Wine selecting for dummies: What you should know
tie*
ELEGANCE ON
THE CHEAP
TRAVIS GENY
You’re at the supermarket.
You glide through the
aisles looking for that
complete recipe that says
that you are the gourmet cook that
you have been telling your signifi
cant other that you are.
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Lucy Shelton, soprano - Mitagro Vargas, mezzo soprano
David Gustafson, tenor — Mark Risinger, bass
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EUGENE SYMPHONY
UO Special $20 Students $10
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or EMU Tickets
Everything is perfect. Fresh veg
etables? Check. Fresh bakery
bread? Check. Fixings for a truly
delectable entree? Check. Wine?
What, no wine?
So you didn’t make it to the
vineyard this week. Who can? Not
everyone has the means or the will
to drive that extra half-hour to the
country to find just the right bottle,
but there is hope. The supermarket
can be a veritable cornucopia of
wine value if you know what you
are looking for.
First, let’s talk about what you
are eating. The general rule is:
Whites are for seafood and pasta
with white sauce, along with white
meats: red wines are for red meat
and pasta with red sauce.
But let’s look at the logic and
taste behind this. You don't want
your dish to overpower your wine
nor do you want the opposite; so
balance is the key. When choosing
a wine, consider your food. Is your
food going to be rich with a com
plex palette or light with simple
flavors? For simple, light food, go
white. Whites tend to be light and
easier to drink.
Pinot Gris and Chardonnay as
well as a white table wine will do
well in this category. Table wines
are blends that are made for every
day consumption. We’ll get to that
in a minute.
For richer and more complex
foods and red meats, you will want a
red like a Merlot or Cabernet. And
yes, there are also red table wines.
However, there are always excep
tions to the rule. Sauvignon Blanc is
a white but tends to be more com
plex than some reds.
When selecting wine, it is very
easy to be overwhelmed. At most of
the big chain stores, there will proba
bly be no one who can assist you in
your selection, but at some of the
smaller, independent markets, there
will be wine staff. If you find your
self at a supermarket, there are a few
things to look for that will make your
selection easier.
First, look to see if the wine is a
blend or a varietal. Remember, a va
rietal is a wine made from one kind
of grape. These tend to be of higher
quality than some of the blends.
Second, look for the origin of the
wine. It is a pretty safe bet that a lo
cal wine will be more satisfying
than something from a larger out
of-state vineyard.
Third, look at packaging. Most
quality vineyards will use the tra
ditional cork and foil combination
on their bottles instead of clear
plastic and plastic corks. Also
check the vintage. Most whites will
be younger, while most reds will be
older. A young Cabernet or Merlot
may not be the best choice.
A safe bet is to go with French
table wines. These are wines pro
duced in France for everyday con
sumption. The upshot is that they
tend to be inexpensive and of ex
ceptional quality. These wines will
be grouped together and tend to
have fancy, rustic-looking labels.
Also, look for the words “Appella
tion Controlee,” this tells where the
wine was made as per French law.
For reds, I have found that wines
made in the Cotes du Rhone and
Beaujolais regions tend to be very
good. Also, a Chardonnay that I
found from Macon-Lugny was also
quite good.
Remember that the French are
typically quite strict about the
quality of their wine, so most of the
time you can’t go wrong here.
If you don’t care about impress
ing, boxed wine is acceptable for a
tight budget. These wines are
unimpressive as far as taste, but
they do the job for everyday use.
Not only are they fine for just
everyday sipping, but they are a
good substitute for cooking wine.
These wines come from the big
vineyards in California where out
put is measured in the millions of
gallons, not by the barrel. As with
cheep beer, these companies have
turned the production of this wine
into a precise science, so don’t go
looking for great works of art.
Also on this side of the wine
aisle, you will find jug wine. The
less that is said about these the bet
ter. When considering a wine like
this, consider what your dinner
may taste like on the way back up
and possibly how badly you really
want that headache the next morn
ing, but you get the drift.
Finally, there is always the crap
shoot method of choosing a wine.
Stand in the middle of the aisle and
point at a random bottle and go
with it. You never know, you might
luck out. Realistically, if a product
has shelf space at a major super
market, then chances are it has
some merit.
Don’t sweat your wine selections.
In the end, a little adventuring with
your taste buds never hurts; so
maybe random selection isn’t such a
bad idea. Just remember, whatever
you choose, drink in moderation,
never drink and drive, and always
have a designated driver.
Travis Geny is a senior pre-journalism ma
jor. He advocates safe and responsible
drinking.
THE WEEK IN MUSIC
■ Thursday, Nov. 9
8 p.m.—The Paper Boys (Celtic folk).
WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave. Doors
open at 7:30 p.m. $11.50 advance,
$13 at the door.
9 p.m. — Danny Barnes (from the
Bad Livers). Sam Bond’s Garage, 407
Blair Blvd. $5 cover.
9 p.m. — Nina Gordon with PALOAL
TO (rock). Wild Duck, 285 E. Fifth Ave.
Doors open at 8 p.m. All ages. $15 ad
vance, $17 at the door.
