THE
'JB p l o u g h
-¿ T fif-
''WÍM,
Cannon Beach
1 am in an unpleasant mood this month Recent tastings I have
gone to have piqued my ire on an issue that has been brewing lor
quite a while now The wine industry is a quirky machine and little
bumps in the road can be noticeable 1 here is something else that
has my dander up as well and perhaps 1 should address that problem
first, just so you have an idea ol where I am coming from.
At the writing of this column the beloved Boston Red Sox are a
woeful 3-14 (the worst start in the club’s 96 year history) and are
easily the laughing stock of major league baseball. The problem
is that there is far more than just one problem that needs
immediate solving The starting pitching rotation has an earned
run average of around 6.00, the defense (or lack thereof) averages
nearly two errors per game, second baseman Wil C ordero couldn t
throw my grandmother out at the plate and Mike Stanley can t
throw anyone out at second, the supposedly learsome lineup is
mostly hitting a buck and change in this year ol the juiced ball,
Tim Wakefield is 2-10 since the 14-1 start last year and Kevin
Mitchell spends way and I mean WAY too much time at the bulfet
table I am not a Cubs fan. 1 am used to the Sox finding some
stupendous way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a
late post season game I am not used to being out of the race 17
games into the season. Even the nicest bottle ol wine can draw my
criticism when 1 see the Sox getting spanked by second division
teams like the Rangers and the Royals
The real issue 1 want address is the size of wines that are being
produced these days Wines are having a tendency to get bigger
and I am not talking about the size of the bottles When I refer to
the size of the wine, I am talking about the sensation one
experiences from the concentration of fruit, oak and assorted
flavors the wine carries Admittedly this problem may be more
isolated than 1 know since the low wages paid by the Edge don’t
permit me to go on wild wine buy ing trips. But speaking from the
perspective of someone who drinks a good amount of West Coast
wines there seems to be a disconcerting pattern emerging over the
past few years and most notably over the past two years
Now, bigness in a wine is not necessarily a bad quality In fact
it can be a darned admirable one. When a wine becomes too big,
that is, when the size of the wine intrudes on the qualities that
make the wine desirable in the first place; then there is a problem
Wines are not just about expansive flavors. Subtleties and
nuances are often times what separate great wines from merely
good wines.
Perhaps the most vivid and closest to home example can be
found in Oregon’s Pinot noir. Pinot noir is the greatest ol the
wine grapes Finesse, subtlety and grace with power aie what
Pinot noir is all about. This wine is meant to have delicate
touches that highlight big, bright fruits and moderate amounts of
oak. The taste of an excellent Pinot noir should leave you, alter
each taste, knowing what the flavors are but having a hard time
describing the way they combine and linger
In the ‘90s a bigger style of Pinot has fallen into lavor both
with a certain number of producers and with many consumers (thus
ensuring the rise of this particular style) Prior to fermentation a
wine maker can affect the “size of the wine with the time ol
harvest and with the length of cold soaking the fruit gets in the
fermenter prior to being inoculated with yeast. After fermentation
the amount of new oak barrels and the length of time the wine
spends in those barrels will also play a role in the flavors ol the
wine. Bigger wines will, generally, have gone through longer
cold soaks (3-5 days is an average soak time for Pinot noir) and
will be in new oak for a longer period of time. This style is the
style which is now the darling of the media, wine judgings and
with consumers who are buying more expensive wines.
Despite my disgruntledness about the style I actually do find the
quality of the winemaking to be admirable, even top-notch, in
many of these wines. However, the big flavors are mostly forward
flavors that overwhelm the exceptional qualities that make the
wine interesting What captures the interest of people is the
stunning level of flavor the wine exhibits initially. The wines are
so huge that in judgings and sconngs the best made of these
monsters will often fare better than a well composed wine that
lacks the sledge hammer effect. The well composed wine will be
the wine that one would find to go better with food (the real
purpose of wine) and be a more interesting drink over the long
haul. With Pinot noir the best statement the wine can make docs
not involve its potential to knock you down with flavor. If you
want that in a wine drink a Cabernet, a Merlot or a Zinfandel. That
is if Zinfandel still tasted like Zinfandel
Zinfandel is the lonely child of the wine world. This w ine has
gone through various stages of production in its briel (by wine
standards) market existence In the late '70s and into the 80s
Zinfandel was turned into the pink wine that America loved White
Zin was until 1995 the highest sales volume wine of any wine in
America. In the late ’80s as wineries’ contract with Zinfandel
vineyards expired some “rogue” wineries came in and purchased
the grapes for the purpose of making premium red wine (thus
offering the growers more dollars per ton). Red Zinfandel is by its
very nature a big, brambly wine with lots of heady flavors W hen
well made and with the use of good fruit there is the potential for
excellence, subtlety and nice balance.
With the ‘93 vintage some California producers started to push
the alcohol levels in their Zins into the high 14 and 15% ranges.
