Riddles

After a week in Tuscany, we are going to move this week's tasting a distance away. Actually not if you know your European History - geographically speaking that is.

Each day will expose a clue as to this week's tasting. This is going to be such fun.

This is clue #1. 

Tuscan Wine Tasting and we are all psyched up

We seem to be having some wind issues today so instead of having our Tuscan wine tasting outside, next to our 14th century palazzo (alla rustica), we are moving inside (132 Front Street across from the Post Office; 3-6pm) and we were just kidding about our palazzo - it is a tad more modest.

We have had a lot of fun with the Tuscan theme this week and urge you to read the next few blog entries. We learned a lot, remembered a lot, and mostly made a bunch of new friends online, through our Face Book, and with some dandy help from the North Fork Patch.  It has been swell.

It would mean a lot to us if you stopped by, listened to a few nice Italian arias, took a bite of bread and enjoyed some very nice Tuscan reds.  It would also be terrific if you stayed and chatted and we got to know you.  Selling wines and spirits is a business.  Enjoying the company of our friends is a pleasure.

See you later today

Yum Tuscan White Bean Soup on a cold and rainy Friday

Right now it is 42 degrees and drizzling with a promise of a cold wind  this afternoon.  We were trying to think of something Tuscan, in keeping with our tasting on Saturday - 3-6pm 132 Front Street in Greenport (write it down) -  and also something that quite frankly would take the chill off.

On the way in this morning we stopped at the market and ran into a friend who was all loaded up with chicken broth and cannellini beans (in cans no less) and and we asked if he was making soup and he replied yes, white bean  soup, all creamy and rich, and we could see, in our mind's eye,  the steam rising from the pot as we spoke. Perfect.  Our grandmother used to make this and we can still see the kitchen stove in the late afternoon light, red enamel pot, gentle steam, that ancient wooden stirring spoon and a wondrous smell of garlic and oil, crusty bread crunching, real butter - my oh my.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 sage leaf
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 slices ciabatta bread
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the slices of ciabatta bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill the bread until warm and golden grill marks appear, about 3 minutes a side. Serve the soup in bowls with the grilled bread alongside. (Recipe courtesy of our good friends at Food Network)

Here is a video in case you get lost with the above..

teatro del maggio musicale florentino - better known as my shower

We wish we could sing - not shower sing, or humming to ourselves in the stock room or lip sync time in the car. You know what we mean. That magic voice only we hear in our heads.

In this Tuscan week here at the shop we were thinking about this some when one of our local characters wandered in to enquire about the tasting (Saturday - 3 to 6pm - 132 Front Street here in Greenport - Tuscan Wines, Great Rustic Breads from Blue Duck Bakery, the view from the store window...and smiles, lotsa smiles....and some thoroughly Italian music

in the background.  He knew of our composer hero, Puccini,  who died half a century back.  Puccini was born in Lucca, Tuscany - a town just about due east of us (over the horizon) and found his way to New York after WWI - hopefully to Greenport on some vacation jaunt (now that would indeed be a neat thing). He promised to drop by a CD of our hero's music sung by people who actually can sing - wow! Just the ticket.

Hey! In for a dime, in for a dollar we always say. ... and by the way, we will be the store with music from heaven pouring forth along with bread and wine... This is gonna be fun.

Got cultchah??

Alex, one of our face book friends, liked our little writing on all things Tuscan the other day that she sent on this picture of snow in the Tuscan hills. VERY nice and we thank her for the picture and the note - actually several notes; all very kind.  Our brains immediately started swirling to what it is we are thinking in relation to Tuscany and our friends in the store at the time decided for us that wines are our immediate culture (pronounced "cultchah" - long "long island" a at the end). Seriously. Not the snobby hoity/toity nose in the air stuff but something that is timeless and enduring. Things that surround us and we let surround us.

Our families have "culture" and over time the "cultchah" becomes us - it is the house we grew up in, the values, the breaking of bread, Sunday afternoon rituals - how things smell, the feel of the air and the noise from the kitchen.

This little move toward a Tuscan week is a little like that. We are surrounding ourselves with things that make up our own very personal cultchah. We are happily bringing out some really nice wines, again, not to be snobby but because Tuscan wine is a treat and we want the best for our friends; the incredible artists at Blue Duck Bakery are sending over some delicious rustic breads, hopefully including some very simple but ultimately glorious Tuscan bread to balance out the wine. That is what we mean by cultchah (culture)...a lovely landscape forwarded by a new, good friend, bottles of "guest" good wine, unbelievably good artisan breads, and most important, our friends. 3-6pm, 132 Front in Greenport. 


