I’m a firm believer in the value of timeless activities, which is to say, I find the deepest satisfaction, or sense of accomplishment, in projects that have perennially occupied humankind. If people haven’t been doing it for hundreds - or better yet, thousands - of years, then it’s probably not worth my while. The list is long, but most certainly includes giggling, dancing, reading, cooking, and gardening. Some uniquely human tasks are less appealing to me, like butchering animals and burying one’s dead, but they too give my life meaning in ways that cars and computers cannot.
This week, in the spirit of looking back, in order to better move forward, we’re featuring wines from a land of rich and ancient culture, wines grown on prized, primeval ground, and wines made right here, in the traditional manner, with hands and feet. Tonight, we’ll pour wines from Greece, where they’ve been producing the good stuff for about 6,500 years. Saturday, we’ll taste wine from vines grown on limestone and marlstone from the Jurassic period, an epoch named after the Jura because the region's limestone mountains are representative of the geological activity from 145 million to 200 million years ago.
And this Sunday afternoon, we’re delighted to welcome winemakers Kristie Tacey of Tessier Winery and Erin Pooley of Little Frances. Both have fancy degrees in wine science and many vintages under their belts, but they choose to let their wines express themselves, with minimal intervention and classic, time-tested methods.
TONIGHT: Thursday Night Flights! ALL GREEK Reds and Whites, including Moschofilero, Assyrtiko, Roditis, Xinomavro, and Agiorgitiko. Flights $12 from 5-9 and wines by the glass until 9pm.
SATURDAY 2/22: Wines of the Jura: Red, white and sparkling. Salty, smoky, uniquely mineral-driven wines from the French Alps. Flights $15 from 2-6pm and wines by the glass until 9pm.
SUNDAY 2/23: Meet the Winemakers: Erin Pooley & Kristie Tacey at OAKLAND YARD.
Featuring four wines from two of our favorite California vintners. Erin will pour her Little Frances Semillon and Chenin Blanc, and Kristie, her Tessier Grenache and Dry Riesling. Flights $15 from 2-6 and wines by the glass until 8pm.
Cheers,
Max