With the 1994 vintage some wineries are pushing Port-like levels
of 16 and 17%. This makes for eyebrow seanng stuff While some
hard-core Zin fans will tell you that a balance is still being struck
between the concentration for fruit, oak, tannins and alcohol 1 say
that a good wine is being bastardized for sensationalism I mean,
what are you going to eat with this stuff and how much ol it are you
really going to want to drink? It is as if Zin went from light, semi
sweet pink wine right to hide-the-kids-away monster beverage
with hardly a stop in between.
My worry is that this stylistic endeavor is a reflection ol what is
going on with our society. Have we gotten to the point where
immediate gratification is such a part of our lifestyles that even
things that are based upon subtlety are doomed to suffer? Have we
been too easily willing to sacrifice nuance lor flash, in the rush to
live our e-mail oriented existences? Is the rush lor things that are
purportedly interesting in and of themselves robbing us ol the
things that actually make life interesting? Perhaps the big wines
are merely a fad and will pass as people settle in on a more
conventional style. 1 worry that they become the virtual reality,
the action/adventure movies, the fast food of our time
Wine can make life a lot more interesting. But it starts within
each of us Books, knowledge, poetry, music, large bodies of
water, time spent alone, etc., can all be interesting but they can
only make you more interesting il you expose yoursell to them
and think about and reflect upon them Wine is the same way. The
interest and intrigue lies within the reflection you have upon it,
not whether it made you look like the guy in the sneaker ad In the
spirit of becoming more interesting, head on down to the good
Reverend's book store with a bottle of wine (and a Bud or two lor
the proprietor), buy a book and sit around the wood stove I know
that hours of drinking with Mr Hulls made me a more interesting
person.
In Coaster Theater Courtyard
Established 1977
Featuring Northwest, California
& Imported Wines
Collector Wines From 1875
Through Current Vintages
Featuring Over 1000 Wines
Wine Racks, Glasses &
Wine Related Items
★ ★ ★
Northwest Best Places
A w a r d al Ix c a lla a c a
Casual Dining
Overlooking the Hestucca River
Spirits •
Hot Sandwiches
Fresh Seafood Dinners •
The Wine Spectator
Home Baked Desserts
Live Music Every Saturday Hight
W in e T a stin g
1147 S. HtaUcfc
Every Saturday Afternoon
1-5 PM
C a i n i Brack, OÄ 97114
(141)454-1174
Different Wines
From Around The World
Each Week
(5 0 3 ) 9 6 5 -6 7 2 2
pacific city ,
O regon
Open 11 AM-5 PM ■ Closed Tuts.
436-1100
124 N Hemlock
P O Box 652. Cannon Beach OR 97110
THE
JOCA
'» 9 ,
O SBO RN E
W O R K IN G S T U D I O 4k
GALLERY
traditional , contemporary a
i
ORIGINAL FINE ART,
8MALL EDITION PRINTS.
GRAPHICS, COMMERCIAL ART,
ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS
A CUSTOM FRAMING
1
SERVING YOUR
AESTHETIC NEEDS
SINCE *1882
WINTER HOURS:
BEST BY APPOINTMENT
1235 S. HEMLOCK
Cannon Beach
8 3 5 M a n z a n ita A v e n u e
P.0. Box 301
Manzanita, Oregon 97130
7AM — 2PM
ao
o
1 1
1
3 !
-C 1
IN S T O C K T b .
b ~ l o i Or.»oo W l»<
■cy in » o n ~ i m . b R K « d u d * « M i
*uwtasting • vents, i Humman datum
ifrim d y aarvtoa.
c
t
1
503 • 368 • 7518
Breakfast 4t Lunch
Closed M on. 4c Tues.
mrTl
a b 4 • tovxli brtdi ol ’ n
(ra* tte <b«ky lIBb Oar »4..■»!» * M ‘
U *•
men B m c A m iiiia l by L a m l Hood.
g
Laurel’s
Cannon
B each
W ine Shop
263 N. Hemlock
(503) 436-1666
To Fear or Not to Fear
by Margi Curtis
flaming carrot catering
p a t tip p e tt
1706 NE 32nd.
Portland, Oregon 97212
(503) 288-3090
ORECON COAST
SUPPORT CROUP
F O »O X 5 0
C A N N O N BEACH
O REC O N m i o
J O Î-4 J 6 1 4 ÏO
JO 3•4 3 6 •0 3 ^ 7
C annon B each
R o o m S e r v ic e
Delivering From The Area's Finest Restaurants
To Your Door
Doug & Nancy Henderson
Proprietors
Recommended W ines for the Month: It is May and before
you know it the tourists will be descending like large vultures in
weird clothes It is the love-hate relationship one endures for
living in an interesting area lhat s right, your favorite watering
hole is filled up with people ordering the “Catch of the Day ” So
what to do? Well, break out a bottle of wine, some bread and
whatever else is laying around and head to the back porch ) ou
might want to consider taking along one of these
Elk Cove 1993 C hardonnay Reserve E xceptional: A
Chardonnay made from 100% the new Dijon clones that are slowly
starting to appear in Oregon (holding the promise of better quality
Chards). This Chardonnay from one of Oregon’s better white wine
producers is stunningly rich, loaded with soft pear fruits and shows
hints of baked pie crust A good buy, but limited availability.