Bring your smile. Nothing is too good for our guests. Dress snappy.

This is Pretty Swell

We were talking with a friend yesterday who visited us with the good news that we were just a month away from Spring and that what with Lent about to start and a bright late winter day, well things were looking pretty swell indeed. 

Our friend likes to rattle on about little things that catches his eye, not the least of which was that when spring hits, we get, according to his calculations, about 12 hours and 10 minutes of sun and at 41 degrees north lattitude, that was what we could expect - just about exactly half a day. In fact, Front Street, where we are located, if you ran west you would run into that place in Pennsylvania that does the Ground Hog Day thing and if you went East, across the Atlantic, you would find yourself crossing Spain and running smack dab into Italy near Florence and Rome and in southern Tuscany or thereabouts. Close enough.

We like the "chick-flick" and book, Under the Tuscan Sun and he remarked that it was the same "sun" that we get here give or take a little and we rather liked that, so we are now in a Tuscan mood that will spill over (bad pun for a wine and spirit store) to the tasting this week - all Tuscan, and perhaps some recipes, and whatnot.  At least we it gives us a chance to put up a picture of the dome of that famous Florence cathedral and imagine ourselves there.

Too bad our Front Street doesn't extend a "little further" to the east. Anyway, we are glad our visitor knew about 41 degrees north and the nearly perfect 12 hour day that is coming to us in a month and, importantly, filling our noggins with images that make us smile.  Tuscan week. How swell can this be!

Fireman's Parade - President's Day Parade

We have tried to figure out where in our village this shot was taken .... well...where it was shot....and when.  So many mysteries.

We went to a clothing expert of sorts who places the dresses at about 1900.  Perhaps they were shopping at the one local millinery store we know of from then, Ms. M.K.Baileys over on Main Street or perhaps from a catalogue long gone and forgotten.  We do note a few things in the photograph to give us a clue, one being the prominent sign "carriages" dead center and, on close look, the fire crew is leading horse drawn fire wagons in the back but all that is pretty dim.

Looking closely, we noted a wire in the top left of the photo. AHA.  Well at the time in question, we found a Greenport Telephone directory and found three "livery" listings (no carriages) but figured we were on the right track.  One belonged to Mr. H.E. Young on Front Street, another "Young", this time Leander J. on Railroad Avenue and the last being G. Thomas Black's establishment on Central Avenue.  All of these establishments were on the wire - all connected - no cell phones even imagined, no text, just a lone operator at a switchboard plugging in connectors that lead to the lines, what few there were.

We don't think that this is outside our doors on Front Street because it had buildings lining it for a long way.  We also don't thing that this is Central Avenue although that is our second choice but would have to wonder that zig-zag parade route would take Eagle Hose into that part of town. 

The pride on the faces is without mistake.  Membership in an organization like this carries that with it as a given.  The drums rat-a-tat-tat, the cornets fan faring and the bass brass ompahing must have been a smash on parade.  Ladies in their finery and fashion, parasols to the sun, leaves aglow with sunlight and something coming over the telephone wire, the parade is underway, out quickly and watch it.

Drop by and view it with us. Drop in later for a tasting. 3-6pm sharp. Stay in line. Lift your feet - the March is Sousa. George Washington Bicentennial March.  How fitting.

belle bonne sage

On Valentines Day and all things dealing with the heart here is just a little snippet that you can repackage to your "intended" to demonstrate knowledge of the romantic. 

The music to the left dates from about 1400 from the area of Rheims (France) and written by a fellow named Baude Fresnel who used the nom de plume "Cordier" (of the heart - Cor).   Of course we know the "music" as the manuscript decorated a perfume bottle (Chantilly) and someone may be impressed that the music was bound into the collection of French songs called "The Chantilly Codex" this one added last to the volume.

One of our friends visited today and was fretting about what to give his "bride" for Valentine's Day - a simple card not being adequate. We of course suggested some bubbly and a trip to the chocolate store down the street.  That launched him into one of his stories.

He recounted that he had taken a music manuscript course for some hotsietot degree and there was a book all musicology students eventual make of transcriptions of some 40 or so of these manuscripts like the one above and the trick was to put them into modern notation.  This one was really hard until you figured it out and got over the curved top part. You can see the three parts - the main one at the top in the heart curve, the other two underneath - look for the flourished script "B". It was up to the performer to put the text in exactly (it is in the form of a "rondeau(x)" - not a round but a poetic form - usually 8 lines - more than you want to know) and knowing that helps you figure things out.

