Dynamic Flow

Today’s discoveries and re-discoveries:

• The White Stripes set a great tempo for classical skiing
• Double-poling is the reverse action of pulling in nets
• Dry snow sometimes falls in Juneau

It was a good day on the mountain-cold, dry, and sunny. Sunny! In a previous life I was involved in theatre and a movement teacher I had would give us different exercises to perform. Felix Evanoff would always remind us to “push your feet into the earth.” I sometimes think about this basic and fundamental action and how it relates to skiing and marvel at how such seemingly disparate disciplines are connected at an elemental level. When you push your feet into the earth in a certain way while putting your weight in the right place the desired outcome is reached on skis. This is true of all forms of skiing and even snowboarding.

I got out a little late to find very much snow that hadn’t been worked in by other skiers, but the snow fell so light that it didn’t get work hardened. When I got back to my car and got ready to nordic ski, a woman had just come in from the trail and advised me that the classical skiing conditions were optimal. I took her advice and it felt so good to stride. I just love the form, probably because it was my first, but mostly because I think it is so artful and nuanced with many fine points. It is the mother form of all skiing. The snow made it easy to find a good hard kick-wax and achieve optimum extension and glide while not slipping out on the up hills. A good wine has a many of the characteristics that I described in good classical skiing technique.

I pulled our last black cod fillet out of the freezer for supper tonight and am heartened by today’s sunshine, seeing it as a sign of spring and time for fresh fish to come. For something a little different and in celebration of the sun, I would pair the fish with a Willamette Valley rosé of Pinot Noir. My first choice would be Antica Terra Erratica Rosé. Dry rosés tend to be very versatile in pairing with foods, but the fact that this one is a rosé of Pinot Noir makes it that much more flexible. I have had the opportunity to enjoy a 2007 Antica Terra rosé of Pinot Noir, but if memory serves, it was not yet called Erratica. It was bold, almost a red, with some interesting flavor characteristics that I had never experienced before in a wine. It was the first time I had ever tasted a bit of children’s chewable vitamins in my wine and I enjoyed it. Here is a Cellar Tracker tasting note for the 2009 Erratica: “Chilled for 1 hour, then popped & poured. Enjoyed with grilled salmon, asparagus, caprise salad. Delicious “rose”, which actually saw skin contact for roughly 8 days, rather than hours. More like a light Pinot Noir than a true rose, but absolutely stunning. Great acidity, yet smooth and satisfying. Lots more fruit than expected, with some earthy complexity as well.” The 2010 Erratica is just now being released, so if you are interested, you may want to act.  

Antica Terra wines can be purchased directly by visiting www.anticaterra.com

Mel