$15.
Elk C ove 1995 l’inot Gris:
Elk Cove comes up big this
month! The first of the 1995 Pinot gris are starting to trickle onto
the market. I like Pinot gns and as far as a summer white wine
with food it is hard to beat My rap on Pinot gris is that it often
needs food to mellow it out enough to drink Elk Cove’s has a
smooth mouth feel to go with tropical Iruit and a clean, crisp
finish. Good with food, but also smooth and weighty enough to
enjoy on its own About $12.
Eiddlehead C ellars 1994 Pinot Noir:
The top end ’94
Pinots are starting to appear This has been a consistent winner in
past years Kathy Jacobs treks up from California to make
markedly better Pinot noir than at the winery in California
Smooth and rich already, loaded with sweet fruits and finishing
with spicy accents and a touch of tannins this wine is one ol the
best of a very good vintage Again, very limited availability so
snatch it up if you sec it and it should go for $30 or less.
(C UPPER. EEPT EW>£ WAY
t
Telephone
(503) 436-2230
Sorting through the family laundry, one of my sons' old I -shirts
surfaces, so ratty, I wonder if it even deserves washing It is
covered with rips and holes, frayed on the edges, well worn but
still arrogantly sporting its bold red NO FEAR logo. 1 his is the
shirt I begged my 12 year old not to wear to school anymore, and
he begged me right back to be allowed to wear it. You see, it was a
hand-me-down from his High School brother, and it is cool, still
somewhat white and his favorite shirt etc., etc. Oh, the awesome
power of an absolutely understood adolescent icon, not to be
underestimated by those on the other side of the age line
I looked again at the logo, and pondered the concept ol no fear ,
how it probably originated in the buzzing mind of a young male
entrepreneur looking for just the right catch phrase to make his
fortune in the youth fad market. Judging by how much extra one of
these plain white T-shirts costs, I think he succeeded
‘No Fear' could be viewed in two ways, as an "In-Your-Face” sort
of statement that carries the "I am young, invincible, untamed, get
out of my way” kind of attitude, or the I am brave, I can do
anything because fear doesn’t get in my way” philosophy. I have
wondered, each time I see these words on an article of clothing,
which kind of meaning the wearer wants to project, if either
We were raised in fear, many of us, in the place where looming
large was the judgment of God, the Devil s Temptations and the
danger of Eternal Hell. This holy trinity of fears operated as a
powerful mechanism for social control. Fear is the biggest
weapon around, but it has mixed results.
What if, in fact, we became a species of no fear, or maybe less
fear? It has been pointed out to me that a certain amount ol fear is
healthy, and after all, we are born with innate fears; the fear of
falling, the fear of abandonment and the fear of death Ominous
words, those.
Out of these primary fears all other secondary' fears emanate like
a web from a spider Some fears are useful, some debilitating. We
spend our lifetimes navigating the tightrope between them
One morning at work, I looked up from the monotony ol the
day, and into the ravaged face of a woman who works nearby,
someone I am only superficially aquainted with It took a moment
for me to register what was wrong with her face The heavy,
frightening concept hit me that this woman had probably been
beaten up, and makeup was hiding a lot. Body language and
emotional signals made me suspect this to have been domestic
violence. She was in shock, but functioning as though the act ol
buying a soft rabbit for her new grandchild would assuage the
horrid reality of her life She walked away, and I was left with the
confusion of what to say, what to do.
Throughout this day I wondered, from the point of view of one
not stuck in such a situation, why would a person stay ’ I am not
her, 1 don’t carry her experience or her fears I can hardly imagine
her life, yet I do know the fear of the unknow n, the fear of others’
opinions and the fear of being alone. I would pin the parent ol
these as the fear of abandonment I can recognize that one a mile
off. it is an old friend 1 ache for this beaten woman whose self
esteem barely breaths beneath her physical and emotional wounds
Later, I am folding the clean laundry I here il is again, the
rugged T-shirt come back around asking me to decide its fate I
only set it aside, still oscillating I could so easily just make it
disappear into the ragbag Possibly it would never be missed I
can't though, because that feels dishonest Maybe this poor old
remnant has given my boys a slight lift of courage in its small
way It shouldn’t matter much against (he vastness ol life s
difficult choices if a 12 year old goes to school and his teachers
think Ins mother doesn’t take care of him. My own tears arc in
this mix At some point one has to let go, and this requires
courage too