We were bored silly at this point but smiled on; this being far more than we ever wanted to know but somehow or another we were touched to think that 600 years someone wrote a love song in the shape of a heart.  We mean, WHEN was the last time someone wrote you a love song shaped like that?

Today is Valentines Day and if you just find the object of your affection and show him/her the picture of the manuscript and say "Beautiful Good Wise" (belle bonne sage)...you might score a point or two...otherwise go to the perfume store.

I've Got a Crush on You

I've got a crush on you, sweetie pie
All the day and nighttime, hear me sigh
I never had the least notion
That I could fall with such emotion
Could you coo, could you care
For a cunning cottage we could share
The world will pardon my mush
Cause I've got a crush, my baby, on you.

Bedell Tasting today. 3-6pm.
132 Front St., Greenport

Valentine's Day is just a handful of days away.

Get into the spirit. Time to think romantic....

Tell 'em Frank sent ya'.

Pssst...Valentine's Day Coming Up

We have one of the very big boys in our store today for our 3-6pm tasting (it is free and we are at 132 Front St. in Greenport across from Mitchell Park - repeat that 3 times and twirl around with your right index finger in the air; invite the crowd that gathers to come with you).

Seriously, Bedell Winery will be pouring for our tasting and their wine is just plain great, year after year, and it is always a treat to have Matt come visit us.  You'll like him and the wine. Cross our hearts.
Little sayings like Cross My Heart (meaning to pledge it to be true) has also something of a Valentine's bouquet to it. (we can't help thinking about Valentine's Day)...you make a Christian symbol over your heart and "hope to die" if it isn't a true pledge - the underlying heart will stop beating if it is false.  Don't you make that sign or think that ritual in some form when you first meet your significant other?  You are my Valentine, cross my heart and hope to die?

At first crush these are more bad puns than are necessary. We'll stop if you stop in.  Here's the deal and we will repeat it daily in some form from now through Valentine's Day:

The Bedell wines tasted today will be available 10% off but we will extend that to 10% off ANY wine in the store between now and then, if you promise to take your SO out for a Valentine's dinner at the restaurants .in town offering them (North Fork Oyster, Curvee, Noah's).  Just say the magic words at the register. 

Cross our Hearts.

Tuesday Morning

We have to admit that we borrowed this picture from the http://www.greenportvillage.blogspot.com/ site. It is this morning. No wind, balmy (for February) warm, and amazing sunlight to the east.

It makes us happy to see the day and look forward to it unfolding.

We (Greenport Wines and Spirits) are a 7 day a week business so, as our friends say, we don't get out much but a morning like this, all glorious and as was once said "mudluscious and puddlewonderful", we are just in a good mood.

You be in one too.

Buffalo Wings Redux

Now yesterday we reached out to our friend, Mark, from Butta Cakes, a shop here in town that was cooking up great batches of Buffalo Wings for today's Super Bowl.

Part of his usual business is cupcakes. GREAT cupcakes. Cupcakes that find their way into our store pretty frequently in the summer and we measured it out and it is about 500 steps from his store to ours and a cupcake can sometimes make it from there to here.

We ran across this picture online this morning and for you that have a time of it assembling the image in your brain it is indeed a Buffalo Wing on top of a Cupcake.  The friend who pointed this pairing out to us asked us "what wine would go good..." and we replied "any bottle...pick any bottle...anything in the store...anything".

Buffalo Wings and our friend at Butta Cakes

Sunday is the Superbowl of course and we were asked about what wine to serve with  Buffalo Wings.  Our friend Mark, the proprietor of Butta Cakes on Main Street is cooking up huge batches of wings with various "coatings" and we have to tell you that they are both fabulous and at a very good price..... not to mention that he does the cooking and not us!

We asked Mark what wine he likes with his Wings and he of course replied his preference for the traditional beer. Well obviously there is a micro-brewery in our town so in fairness, that is probably his prime choice and if you have had their brew, the difference between that fresh taste and something from the convenience store shelf is, well, considerable.  But many of us are not beer drinkers so we think about wine (after all we are Greenport Wine and Spirits!)

We turned to our friends in California wine country for a hint and here is what they wrote:

Ira Brill, public relations guru with Foster Farms, has his own suggestions for wine pairing.
“We always say chicken wings are product have fun with so I advise people to keep it uncomplicated,” he said.  “A chardonnay would be over doing it so I would suggest a sauvignon blanc with a nice herbal quality. A merlot would work well too.”

