Issue No. 3 : Spring, Rituals + Wine

a secret cult that passed down clandestine rituals worshiping Spring for 2,000 years, a recipe for the condiment of the season, and the flavor compounds that connect roses to Pinot Noir..

With each rising degree, spring’s perfume gathers strength—carried on the back of the breeze until it envelops us entirely. The scent of cold, of woodsmoke and ash curling from chimneys, has gradually been replaced by fired grills and the aroma of charred meat, young blossoms and freshly cut grass.

And it’s all here in the backyard of our inn.

Family meals in winter can be sparse—tables set in the crevices between quiet nights and Matchbook pop ups. A dose of gentle hibernation. But from spring through October, there are stretches where family meals and dinner parties happen every night. Because the fishing was good. Because a friend’s in town. Because someone opened a bottle of something vintage, or something wild or.. Because the sky turned magenta. Because we all live on these hollowed Lin Beach House grounds. Because, because, because,

It’s spring. I’m wrapping up winter projects in the gaps between coast-to-coast travel to visit distributors and customers. I was in Sonoma for 2 days visiting wineries with my Dad. Soon, the season will open like a floodgate: fruits, flowers, ferments, ingredients—projects that don’t wait. In the harvest season, I’m there for them.

I love living with the rhythms of seasons.

That bowl of slick peaks? Absinthe Mayo. I reached for this absinthe mustard from Rare Tea Cellar while whipping up some condiments on the fly and fell into this summer-perfect topping. Tailor made for backyard bbqs, garden parties, picnics, you name it. The “recipe,”

absinthe mayo

I cracked an egg from our hens and slid a near neon orange yolk into the food processor (I’m sure any egg yolk will do) with a heaping tablespoon of the absinthe mustard and a squeeze of lemon (1 tbsp-ish) and a pinch of salt. With the processor spinning on full, slowly pour in canola oil until the consistency is pillowy and thiiiiiick. Not thick enough? Keep adding oil. 10 out of 10.

The watering can besides those lemon trees? The mug in my hands? The’ve be on this coast far longer than I have. The North Fork passes down its things. While the people come and go their objects often stay behind finding new stories to accent.

I grind the coffee beans and get the kettle on. Two Chemex’s stand at the ready, a lineup of mugs waiting for the yard sale warriors.

This morning it’s me, Bianca, Liz, and Noelani—caffeinated and layered for the chill. Bianca runs AllHours, the Victorian Etsy shop with a studio at Matchbook. Liz owns The Times Vintage, Greenport’s anchor for vibrant clothes from a vibrant era. There’s me, the innkeeper and Noelani, the Emmy-nominated stuntwoman and regular in the cast of characters that animate The Lin.

We’re first in line this morning, prepared to wait an hour+ for the games to begin.

Here’s the roundup of the bounty…

• Wooden mushroom lawn ornaments

• Brown suede button-up

• Ventriloquist dummy

• Love Tester machine (still operational)

• Issue of Weirdo magazine

• Glass water dispenser with a spigot

• A Flight of Butterflies, 1975

• Indigo denim chore coat

• Embroidered “Status Chipie Officer” sweater

• Hunter green coaches jacket

• Abstract art print

• Vintage painting of a boy with a baseball (double sided with a Boticelli-esqe figure on the other side)

• Cream slip dress with pearl and feather embroidery

• Deeply colored crushed velvet dresses

• ..a silk ribbon belt of loops..?

• A baby doll

• WORN: A People’s History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser

• Vintage Menswear by Douglas Gunn

• Chartreuse colored watering can

• two blue le creuset mugs

• a crock pot with a spout

• A vintage wrench—those mysterious yard sale tools always come through. Just when you’ve lost hope, it clicks: bam, the perfect fit. I have a collection of them at the distillery.

• Not pictured but I hear she found a sweet tie dye kit

Speaking of spring. Of ephemera. Of the tides that carry tools and stories from one generation to the next. Let’s talk about Persephone and The Mysteries that worshiped her in secret ceremonies for 2,000 years.

Daughter of Demeter. Kidnapped by Hades—her uncle—by way of Zeus. Demeter, goddess of agriculture, mourned her daughter so fiercely she abandoned the sky. Drought followed. Crops failed. Sacrifices ceased—the Gods in turn got hungry and parched. Zeus, cornered by consequence, agreed to let Persephone return—on one condition: that Demeter restore the rains.

But before Persephone could escape the underworld, she was tricked into eating a pomegranate seed. Bound now to Hades, she must return to him each year—for a third of it.

In fall, she descends.
In winter, her mother searches.
And in spring, she rises.

For 2,000 years, a cult grew around her story: the Eleusinian Mysteries. Rituals marking descent, search, ascent. Is Mothers Day in spring a vestige? Tenets passed down in secrecy, preserved from antiquity. In Persephone’s return, a symbol: that life flows, that tools endure, that memory can be held in your hands.

I’m particularly attached to tools that work—tools that outlast you. No wonder I feel so at home here, like I found my people here on the North Fork. Using tools and passing them down is a ritual here that binds us.

For the last two days I’ve been drifting between wineries on a cloud of florals—thickets of climbing roses and hedges bursting with star jasmine. Add to that the euphoria of tasting so many expressive new world wines, from Jupiter Wine Co.’s Vermentino to Paul Hobbs’ Cabernet. We were swept up in a whirlwind of energy and devotion to raising wines with real signature. I started to smell the perfumed air in the wines—and the wines in the perfumed air. Was I dreaming? Was I drunk? Or was I just beginning to understand the natural world more deeply, tasting it all in richer context?

Flower notes in italics. Wine notes bold.

2-Phenylethanol Classic rose scent; very common in roses, lilacs, and jasmine; moderately volatile but intensely floral and long-lasting. Common in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some Vermentino, lighter styles like the one I tasted from Jupiter Wines. Developed during yeast metabolism during fermentation.

Phenylacetaldehyde Prominent in hyacinth, jasmine, and cocoa; strong sweet floral-honey aroma; highly volatile. Also developed during fermentation in leaner chards and cool weather pinots.

Nonanal Found in rose and citrus; adds a waxy-fresh floral nuance; volatile and aromatic. Typical in Chardonnay and Vermentino, contributing to that ‘fresh’ quality.

Octanal Bright citrus and green peel; common in jasmine and orange blossom; volatile and uplifting. Common in Chardonnay and that Jupiter style of Vermentino, contributing to that ‘zesty’ quality.

On the North Fork, a Spirited Laboratory of Unexpected Flavors Grateful to David Graver and Surface Magazine for taking the time to understand what we do at Matchbook—and for capturing the messy, magical middle where it all comes together.

The Dyer’s Almanac Take a walk along another windy road, on another beautiful stretch of coastline and learn about wild fennel; it’s beautiful form and aromatics and use as a dye.

Wine Aromas and Flavours a list of overlapping aromatics in flowers, fruits and wines. I love to find my favorite flowers and fruits and herbs in the wines and spirits I drink.

As Bright As A Feather Even if just for the postcards of people riding Ostrich.

Thanks for being here,

x

Leslie