few other Washington-grown Italian varietals…one more expression of the Summer Magic of Rose!
Conundrum
As many of you know, Conundrum is a delicious California white blend with an established reputation for fullness of flavor and roundness of texture. It seems to be a pretty big outfit, as evidenced by the fact that our favorite Island Wholesale Wine Purveyor (you know who I mean) represents it, and brings us all manner of deals on how we can get more and more for less and less. Generally speaking, all of our Regulars love both the red and white blends when we bring them in, but much prefer to buy them in the high teens than in the low 20’s.
As a result, sometimes we have it, sometimes not. A month ago or so there was a Special Deal and we bought a case we could sell for high-teens, a few bucks off the usual retail. Today late in the afternoon we tasted some other wines and got another appealing offer: we can get a great price on some Conundrum White (we have to buy a Bunch), and get a 3-liter bottle thrown for our 2019 New Year’s Party (never too early to start thinking about these things) — if we buy several cases. Which we have decided to do. When the dust settles, we expect to have several cases available at about $16/bottle. Call if you want us to set aside a case for you!
Mar a Lago Update: The Happy Place
Ahh, it’s Nice and Quiet in Here…the Only Place we can be alone and Think. And exhale. Such a Relief! The World is so Noisy, always Blah-Blah Foolish people in our Face, wanting a Piece of us, wanting a Deal, wanting our Energy. But we don’t give it to them; we hold it out in front of them and Tease them with it, because this is what they want, what Everyone Wants, to be like Us, completely Self-sufficient, Indifferent to All of it, the only Real Person on the Planet. We learned how to make Our Own World, figured it out all by Ourselves, no Dad, no Mom, maybe a few tips from uncle Roy. We Struggled, and we found this Refuge, and it has made All the Difference.
We learned very young what a Jungle it is Out There. You can’t rely on Any One; people are such Awful Bullies, and they will Hurt you over and over, and you need to protect yourself, and you need to keep a Safe Distance all around you. No knows this like We Know This. No One is Ever Going to Hurt Us Again. Oh, no.
When the World is Crushing you Moment by Moment, Constantly making up Stories about you, lying about you, trying to get at you, trying to peck your Liver out of your Body…that’s when you need The Refuge. The first few times were Not Easy, believe me. But it was worth it to learn how to do it at all, and then to do it more and more easily, and to be able to spend longer and longer periods of Restoration Time there. Our critics have no idea of the Power of It, the Satisfaction of it, the Invulnerability of it, and the Comfort and Contentment that comes from having spent most a a Lifetime with your own Head stuck Deeply, Safely, and Rewardingly Up Your Own…well, you see what I mean…
This week’s wine tasting
Chat. Blizard Blanc d’Amour ’16 France $14
Grenache blanc, viognier, marsanne, rousanne; complex, fruity fragrances of grapefruit, white peach, lychee and acacia flower. Balanced, ample and suave, with a fresh finish.
Whidbey Island Winery Rosato ’17 Washington $14
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!
Fantini Sangiovese ’16 Italy $11
Garnet color, fruity bouquet of strawberries and black cherries with vinous notes and hints of wood, quite intense and persistent; medium bodied, with firm tannins and good balance, immediate appeal.
Crios Malbec ’16 Argentina $14
Bright, dark red. Redcurrant, black cherry, ripe strawberry and spices on the nose; sweet red fruit flavors are complicated by earth, licorice and menthol; creamy fruit is firmed by smooth tannins…a terrific value.
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 june 1 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
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. – $5/loaf
Ciabatta with Whole Wheat – Using an italian biga pre-ferment as well as a poolish for lots of fermentation activity, adding a lot of flavor to the final bread; bread flour and whole wheat with a little olive oil for more flavor; a great rustic bread – $5/loaf
For pastry this week…
Individual Cinnamon Rolls! – made with a rich sweet roll dough that is full of eggs, butter and sugar. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Then rolled up and sliced into individual rolls for baking and then a drizzle of frosting just to make them more decadent. – 2/$5
Trailer Update
As of this writing, we are ensconced in our new trailer at Champoeg State Park in Oregon Wine Country. There were some glitches picking it up in Portland on Tuesday (like they somehow thought we weren’t coming till Thursday). Fortunately cool heads prevailed and we are on the road for a fe we days of shakedown. Lots of new systems to learn about. So far so good, a few glitches but enjoying the new amenities of a little more space, being able to stand up without hitting the ceiling, a bit more comfort all around.
