Brewmaster/Blue Bastard Dan Cleaveland

The Blue Cat Brew Pub opened 15 years ago this year, and given its institutional status in the Quad Cities, it's hard to believe that starting out, its proprietors knew next to nothing about how to brew beer or run a brewpub.

As co-owner and brewmaster Dan Cleaveland tells it, his sister Martha wanted to open a bar/restaurant, and after she learned about the brewpub model, she saw a business opportunity: There were no brewpubs in the Quad Cities.

Dan had never brewed beer. "She thought I'd make a good brewer," he said last week. Why? "I was a scientist, I guess."

To borrow a phrase from the New York Culinary Institute: "Forgive us if we celebrate the end of summer." Sure, the bounty from the farm shines in the warmer weather; asparagus, berries, and delicate greens abound. But late summer brings its own windfall. This is really when the summer yield reaches its peak.

In the Quad Cities, there is a farmers' market nearly every day of the week, and you will find grocery stores bringing more seasonal, locally grown food into their produce sections. Taking advantage of the abundance of the harvest is a must. The following are seasonal food and beverage suggestions -- starting with the wine.

Organic food is often praised as better-tasting and more nutritious than its conventional equivalent, and it's grown with fewer chemicals. But because it typically travels long distances to get to consumers, it has a significant environmental cost.

One alternative is locally grown food, which is of course readily available at the nine farmers' markets in the Quad Cities area.

But you'll likely have difficulty finding locally grown produce at a nearby grocery store. Some stores carry locally produced fruits and vegetables, but the labeling is often nonexistent or unclear, leaving customers uncertain whether they're buying an apple from within a few miles or from across the country.

Father Patrick DesboisThe window is closing.

The mass graves aren't going anywhere, and neither is the forensic evidence - cartridges and bullets and bones. The archives are safe. But Father Patrick Desbois has but a few years to talk to people who saw the murders, and only they can identify the exact locations of the bodies and illuminate the problematic accounts in German and Soviet documents.

"We are in the small window I would say, because it's the end of the life of the witnesses, but it's also perhaps the only period in which ... they begin to feel free from the Soviet Union," Desbois said last week in a phone interview. "It's a short-term project. We think six, seven years maximum ... ."

Desbois, a Roman Catholic priest from France, has since 2004 conducted investigations into the "Holocaust by bullets" - the murder of eastern-European Jews by German soldiers during World War II. He will speak at St. Ambrose University on August 27.

A classroom in the 'new' Longfellow

Students stepping into Longfellow Elementary in Rock Island this school year will notice physical changes: a new media center and library, a new cafeteria, and a renovation that has added four new classrooms. But a more important change will be the school's new formal partnership with Augustana College.

The relationship will bring a liberal-arts-based curriculum to Longfellow - a contrast to the No Child Left Behind-forced shift in primary education that emphasizes reading and math skills to the exclusion of other subjects. Though the content of the curriculum will still conform to district standards, the way that content is presented will change: The focus will move to collaboration among students, small-group and individualized instruction, interdisciplinary learning, thematic teaching that attempts to make the coursework relevant, and the fine arts.

A No Child Left Behind-influenced curriculum "doesn't have anything to do with creative problem-solving, imagination, collaboration - all of these skills we need to survive in the next millennium," said Pat Shea, an assistant professor of education at Augustana who was part of the planning team for Longfellow. "If we don't get those things taught, it doesn't matter how many facts we know. ... We are so off-target about what it means to be an educated person, and I think we as educators have the first line of responsibility to start speaking to that."

David R. GreenWhen he got started in blood banks almost 20 years ago, David R. Green's understanding of the blood-transfusion process wasn't very sophisticated. Green, now the president and CEO of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, had a background in finance.

"I thought they simply took that bag of blood after they tested it and made sure that it was hanging above the patient, and it just flowed back in the patient," Green said last week. "I really didn't know."

Now Green runs an organization that last year collected more than 133,000 units of blood products, serves 53 hospitals in four states, and had more than $38 million in revenue in 2008. The organization's 72,000-square-foot building off 53rd Street in northeastern Davenport suggests a big operation, but few people realize just how large, or the complexity of the issues the blood-donation community deals with.

