BY LANCE SPARKS
Fun with War and Wine
No debating these standouts.
O
h, what a lovely war! Through this
war, we are gifted with marvelous
lessons in comparative values and
relative meanings of language, all by virtue of
charming charades. The Bushites, on the one
hand, have offered us a view of civilized le-
galisms through which we can arrive at won-
derful new definitions and distinctions for tor-
ture, when it is, when it isn’t (must reach level
of pain caused by damage to internal organs;
lawyers know how to measure such scales of
pain). These are refinements to rival the fi-
nesse of Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor of
the Spanish Inquisition. Radical Islamist
butchers respond by decapitation, which Bush
then describes as “barbaric,” at the same time
that American soldiers are going on trial for
suffocating to death a prisoner in their charge.
Now, our problem, students of war, is to
determine: Which is more (or less) barbaric in
the treatment of helpless prisoners: severing
the head from the body with a sword (recall-
ing that the inventor of the French guillotine
argued that this method would be more
“humane” than, say, hanging); or slowly beat-
ing the prisoner nearly to death, then shoving
him into a sleeping bag and smothering him?
We could probably extend this debate to con-
sider other forms of institutional killing, as in
the application of executions for death penal-
ty states: Which is more humane/less barbar-
ic, hanging, electric shock, firing squad,
lethal injection? Any votes for decapitation?
Related issue – isn’t it swell how war rais-
es profound questions of morals? Is it more
(or less) civilized to show a beheading on
broadcast television, or shoot digital film and
then circulate that on the Internet? Probably
most Americans will feel grateful that we
have broadcast personalities like Rush
Limbaugh and Jay Leno to help us distin-
guish between terrorism and frat-boy hijinks.
For myself, I confess that I’m having a hard
time keeping score. Better think about wine.
Last month, I was involved in helping
raise funds for Davey Untz, a three-year-old
fighting leukemia. We tried a wine auction at
Eugene Wine Cellars, relying on the dona-
tions of local wineries and wine merchants.
I’m pleased to report that we were able to
generate, through the auction and raffle, over
$4,000 for the lad and his mom. I still glow
with pride for the generosity and humanity
shown by the winefolk. What a contrast to the
burlesque of war.
While running from vineyard to winery in
my pursuit of donations for Davey, I tripped
over some treasures. Let’s start with facts: It’s
summer and we’re gonna burn (soon, I think)
and even the most fervent winefiends will
(usually, reluctantly) admit that summer is
made for lighter wines, matched with lighter
foods.
High Pass Winery 2000 Sauvignon Blanc
($10) is lovely, has a little bottle age on it, so
flavors have matured into pleasant roundness
of tropical fruits on a firm but balanced
frame. It goes very well with grilled halibut
or chicken. Winemaker Dieter Boehm is also
happy with his High Pass 2003 Pinot Noir
Rosé ($10); the wine is dark pink and so rich
with fruit character that it drinks like a very
light-bodied pinot noir, with bright cherry fla-
vors, low alcohol (11 percent), and just
enough acidity to accent foods like summer
pastas, cheeses, and light meats. Makes a nice
sipping wine, too.
Rosés are vastly under-valued as well as
under-appreciated, and deserve a lot more
attention. Some of the damage done to these
wines can be blamed on the marketeers who
have corrupted rosé into “blush” wines like
white zinfandel, too often schlocky sweet and
utterly lacking in character. Oddly, though,
the blushies have also opened the world of
wine for the shy and reticent; after some time
at the entry level, folks are ready to try wines
with greater flavor and complexity. Good
rosés make a fine transition.
One of our favorites for this summer will
be Territorial 2003 Rosé of Pinot Noir ($10),
a fine product from Eugene’s newest urban
winery, bursting with bright fruit flavors (pie
cherries, roses, tangerine), finely balanced in
alcohol and acidity, just straight-forward deli-
cious. While at Territorial, You might pick up
Territorial 2002 Pinot Noir Stone’s Throw
($25). I’m a known pinotphiliac, okay? I love
this wine, especially after an hour open; it
delivers sweet black cherry/black raspberry
flavors with a candied note and lingering fin-
ish with fine tannins. Its sister wine, Territorial
2002 Pinot Noir Capital T ($25) is a deep,
smooth, rich Pommard-style, probably best
after two more years in the bottle (only 120
cases made). Hide some in a cool, dark place.
Since I made acquaintance with New
Zealand sauvignon blancs, I’ve developed a
severe jones, but Andrew Rich 2003
Willamette Valley Sauvignon Blanc Croft
Vineyard ($15) scratches my itch: lush fla-
vors of lychee and other tropicals, mouth-fill-
ing, silky smooth, so satisfying. Serve with
fresh fish, and blow somebody’s mind.
One more: Some of the best merlots in the
world are coming from Washington and
fetching hefty prices in the $50-100 range
and beyond. One of the best I’ve tasted is
Hogue 2001 Columbia Valley Merlot (around
$30): just explodes in the mouth, hits all the
corners, a real bunker-buster, with profound
black fruit flavors, satin-smooth, long finish.
Don’t give a rip for the swelter, must-have-
big-red? Try this one, swoon in bliss.
Well, friends, pour a glass or two, lubri-
cate your debates and enjoy the war.
ew
writers:
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JULY 1, 2004 31