BLOGSCHU

Sea Bugs and Montrachet

posted by Susan Sueiro

Kids with summer birthdays get jipped. No cupcakes in class, no friends in town for parties.  But I never complained, because my birthday was during the peak of lobster season.

Mom always let the kids pick our favorite meal for our birthday dinners. Being winter babies, my siblings chose roasts and potatoes, or mom's famous meatloaf.  As far back as I can remember, my birthday dinner was lobster and fresh corn on the cob.

No matter how it is marketed, lobster is not for fancy dining. It should be prepared boiled whole; the clean, split and broiled options are a dry, sad sacrilege. You can't eat lobster neatly. You have to get down and dirty with the thing to really enjoy it, use your fingertips to remove every last bit of meat from the shell, butter dripping to your elbows. At least that is how we did it. 

We'd go to the local fishmonger, a bare, concrete storefront containing only the prow of an old ship filled with ice, displaying the morning's catch. Big, boisterous guys in coveralls lugged in plastic tubs filled with sea water and live lobsters, cheaper per pound than hamburger during midsummer months.

I've lived in California for 18 years. I've been disappointed by lobster in restaurants, received half-dead creatures via FedEx as gifts, and spent a small ransom to buy Atlantic lobster locally. Lately I've given up the tradition and enjoyed many wonderful alternative birthday dishes. But still, I've never enjoyed any single meal more than one of those hot summer evenings in the backyard, hair tied back, still wearing a swim suit, nothing but a big red sea bug and a nutcracker on the table. The only way this adult can imagine to improve on that childhood memory would be to add a glass of an exquisite Puligny-Montrachet. 

Fruit Bats Release Album---

Hi, Jeff here.  Feels good typing and copying and pasting again.  Been a busy summer.  Got this email from SubPop records in Seattle announcing the release of a new record from the band playing GB on 8/24.  Very stoked they are going to be here.  If you can't come out for the show checkem out in a city near you.....

____________________________________________________________________________________

It’s been a few years since the Fruit Bats put out a record, 4 to be exact. But Fruit Bats leader Eric D. Johnson hasn’t been sitting idly by; he’s spent his time playing with label mates The Shins and Vetiver, honing his skills and biding his time for his attack. Well, maybe not an attack so much as another really, really good record. On August 4th, The Ruminant Band is available on CD, LP (comes with digital download code and is gatefold, BTW), and of course, digital. If you pre-order through August 4th, you’ll automatically receive $2 off our already well-priced price. That’s makes it just $10 for the CD and $12 for the LP –around the office, we call that sort of thing a no-brainer. We’re also into giving away stickers and buttons and whatever else we can find to spruce up your order, so expect that sort of thing too.

Pre-order The Ruminant Band here:

http://www.subpop.com/releases/fruit_bats/full_lengths/the_ruminant_band

Listen to Fruit Bats here:

http://www.subpop.com/artists/fruit_bats

Read a bit more about the new record:

Over the course of three records, the last two on Sub Pop (2003’s Mouthfuls and 2005’s Spelled in Bones), Eric D. Johnson’s Fruit Bats have looked for ways to file down the cynical edge of modern life and found many. Using bright melodies, defiantly major-key chord structures, natural imagery mixed with the occasional blazing insight and tender observation, the Fruit Bats have never shied away from darkness, but more uncommon in this day and age, they’ve refused to shy away from light. With The Ruminant Band, this tradition continues in characteristically rich and involving fashion. From the barn-floor stomp of "The Hobo Girl" and the Fleetwood Mac-esque shimmy of the title track to the propulsive yet spacious ‘70s country-rock jam "Tegucigalpa" and the parlor piano soft-shoe of "Flamingo," The Ruminant Band makes good on Johnson’s recent message board promise: "We are going to choogle for you." The songwriting and production on The Ruminant Band mark a further crystallization of Johnson’s own melodic instincts and overall vision over the past near-decade, abetted by brothers-in-arms who know both bluster and restraint.

Fruit Bats on the Road:

Aug 18 Lucky Bar, Vancouver, Canada

Aug 19 Media Club, Vancouver, Canada

Aug 20 Crocodile Cafe, Seattle, WA

Aug 21 Mural AMphitheater, Seattle, WA

Aug 22 Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR

Aug 22 Music Millennium, Portland, OR

Aug 24 Gundlach-Bundschu Winery, Sonoma, CA

Aug 25 Independent, San Francisco, CA

Aug 26 Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA

Aug 27 Plush, Tucson, AZ

Aug 28 Corazon, Sante Fe, NM

Aug 29 Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO

Aug 31 Opalis Productions, Norman, OK

Aug 31 Guestroom Records - OKC, OK

Sep 01 Good Records, Dallas, TX

Sep 01 The Loft (TX), Dallas, TX

Sep 02 Mohawk, Austin, TX

Sep 02 Waterloo Records, Austin, TX

Sep 03 Walter's on Washington, Houston, TX

Sep 04 Spanish Moon, Baton Rouge, LA

Sep 05 Red Star Bar @ The Lyric, Oxford, MS

Sep 06 The Earl, Atlanta, GA

Sep 07 Grimeys, Nashville, TN

Sep 08 Exit/In, Nashville, TN

Sep 09 Square Room, Knoxville, TN

Sep 10 Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC

Sep 11 Black Cat, Washington, DC

Sep 12 Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA

Sep 14 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Sep 15 T.T.The Bears, Cambridge, MA