9:30 p.m.—Sleeper Wave (alterna
tive rock/costume party). Black Forest
Tavern, 2657 Willamette St. Free.
9:30 p.m.—Jazz Jam Session. Jo Fed
erigo’s, 259 E. Fifth Ave. $5 minimum
per person.
10 p.m.—Ominous Seapods (jam
rock). Taylor’s Bar and Grill, 894 E.
13th Ave. $6 cover.
■Friday, Nov* 10
9 p.m.—Eclectic Open Mic Fridays.
The Buzz Coffeehouse. Free. Until
midnight.
9 p.m. — Ramona the Pest
(indie/folk/pop). Sam Bond’s Garage,
407 Blair Blvd. $3-$5 cover.
9:30 p.m.—The U-Gene Band (ambi
ent groove). The Tiny Tavern, 394
Blair Blvd. No cover.
9:30 p.m. — lazoo (acoustic). Jo Fed
erigo’s, 259 E. Fifth Ave. $3 cover, $5
minimum per person.
9 p.m.—Jolly Mon, Moth and That 1
Guy (heavy rock/CD release). WOW
Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave.
9:30 p.m.—Jentzu & The Alter Egos
(rock). Black Forest Tavern, 2657
Willamette St. Free.
9:30 p.m.—Sector 9 with DJ Sexton
(jam/funk). Wild Duck, 285 E. Fifth
Ave. Doors open at 9 p.m. 21 and
over. $8 cover.
■ Saturday, Nov. 11
8 p.m.—Rex Hobart & The Misery
Boys with Deanna Varagona& Pig
I ran (roots rock). Sam Bond’s Garage,
407 Blair Blvd. $4 cover.
8 p.m. — Michael Rose with Apple
Gabriel, Rocker T, Papa’s Soul Kitchen
and Big B & Ras Cool (reggae). Top of
the World, I-5, Exit 199.
9 p.m.—King Black Acid, Helio Se
quence and MountainCon (psychedel
ic). WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave.
Doors open at 8:30 p.m. $8 cover.
9 p.m.—Wait (folk rock). The Buzz
Coffeehouse. Until 11 p.m. Free.
9:30 p.m. — Lazoo (acoustic). Jo Fed
erigo’s, 259 E. Fifth Ave. $3 cover, $5
minimum per person.
9:30 p.m.—Skip Stones (keyboard
boogie). Black Forest Tavern, 2657
Willamette St. Free.
9:30 p.m.—David Nelson Band
(rock). Hollywood Taxi, Main Street,
Springfield. 21 and older. $12 ad
vance, $14 at the door.
10 p.m. — Mojo (original rock). Tay
lor’s Bar and Grill, 894 E. 13th Ave. $4
cover.
■ Sunday, Nov* 12
4 p.m.—Faculty Musicale (various
musical artists). Beall Hall. $4 Univer
sity students, $7 adults.
8:30 p.m. — Diva Bands. Sam Bond’s
Garage, 407 Blair Blvd. $4-$7 cover.
9 p.m.—Mark Alan (acoustic). Jo Fed
erigo’s, 259 E. Fifth Ave. $3 cover, $5
minimum per person.
9:30 p.m.—Open mic night. Black
Forest Tavern, 2657 Willamette St.
Free.
■ Monday, Nov* 13
7 p.m.—The X-ecutioners and Souls
oi Miscmer(nip nop), wuw Han, 291
W. Eighth Ave. Doors open at 6:30
p.m. $14 in advance, $16 at the door.
9 p.m.—Funky Monday open mic,
featuring Freedom Funk Ensemble
(jazz). Jo Federigo’s, 259 E. Fifth Ave.
$5 minimum per person.
10 p.m. — DJ TekNeek (dance). Tay
lor’s Bar and Grill, 894 E. 13th Ave. $1
cover.
10 p.m. — I AM. (jungle, trip-hop).
John Henry’s, 136 E. 11th Ave.
Women, no cover; men $2.
■ Tuesday, Nov. 14
8 p.m.—Ysaye Quartet & Piano
(chamber music). Beall Hall. Tickets
$10-$25.
8:30 p.m. — Barbara Dzuro (jazz pi
ano). Jo Federigo’s, 259 E. Fifth Ave.
$5 minimum per person.
10 p.m.—Ekoostik Hookah (jam leg
ends). Taylor’s Bar and Grill, 894 E.
13th Ave. $8 cover.
■Wednesday, Nov. 15
Noon — Eugene Symphony Concert
Preview, Hu It Center: Studio On^|
Seventh Avenue and Willamette
Street. Until 1 p.m. Free.
8 p.m.—Art Maddox and Joan Ben
son (piano/clavichord). Beall Hall. $4
students, $7 general public.
9:30 p.m.—The U-Cene Band (ambi
ent groove). Black Forest Tavern,
2657 Willamette St. Free.
9:30 p.m.—Dark Star Orchestra
(Grateful Dead show re-creation).
Wild Duck, 285 E. Fifth Ave. Doors
open at 8:30
Non-musical events
For a more extensive listing of this
week’s entertainment, visit Pulse on
line.
—tL-Jl--LJ]„ fi_w fi b ,
www.dailyemerald.com