Wine Tasting January 19, ’13 Spanish Delights
Sunset over Orcas, Jan 17
This shot was taken tonight– first one on the NEW camera– and it clearly shows that in one month the sunset has moved from the left edge of Orcas Island to the bright spot in the photo, nearly halfway along the ridge. So, yes, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, but today was sunny, the wind was calm, Spring is just around the corner.
Wine Club and Online Store Update
I had hoped that by the time we reopened after inventory we would be up and running with our online store and wine club. It turns out that these things take time for the uninitiated (including yours truly), more time than any reasonable person could call, you know, “reasonable.” It has turned out that every small step forward requires a great deal of trial and error. The set of WordPress plugins we are using to set this up could, theoretically, be installed with a few clicks of the mouse, and voila, we would be in business. The truth is that it is far less like “click here for the cheese” and far more like “click here to enter the Maze where there may or may not be cheese for YOU, although we can honestly report that SOME who have entered have reported seeing cheese, or what they think would have been cheese if they had been running a different operating system, and, you know, figured out how to tweak the code a bit in their import.php file.”
Despite these setbacks, some progress has been made. Although the store is not actually functional at the moment, you will notice at the top of the page that there are three new links, each representing a functional element in progress that should be operational in the next week or two (we are that close!).
Wine Club
If you click on the “Wine Club” link at the top of the page, you will go to a page that describes the many benefits of wine club membership. At the bottom of the page is an online form where you can join the club. (yes, at some point you will be billed!) When you submit the form, a personal page will be created for you where you can enter more info about yourself, the wines you like, and eventually keep track of the wines you buy from us. You will receive an email with a link to your page, and you should definitely save the email and the link where you can easily find it again. Eventually we hope to provide opportunities for you to make notes about the wines you have bought.
Buy Wine
The “Buy Wine” link takes you to our online store, which is still in development. As you can see, the plan of the moment is to give you a chance to shop by region. Clicking on the region will give you a list of our wines from that region. We hope to provide you with some details about the varietals (merlot, cab franc,…), the subregion (California/Napa…), and more detailed notes from winemaker or reviewers. The idea is that it will look like an online store for the world even though it is really aimed right here at Lummi Island, where you can order online and choose between picking up at the shop or having us deliver. The familiar online “shopping cart” is on the bottom of the right sidebar. ALL of this has turned out to be way more complicated than expected!
Your Account
The “My Info” link will take you to a page where you can log in to your own account, update your information, evaluate the wines you have bought, or check out your purchase history.
In summary, this has turned out to be a much bigger set of tasks than expected. We think it will be up and running very soon, and no doubt it will take some time to iron out the expected wrinkles, get feedback from you on what works and what doesn’t, and learn our collective way into the Modern Era.
This Week’s Wines–Spanish Beauties!
A few weeks ago I was contacted by a gentleman from the mainland about whether I could find a certain Spanish wine for him. He had found a few bottles (on the East Coast), and liked it a LOT. Btw, critic Robert Parker gave it a whopping 94 points, absolutely unheard of in a wine that sells for less than $20. Turned out the wine was not yet available in Washington, and as far as anyone knew, it might never be available here. So I advised him to buy more from his East Coast source. Meanwhile I placed an order for five cases should it become available.
Last night I got a call that, literally, my wine-ship had come in, and not only was the wine available, but even though it was highly allocated (not enough to meet the demand, read “rationed”), I was still on deck for the five cases. Oh, and by the way, there was another beautiful Spanish wine, but there were only TWO cases, so I got those, too. And all of this just when I was feeling downtrodden by the Costcos and the Haggens of the New Washington wine world, and their special volume deals with distributors.
The important thing here is that we have some great wines this weekend, and you don’t want to miss them!
Martina Prieto Verdejo ’10 Spain $14
Verdejo thrives in the hot days and cold nights of the mesa and yields one of the most refreshing white wines of the world, delighting the palate with flavors of nettles, ripe pineapple, dried mint, and pencil dust on a crisp, fresh frame. From vines planted in clay, shells, and limestone in the Rueda wine region.
Bodegas Breca Garnacha de Fuego ’11 Spain 92 pts $9
Dark ruby/purple color, jammy black cherries intertwined with crushed rock minerality. On the palate, a full-bodied, voluptuous texture develops towards ripe raspberries and black currants intermixed with camphor and forest floor.
Bodegas Breca Breca ’10 Spain 94 pts $16
100% Garnacha from 80 year old vines yielding less than one ton per acre in an amazing terroir of steep hillsides and ancient head-pruned vines. Black raspberry, truffle, kirsch, lavender and liquid rock-like characteristics emerge from this astonishing wine. An absolutely incredible value in today’s market.
Bodegas Convento Las Claras ’11 Spain 93 pts $18
From vineyards dating back to 1900; dense ruby/purple color accompanied by abundant notes of pencil shavings, white chocolate, espresso roast and creme de cassis. This modern-styled Spanish, super-rich, intense red takes ripeness to the limit.
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2072 Granger Way