Sep 16 Big Orbit's Soundlab, Buffalo, NY

Sep 17 Southgate House, Newport, KY

Sep 18 Zanzabar, Louisville, KY

Sep 19 Orpheum Stage Door, Madison, WI

Sep 20 Reckless Records (Wicker Park), Chicago, IL

Sep 20 Schubas, Chicago, IL

Sep 21 Schubas, Chicago, IL

c'mon get happy

posted by Susan Sueiro

Michael Franti has a hit! A catchy, happy, intoxicating love song in constant rotation on commercial radio that is the unofficial theme song of summer 2009. I've been hearing the song for months, and call me clueless, but I only just realized this is a Michael Franti song.

I remember the Oakland native better as the guy who stopped wearing shoes to raise awareness of poverty.  The founder of the Power to the Peaceful festival, who has written whole albums railing against politicians, and recently made a documentary about his travels in Iraq. The singer who turned 80s punk from The Dead Kennedys into angry 90s hip hop. 

I saw the video today for the first time, shot entirely on the streets and beaches of Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilians have an unsurpassed gift to express joy through music, to escape harsh realities and celebrate life and love.  It seems Michael Franti has embraced the Carioca philosophy, and given us all something to celebrate.

Brothers from Sister Cities

posted by Jeff Bundschu

Julian (age 21) and Adrien (19) Millet are the sons of Francois and Michelle Millet. Francois is the Winemaking Director at Domaine Comte George de Vogue, a winery located in Sonoma’s Burgundian sister city of Chambolle Musigny. I met Francois 10 years ago on a trip to France with two other valley vintners (Mike Cox of Schug Winery, and Bart Hansen of Dane Cellars). A few years later, my cousin Towle Merritt (manager at Walsh Vineyard Management in Napa), interned there for a harvest, living with the Millet Family, including Julian and Adrien, who were then 13 and 11 respectively. Towle and I were contacted by Francois earlier this year regarding a brief internship for the boys in California to support their enology studies in France. Since their arrival at the end of June, they have been working between Gundlach Bundschu and Walsh experiencing California winemaking and viticulture. Aside from an intense work schedule, they have taken in the 4th of July parade, a Bastille Day picnic at the Farmer’s Market, skeet shooting in the delta, surfing at Bolinas, a house party with some female contemporaries, and suffered some very poor attempts at French.

 

Julian Millet, Towle Merritt & Adrien Millet

The many meanings of barbeque

posted by Susan Sueiro

Supposedly the Inuit language has seven words for snow, to express the differences in texture, water content, etc.

By comparison, we use one word in English, barbeque, to describe any meat cooked over fire. It could be beef or pork, ribs or roasts, slathered in sauce or dry rubbed, the same word is used for them all.

Perhaps that is because in any one place, it is understood to have a single, specific, CORRECT meaning, but unless you're from Carolina, Kansas City, Memphis or Texas, you may not have such a strong opinion.

In wine country, one grape variety claims to pair best with all forms of BBQ: Zinfandel.  That is likely due to the sweetness of most rubs and sauces and the hearty, jammy style of zin that is long been popular in California. But it is worth digging a little deeper into this most clichéd of summer wine pairings.

Though I think of zinfandel as far from the most nuanced of varieties, my favorites are the ones that are full of pepper and smoke, with fruit that is juicy not jammy, and retains some acidity to balance it out. Yes, I admit it, I am so partial to the Gundlach Bundschu style that I rarely experiment much with other zins.

It serves to reason that style matches my taste in BBQ.  I tend to stick to beef and avoid messy/sweet BBQ sauces, but have recently developed an addiction to dry rubbed pork chops. I go for lots of spice and no sugar in the rub. The simple, fast staple in my house, thanks to Nancy Lang from the winery tasting room crew, is 2T chili powder, 1t cayenne, 1t salt and 1/2t black pepper.  It pairs real nicely with that GB Zinfandel.

So, barbeque fans, what's your preferred definition of Q? And while you're at it, expand my zin horizons with your recommendations.

Summer Sunsets and Mozart

posted by Susan Sueiro

My husband loves the symphony, and while I enjoy going with him, I know absolutely nothing about classical music and often find myself suffering or sleeping through long stretches of the evening.  But even I know to never miss the performance of the Midsummer Mozart Festival at the winery. 

Each summer, George Cleve puts together two programs to be performed with world-renowned soloists at only four venues around the Bay Area.  Performances in Berkeley, San Francisco and San Jose are in concert halls and theaters, with ushers, expensive acoustics and musicians in tuxes. For many years, the north bay performances have been held in the outdoor amphitheater at Gundlach Bundschu Winery, with violinists in hawaiian shirts and guests enjoying picnics and wine on the lawn.