However, Internet reception is somewhat vestigial here, so this will be a very short post tonight.
This weekend
All you really need to know is that Friday will be usual Bread Friday with Janice and David hosting, and the wine shop will be closed on Saturday this week.
We regret any inconvenience and look forward to,seeing you all next weekend!
This week’s wine tasting
Abadia de San Campo Albarino 2017, Spain $14
A rich, soft, white wine with balanced acidity and a long mouthfeel. From NW Spain, this is perfect match with grilled fish, roast chicken, or spicy fare.
Bodegas Rezabal Txakoli Rose 2017 Spain $14
A fresh, slightly spritzy rose from the Basque region of Spain, this is the tastiest, and possibly most different style rose you will ever taste. A perfect porch bbq wine that matches with a ton of different foods.
Domaine de L’Olivette Rouge 2016 France $13
From the western Languedoc, this Merlot dominant wine is grown organically in a vineyard surrounded by a forest. It is rich but not cloying and makes a great match with all sorts of grilled meats or simply on its own.
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!
Montes Classic Merlot ’15 Chile $13
Bright and complex, with blackcurrant and black cherry flavours and a rich, juicy finish. Aged in oak for six months before release.
lummi island wine tasting may 25 – 27 ’18 artists’ studio tour
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
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. – $5/loaf
Ciabatta with Whole Wheat – Using an italian biga pre-ferment as well as a poolish for lots of fermentation activity, adding a lot of flavor to the final bread; bread flour and whole wheat with a little olive oil for more flavor; a great rustic bread – $5/loaf
For pastry this week…
Individual Cinnamon Rolls! – made with a rich sweet roll dough that is full of eggs, butter and sugar. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Then rolled up and sliced into individual rolls for baking and then a drizzle of frosting just to make them more decadent. – 2/$5.
Studio Tour Schedule
We are again showing works by Meredith Moench at the Wine Gallery this weekend for Studio Tour. Meredith will also be showing selected works at her own studio and at the Beach Store Cafe through the tour, so if you are on the island this weekend, you will see a lot of her fine work!
Special Tasting Saturday!
On Saturday our friend Tristan, co-owner of Vinea Imports in Seattle, will be in the shop to pour six of his wines for our tasting. You can expect to taste, enjoy, and learn about some really interesting wines (mainly Spanish) that he has picked for this occasion. This is the fourth or fifth time in as many years that Tristan has done this with us, and we are confident you will enjoy the wines and the atmosphere.
Come join the fun!
Scheduled Saturday wines:
Rezabal Txakoli Rose
Jane Ventura Vinyes Blanc
Abadia del San Campio Albarino
Domaine de L’Olivette Rouge
David Hill Estate Pinot Noir
Bodegas Carlos Moro Oinoz Rioja Crianza
Trailer Update
Got a call Tuesday that our trailer had Finally Arrived in Portland. So far we are assuming it is the right one this time, you know, our typical Pollyanna attitude. You will recall that on our pickup trip there three weeks ago we found the Wrong Trailer had been shipped, while our order was on a back lot somewhere in Indiana (as any rational person would see it, just one more thing to blame Mike Pence for!). Then last week we were back on Oregon for the weekend, and thought Maybe it would be there by then…but sadly no.
We are presently booked for Orientation and Pickup on Tuesday the 29th. If all goes well this time (fingers crossed!), we will spend a few days on Shakedown, taking an opportunity to visit some Oregon wineries and taste some pinot noir for your future tasting pleasure.
It looks like a Sure Thing this time, folks. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
Mar a Lago Update: Kim Jong Un vs. The New Mercantilism
Through most of my adult life Republicans have been extolling the Virtues of running Government like a Business, whatever that means. Sometimes people thought it meant cutting “unnecessary” costs, while others supposed it meant doing away with foolish and costly regulations, you know, designed to protect air and water quality, or worker safety, or consumer rights, and still others imagined it must be about making sure women and people of color couldn’t steal po’ white folks God-given American Jobs…you know, a “point of View” kinda Thing.