"The core of it is making sure the donors are safe, and that the product that goes out the back door is safe for recipients," said Dr. Louis Katz, the center's executive vice president for medical affairs.

The Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center is trying to optimize - and therefore drive down - blood usage by hospitals; it is working to help identify heretofore poorly understood risks associated with blood transfusion; and Katz is among those preparing for the next disease threat to the blood supply. And the organization's size has the key benefit of keeping costs lower for local hospitals.

So it's not just bags of blood.

Drew Wessels and Danny LeonardThe two men came to the cross-country bike ride in different ways.

For Danny Leonard, a cancer survivor in his late 60s, the idea for a second cross-country ride arose from a conversation he had two years ago while running on a treadmill next to a young man preparing for a marathon. As the men ran next to each other for almost two hours, the young man explained to Leonard that running the marathon would be his way to raise awareness for leukemia and lymphoma research. The conversation left Leonard wondering what he could do to advocate screening for and raise awareness about the disease he had battled -- non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He decided to place an advertisement on Craigslist looking for a Christian who was interested in riding across the United States to raise awareness of the importance of early detection.

For Drew Wessels, an Augustana College graduate and Bettendorf native in his early 20s who stumbled across the listing while looking for a job, it was an opportunity to honor the grandfather he lost to leukemia three years ago.

But for both men it was the right time for the ride. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Leonard being cancer-free, and of his first ride across the country. Wessels, whose summers were usually consumed by basketball or school, found himself with a rare free summer. "The one time I actually had the opportunity, that something like this came by is pretty neat," Wessels said. 2009 also marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Some people call them "deserters," while others choose the nobler-sounding words "war resisters." The term you use almost certainly betrays how you feel.

But the issue is more complicated than it was 40 years ago. The political climate in Canada has changed since the Vietnam war, and American soldiers who move to Canada today are in legal limbo - and appear increasingly likely to be deported. And with no draft now, those who serve in the United States military volunteered; a decision to renege on that commitment strikes many people as cowardly.

Though wine-making has been around for thousands of years, it is still susceptible (much like fashion) to trends, often driven by marketing and buzz. Remember the movie Sideways and the mad rush to a quiet little varietal known as Pinot Noir?

To get a better sense of where people's palettes are lately, it was helpful to attend the International Wine & Spirits event at the National Restaurant Association show held in May. The show is considered to be the most comprehensive of its kind, and is open only to people in the trade. It showcases both existing and emerging wine labels and is a great place to get a sense of what's hot.

Yellow Tail is readily available at your local grocer and is perhaps the most recognized wine brand from Down Under. The bottles sport a whimsical label of a yellow-footed Rock Wallaby (relative to the kangaroo), each a different color to designate the type of wine. They typically retail for under $10. This Australian wine has become "the number-one imported wine in America and the fastest-growing imported wine in U.S. history," according to Better Living (BLGuide.com). But don't let this heavily marketed brand deter you from venturing into the unique regions of Australia and its neighbor, New Zealand, that produce some truly premium wines.

Australia and New Zealand are vast countries, and their climate and terrain vary dramatically. Because of their geographic diversity, wines become known by, and famous for, their place of origin. Efforts have been made to maintain the integrity of wine production, and there is a growing movement to classify Australian and New Zealand wine in more regional terms.

New Zealand has developed a set of industry standards, known as Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. The Australian wine industry has set forth an identifying system known as Geographic Indications.

According to the Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation, wine carrying a regional name must have 85 percent of its fruit sourced from that region. In Wine Atlas of Australia & New Zealand, James Halliday outlines the distinguishing features of 40 distinct wine-growing regions and describes the climate, soil, and grape varieties of each.

One of Australia's oldest and best-known wine regions, the Barossa Valley, is also south Australia's most visited tourist destination. The Barossa Valley is best known for its Shiraz. Some of the oldest active grape-producing vineyards are here, significant because old vines produce highly concentrated, intense, and full-bodied wines.