Roden, winemaker at FishEye Winery, has some definite ideas about pairing wings and wine.  “The big thing really with wings is what type of sauce or marinade they have been cooked in.” he said. “From what I have seen and eaten, most are in the hot and extremely hot and spicy range.  This is always a challenge for matching wine.”  For wings at the ‘cooler’ end of the range, Roden said a dry Riesling is usually a good match – even better is a dry Gewürztraminer. These wines can have both the spicy, floral characteristics and the clean, acid finish that blend and match really well with spicy, foods. “As the heat level of the wings goes up, most of the white wine options start to fade and will be simply over powered by the food,” he said. “So, I also like to try and match spicy type wines with spicy type foods such as a spicy zinfandel or a syrah/shiraz based wines. These are rich varietals that can better handle the heat and spice. These selections display spicy fruit and oak characters (pepper, ginger) that lend themselves to these foods.”

We also suppose that a Tequila Sunrise might do the trick .... come in and tell us, share your vision, chat us up and tell Mark that we sent you.

Saturday, in the park, you'd think it was the 4th of July

Seurat's "Sunday in the Park", well we had to fudge with the name a bit but you all know this either from the play "Sunday in the Park with George" or from "Ferris Buellar".  It is also our front window overlooking Mitchell Park here in Greenport. Well, not really but you get the idea.

Sometimes we think of ourselves as an art gallery with refreshments.

If and when you stop by our 3-6pm tasting today (free - 132 Front, Greenport), you can gaze across at our adaptation of this - carousel and ice rink and harbor, and of course people.

We are people watchers when we have time for it. It is an endlessly changing landscape and never the same day to day, season to season....one of those picture frames with a program that runs through an album but an album that is always different. 

Come on over. Enjoy the view.

Splish-Splash

Tomorrow (Saturday) at our weekly tasting (free!!!! frei!!!  libérer!!!) on Saturday from 3-6pm at 132 Front Street in Greenport (subtle hint), we are uncorking a pretty nifty red called Cannonball.

Many of us on the East End are familiar with "cannonballs" what with the war of 1812 history around us, the 4pm Friday LIRR "Cannonball" delivering the swells to the Hamptons and of course with all the opportunities for swimming out here there is the omnipresent "let's get everyone poolside all wet" cannonball - the subject of the wine label.

In diving the cannonball is the antithesis of competitive drives where the purpose is to maximize, rather than minimize, the splash.  We were talking about that with one of our friends today as he liked the label and thought it reminded him of some Saturday Evening Post cover.

He told us a story of his father in turn of the century Vermont jumping off a bridge into a mill pond and making a big splash and having a friend who, when he fell on hard times in the depression, started painting and from memory or something painted the scene, so lifelike and positively "imagination-true" that he waxed nostalgic over it until the day he died.

It was funny and a nicely sentimental story that evolved from a wine label but we like that - it makes our jobs and time go by fast when these short yarns are spun out for us.  We also thought that he wasn't telling the story, those few sentences, to entertain us but because he was just thinking out loud and we happened to be there.  But off he went, smiling, promising to drop in on Saturday and see how the Cannonball was doing and if was making a "splash" with our patrons.

We look forward to that.

Miserable Rodent - Tomorrow is your day.

The text that follows was taken verbatim from an email sent me by this day in history. It is far more than you might want to know but the Candlemas reference is intriguing and I'll read about that and get back to you.

By the way, this is the 125 Groundhog Day. Someone clean the cage.


1887 : First Groundhog Day

On this day in 1887, Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring.
Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal--the hedgehog--as a means of predicting weather. Once they came to America, German settlers in Pennsylvania continued the tradition, although they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were plentiful in the Keystone State.
Groundhogs, also called woodchucks and whose scientific name is Marmota monax, typically weigh 12 to 15 pounds and live six to eight years. They eat vegetables and fruits, whistle when they're frightened or looking for a mate and can climb trees and swim. They go into hibernation in the late fall; during this time, their body temperatures drop significantly, their heartbeats slow from 80 to five beats per minute and they can lose 30 percent of their body fat. In February, male groundhogs emerge from their burrows to look for a mate (not to predict the weather) before going underground again. They come out of hibernation for good in March.
In 1887, a newspaper editor belonging to a group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club declared that Phil, the Punxsutawney groundhog, was America's only true weather-forecasting groundhog. The line of groundhogs that have since been known as Phil might be America's most famous groundhogs, but other towns across North America now have their own weather-predicting rodents, from Birmingham Bill to Staten Island Chuck to Shubenacadie Sam in Canada.
In 1993, the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray popularized the usage of "groundhog day" to mean something that is repeated over and over. Today, tens of thousands of people converge on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney each February 2 to witness Phil's prediction. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club hosts a three-day celebration featuring entertainment and activities.