For all kinds of reasons running a government like a business is a Really Stupid Idea. For one thing, private business needs to make enough Profit to cover costs and still have something left over to pay the entrepreneur a decent return, while the public sector is responsible for providing all kinds of goods and services which, because of their nature will never turn a profit but nevertheless must be produced to maintain order, public health, and viable Infrastucture. The private sector will never willingly invest in protecting consumer rights or public safety or environmental quality or public education, parks, health care…the list goes on and on and on.
What we have seen instead since 1980 is a relentless mining of the Public Sector by Republican-sponsored Corporate Carpet-Baggers (come on now, say it with Feelin’…”Cahpit-Baggahs…!) who, sometime in the Reagan Dystopian Nightmare Years realized that OMD there WAS a profit to be made in the Public Sector. All they had to do was to find the Profit Centers and under the Auspices of “Market Efficiency” contract them out to their Ilk, their Kith, and their Kin. It was only Natural that this realization would lead to the Privatization of the Military by replacing draftees with Civilian Contractors like Bechtel who were more than willing to take over KP and other distracting, non-combatant functions historically carried out by GI’s. Then, with a combination of low wages, low-quality service, price-gouging, and good ‘ol boy politics, they learned how to turn a Sweet Profit as the new Contract War Machine ground On and On and On: a Bottomless Fookin’ Gold Mine that has kept us Constantly At War since 2001.
Fast forward to Now to find a New Crop of Republicans completely Unfettered by National Loyalty who have turned Election Management into Just Another Profit Center, the Biggest One Yet, with the White House the Central Prize. Kim Jong Un, Democrats, kittens, puppies, women, intellectuals, people of Color, workers of all collar colors, the Environment, the Future…it’s all just S*#t on their Soles to be wiped off on the Next Curb.
So much for Duty. So much for Responsibility. So much for Defending the Constitution. But don’t worry…it’s not just Business…it’s Free F#*king Enterprise Making Our Lives Better Every Day in Every Way…
This week’s wine tasting
Berger Gruner Veltliner ’16 Austria
Mouthwatering notes of cucumber, apple, green herbs and cress with varietally typical green bean on its silken-textured and buoyant palate, invigorating, vibrant, consummately refreshing finish.
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.
Sanguineti Cannonau de Sardegna ’15 Italy $12
Sardinian cannonau–known elsewhere as grenache– offers dry and dusty aromas and flavors of cherry, pomegranate and plum with lingering, crisp, earthy and briny flavors that beg for food.
Chat. Cabriac Carignan Old Vines ’16 France $12
Ruby color with purplish reflections; scents of ripe red fruits, currants and blackcurrant with some spicy notes; in the mouth elegant, round, and well structured with soft tannins and good persistence.
Lonardi Valpolicello Ripasso Classico Superiore ’14 Italy $19
Valpolicella becomes Ripasso when pressed through the raisined skins used for Amarone, adding complex aromatics and flavors to the wine, in this case lush cranberry notes with chocolate.
lummi island wine tasting may 18 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
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. Then mixed 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
Buttermilk Currant – A really flavorful loaf made with bread flour and almost half fresh milled whole wheat. A little honey for sweetness balances the flavors of the whole grain, buttermilk makes for a soft and tender crumb. Then lots of currants and just a little rosemary round out the flavors. This bread makes great toast and even better french toast- $5/loaf
And pastry this week…
Baker’s Choice Surprise! Sometimes inspiration for pastry comes later in the week than the email. All you need to know is it will be delicious, cost $5, and, as always, quantities are limited! C’mon, step up and take a chance!!
Open Friday, Closed Saturday this weekend!
We will reopen for the Memorial Day Artists’ Studio Tour Friday 5/25 from 4-6, and Saturday and Sunday 5/26-27 from 1-6pm, continuing our ongoing show of works by Meredith Moench. More on that next week!
The Current Wine Plan for Studio Tour is for our friend Tristan to come up and pour wines from his Spanish Portfolio on Friday and Saturday. Mark your calendars!