During program one this past Saturday, a flock of Canadian geese added their own horn section to the flute concerto, and the billowy clouds overhead erupted in pink and orange to announce the sunset, and the opening measures of the Haffner symphony.

Even if you don't consider yourself a fan of Mozart, the majesty of the music mirrored in the surrounded beauty cannot fail to move you. And if you love the music, well, I imagine its a pretty extraordinary night out.  Program two will be performed this Saturday July 25th at the winery, featuring the amazing pianist Seymour Lipkin.  The sunset should accompany the closing piece, this symphony, #41.

A girl's garanimal approach to wine pairing

posted by Susan Sueiro

Sorry for the silence on Monday. While I neglected my music monday post, rest assured I was off listening to lots of awesome new music for future suggestions. In fact, I'll give you one at the end of this post.

I was off for a long weekend with a group of my favorite friends, and while these women aren't particularly into pink, or color coordination for that matter, we discovered a pretty good combination in an accidentally all pink meal.

I'd brought several bottles of the 2008 Gundlach Bundschu Tempranillo Rosé with me, and once it was officially lunchtime and over 80 degrees, that was all the prompting I needed to open one. Unbeknownst to me, a friend was preparing a delicious dish of shrimp sauteed in paprika & cumin, while another was cubing a perfectly ripe watermelon. Voila, pink lunch.

Long ago I learned one of the basic rules of wine pairing was to pair like with like, ie a dish prepared with a touch of cream works well with chardonnay, a dish with more acidity needs a wine with more acidity as well, etc. I never thought to apply the rule by color before.

The bone dry rose has a hibiscus tea note to the crisp and clean strawberry and kiwifruit flavors that stood up to the spice, but straight grilled shrimp or boiled crab (also pink!) would have maybe been even better. The flavors are at once rich and delicate - just like the wine. Yum.

Meanwhile, we were listening to The Republic Tigers, so here's a taste of that too. Cheers to good friends and long lunches!

Calabazas for Everyone!

Pedro Garcia, the assistant vineyard manager at Gundlach Bundschu, plants a vegetable garden in a corner of the property each year, supplying the crew with fresh veggies throughout the summer. This year, the Bundschus gave him a larger piece of land to cultivate at the top of the winery drive. I've been watching Pedro's progress for weeks, the long evenings after a full day in the vineyard he has spent setting up irrigation, planting and tending the garden. He's hard to spot now that the corn stalks are so tall, but I had the good fortune to pass him on his way out the other night.

After a brief and pleasant exchange in my poor spanish, Pedro asked if I wanted to take home some 'calabazas.'  I knew it was too early for pumpkins, which is what I'd understood to be the meaning of the word, but I figured one should never turn down farm fresh produce. Even if it was some kind of squash.

Pedro returned with an enormous pick bin filled with zucchini.  Ah, of course. Never a big fan, I smiled and picked out two smallish zucchini and thanked him. No, he insisted. These are all for you. 

A few years back, some friends of mine moved from New York City to the Hudson River Valley. They cracked me up with the story of how no one in their small agricultural community ever locked their car doors, except during zucchini season. Apparently everyone's gardens overflowed with the bountiful squash, and neighbors were known to leave bagfulls in the cars of unsuspecting friends.

I laughed at that memory, thanked Pedro, brought the whole 30lbs or so of zucchini into the winery office, and sent an email to all the staff to please come take some.

I have never truly enjoyed the stuff, perhaps because I don't make it well, and it always seems too spongy, green and even bitter to pair well with wine. So this week, my dear readers, I am asking you for help to provide a tasty morsel. Please share your recommendations for preparing the ubiquitous summer squash, and if at all possible, a wine to go with it. Because I know Pedro will be back with more soon.

Music Monday Live: FRUIT BATS August 24th

Our Second Annual Indie Rock show with Deertick on June 27th was so much fun, we added another show.

FRUIT BATS will make a special Monday night appearance at GB, General Admission only $10 in advance! (No, you don't need to be named for a bloodsucking creature to play the Indie Rock series, but apparently it helps.)

Tickets and details at www.gunbun.com/fruitbats. Listen to the really great new stuff too at http://www.myspace.com/thefruitbats

A quick look back at the last few weeks

Hey all—

So sorry I have been negligent on the blog front. I have so much to say but no time to say it and now I go away on vacation with a self imposed no-laptop ordinance.

Much to think about though—

Verasion
Finalizing 08 blends
Prepping for 09—We are excited
06 Vintage Reserve Label—Very cool thing in the works.
Basking in the glory of Deertick. ‘twas a great concert.
Getting pumped about Fruit Bats—here on Aug 24th.
Seeing Death Cab for Cutie and the Decemberists before then.
Continuing to ride my bike
And getting excited about watching those guys riding theirs through France for the next three weeks.
Wine Bloggers Conference. Do I even qualify?

To get you in the mood, or moods for a few of these things, here are a few vids. Hasta.

1 — FRUITBATS - scroll down for Canyon Girl video
2 — Lance Getting Soft, how nice!
3 — Lance being a hero..