There are many top-notch wine producers in the Barossa Valley. One of our favorite wineries is Elderton (EldertonWines.com.au), a small, family-owned winery situated in the heart of the valley. In addition to great wine, it has become a leader within the Australian wine industry in environmental sustainability. The winery uses solar power, recycles its water, uses biodynamic farming practices, and recently gained organic certification.

Tantalus Red, from Elderton, combines the famed Shiraz grape with its Cabernet Sauvignon. It's an easy-drinking style of premium red at an everyday-drinking price (under $15). Named for a figure from Greek mythology, Tantalus offended the gods and was punished by being kept perpetually thirsty and hungry but tantalized by water and fruit he could see but not quite reach.

Farther south is the Coonawarra wine region, known for producing world-class red wines. The region possesses rich red clay over limestone that is well drained (a key element in premium-grape-growing) and has one of the longest ripening seasons in the world. Penley Estate Wines (Penley.com.au) hail from this region. The Penley Estate Gryphon Merlot expresses distinctive Coonawarra fruit, loaded with regional personality (concentrated and luscious, but seldom tannic). The Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon shows "dominance of spicy Cabernet fruit, a dense ripeness with hints of smoky oak and grape tannin. A wine made to enjoy while young, ripe but elegant, distinct Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon characters are evident."

In the relatively cool climate on the west coast of Australia lies the lesser-known yet inspiring Margaret River Wine region. A fun tale from the area is told by the wine-makers at Ringbolt. According to the company's Web site (Ringbolt.com), western Australia's rugged southwest coastline is littered with shipwrecks - the Ringbolt being one of them. The winery produces a terrific "typical of cool climate" Cabernet Sauvignon - grapes that provide a sweet core yet are "earthy."

Though considerably smaller, Australia's southeast neighbor New Zealand has 10 main wine-growing regions with greatly varying climate and terrain. The vines of Marlborough were planted just over three decades ago. The country's largest wine region - at the northern end of New Zealand's southern island - it has since become the county's best-known wine-growing area. It is famous for its Sauvignon Blanc and home to two of our favorites. Seresin Momo's organically grown grapes are picked late evening and early morning to ensure that the fruit arrives at the winery cool. The result is a richness of fruit with crisp citrus to give a long and clean finish. Allen Scott Sauvignon Blanc is light to medium-bodied, with nicely integrated acidity and tasty lime flavors with just a hint of lemon. The finish is dry and refreshing.

New Zealand also has its share of notable reds. In Marlborough, you'll find the cool Wairau and Awarere valleys. Pinot Noir, the third-most-planted grape, is grown here. Drylands Estate, "pick of Marlborough" for wine aficionados, produces a light and smooth Pinot, complemented by aging in French oak.

Another fine example is the Nick Goldschmidt Boulder Bank Pinot Noir. Light-cherry-colored with rich, dark fruit on the nose, soft tannins, and good structure, this Pinot is a terrific value.

The country's second-largest region, Hawkes Bay, produces a considerable range of wine styles. Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape variety, but the long days allow for later-ripening red-grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah. Alpha Domus planted its vines on the western Heretaunga Plains in Hawke's Bay, released its first wines in 1996, and is now well-known in the U.S. and England. Alpha Domus is in the vicinity of an historic airfield. Its logo and wine names are all representative of the vintage planes that can still be seen in the sky above the vineyard. The Navigator is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. The berries are hand-picked, basket-pressed, and aged in a mixture of French and American oak, making it rich yet balanced with sweet, ripe berry fruit and spicy oak.

So have fun, explore, and discover the food-friendly and fabulous wines from Down Under.

Nancy Rosetti is co-owner of the Faithful Pilot Cafe & Spirits and the online wine store RosettiWineShop.com. The restaurant (117 North Cody Road in LeClaire) hosts monthly wine tastings, including a Down Under event on Sunday, May 31, at 3:30 p.m. For more information, call (563)355-4139 or visit FaithfulPilotCafe.com or RosettiWineShop.com.

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