Trailer Update
Plan A was to pick up our new trailer in Portland on May 1. But as we wrote that week, it was the Wrong Trailer, Gromit! “Our” trailer had gotten stranded Somewhere in Indiana when the factory lost track of where it was supposed to go. Instead they sent a trailer with the same exterior but a different interior.
Then we were assured that Everything Possible was being done to get it shipped ASAP, almost certainly within a week, May 7 or 8 at the latest. As that date came and went, it became clear that yes the trailer had “gone to the shipper,” and would soon be On the Road to Oregon, and For Sure it would be leaving Indiana by Monday, May 14. Figure three or four days on the road and it could arrive in Portland by Thursday, May 17, opening a theoretical doorway for pickup sometime during our current Birthday Trip.
So, as one does, we maintained Hope. At this writing we are in a motel in Woodland, WA, on our way to Corvallis. Today we get the latest update on the Trailer Shipping News; the current projected delivery date is next Friday, May 25. Which is (see above) Studio Tour Weekend. Curiously, repeated Disappointment doesn’t so much leave a Bitter Taste as a Corked taste, Flavorless and somewhat Musty, and you are Ready to Dump it Down the Drain, but you have built up So Much Expectation you can’t quite bring yourself to do it, and you sit with your disappointment and frustration with, you know, a kind of Puzzled Irony.
Mar a Lago Update: Rooms Full of Elephants
Day to Day coping with the Tweetster in Charge of The World is an Ongoing Challenge. Everybody Can Feel it is All Wrong, that a Terrible Mistake has been made. It is not unlike the beginning Gambit of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, when a Vogon Demolition Ship is sent to destroy the Earth to make room for a new Hyperspace Bypass. Nothing personal, Just Business, sorry for Any Inconvenience, Really, If you hadn’t been here, we wouldn’t have to Remove You, Our Hands Are Tied.
The News this week has repeatedly reminded us that it is the Anniversary of the appointment of Robert Mueller to Investigate Possible Wrongdoing/Collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russian Intelligence Operatives during the 2016 Election Campaign. Republican Loyalists, having Accepted Him as their Personal Savior, have Closed Ranks around the Tweetster in a Phalanx of Shields and Spears to protect him from each Daily Onslaught of Fake News. And the Rhetoric continues to Amp Up that there should be a Time Limit for Mueller to Prove that there is a There There.
This all reminds us of the Eight Long Years of the Whitewater Investigation of the Clintons, not to mention the Fox News 25-year Obsession with Hillary Clinton, you know, in case she ever ran for President, and oh by the way, fast forward to today’s world where there is Nothing the Tweetster can do to arouse moral outrage among his Disciples.
So it is worth taking a moment from the daily cries of Fake News and looking around the room Slowly Enough to Start Focusing on the Increasing Number and Size of Elephants in the Room that Everyone is Studiously Ignoring, especially the One in the Middle that No One can either Ignore or Acknowledge: that Yes, Indeed, the election of 2016 was manipulated and Stolen through a concerted campaign involving Russian hacking, Facebook manipulation, Cambridge Analytica, and the Tweetster Campaign. But of course no one can actually Say That.
This week’s wine tasting
Maryhill Viognier ’15 Washington $14
Vibrant aromas of orange zest, honeysuckle, and pink grapefruit; flavors of lemon, pear, and white peach. The mouthfeel is delicate, yet full-bodied, withnotes of fresh flowers.
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!
Antonio Sanguineti Nessun Dorma Toscana ’15 Italy $15
Super-Tuscan blend of sangiovese, cab, and merlot, with notes of black currant and cherry, and spicy chocolate. Rich and spicy on the palate, the red fruit comes on strong in the middle, with chocolate rounding out the finish.
Chat. Cabriac Carignan Old Vines ’16 France $12
Ruby color with purplish reflections; scents of ripe red fruits, currants and blackcurrant with some spicy notes; in the mouth elegant, round, and well structured with soft tannins and good persistence.
Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz ’16 Australia $19
Rich, opulent fruit with a wonderful freshness and balance. An incredible deep, central core of dark fruit gives way to an intense textural mid palate full of cassis, plum, spice and dark chocolate.
2072 Granger Way