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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2004)
BY LANCE SPARKS The Gift of Wine Stuff your beloved’s stocking. A wright, it’s time to deck the halls with Boston Charlie, hang the mistletoe and get all jarly while the mimsy borogroves are tucked up in their beds with mus- sels and oysters dancing in their heads. See why nobody invites me to go a-carol- ing? It’s a trick anyone can learn; leaves me plenty of time to concentrate deeply on the sweet magic of this, the most important mer- chandising season of the year. It’s mere min- utes, people, until the Holy Morning of Present Opening, barely enough time to join in the Merry Mall Mosh, run enough heat up on the ol’ Visa to make it limp as Nu-Skin. Which brings us, naturally, to the gift of wine. First, though, let’s recall that the gift of wine is steeped in ancient tradition, going back to before even the founding fathers, or the mid- 1980s, your choice. And those who know the REAL story of the birth in the manger will remember fondly that the fourth wise man, Domini Perignonior, brought the gift, not of frankincense or myrrh, but a Methuselah of vin- tage krug (only to have this magnificent gift confiscated by the evil early prohibitionist, Demon Spawn and Great Abstainor, Georgi Bushazar, a cautionary tale still hidden in the deeply secret archives of Cardinal Roberto Mondavi). The point, as all wine lovers know, is that wine makes a wonderful gift. Now you might well wonder if wine, as a gift, might not be, well, a bit ephemeral, lasting about as long as it takes to find a corkscrew and a glass, just slightly longer than a kid’s new toy. Of course, that’s not at all how real wine lovers respond to the gift of a fine bottle; many are capable of stashing fine vino for hours, even weeks. For instance, right now in my own “cel- lar,” I have a bottle of Broadley 2001 Pinot Noir Claudia’s Choice brought over by artist pal Michael Backus almost a month ago. Wait: quick post-Dan Rather-fact-check. Ooops. Anyway, sometimes good wines can be saved for quite a long while, all the time reminding giftee of giftor’s love and generosity (unless the gift is, say, Three-Buck Guck, which bears about the same relation to good wine as a Twinkie does to Milka Babich’s Boccone Dolce, might remember, too, that the shelf-life of Guck is about equal to that of fresh bread). But not only can the gift of wine endure in giftee’s cellar, but its consumption will create memories that can, in real wine lovers’ minds, last long after they have forgotten their chil- dren’s names. Remember who gave you those great argyle socks last year? I recall in high- definition detail the moment my dear friend Ray Walsh extended the box that contained King Estate 2001 Pinot Noir Estate . The wine was profound, richly complex, flavors lingering like a lover’s kiss; we drank it with a grilled flank steak, on an early summer’s evening .... See how wine works? CAMPUS AREA DELIVERY TAKE OUT ★ EAT HERE SERVING DELICIOUS NEW YORK PIZZA BY THE SLICE AND BY THE WHOLE PIZZA PIE 11:30AM-MIDNIGHT MON-SAT ★ 3:30PM-MIDNIGHT SUNDAY $ 2.00 First thoughts on wine giftee: Known tastes — reds/whites, sweet/dry, domestic/import? Status as drinker — novice, drink-anything, pas- sionate newbie, known fiend, etc. Status relative to giftor: recent acquaintance, pal, close chum, distant auntie, boss-with-major-suckup-juice .... Review critical points, make notes, check sec- ond thoughts. Second thoughts: Budget. Wine-buying the- orem: There’s almost no upper limit on how much one can pay for wine. Example I: Zachys (wine auctioneers) and Wally’s (LA wine humps) combined this year to sell a single bottle of 1847 Chateau d’Yquem (top-scale dessert white) for $71K and change, three bottles of 1941 Inglenook (Calif.) Cabernet Sauvignon for $75K and coins. Current vintage of top-shelf Burgundy (pinot noir) runs about $900/btl. Get it? Course if you’re super-rich, a red-state Ranger or other sort of crook, you’re probably reading this column just to find out what the po’ folks are drinking and can ignore the following common-folks suggestions: The crabs’re-a-comin’: When the fresh Dungeness land on our humble shores, it’s time for crispy white wines, even in dead of winter, time, in short, for viognier (vee-o-nyay), a grape at home in France’s Rhone Valley but now thriv- ing in new worlds. One of the best comes from gifted winemaker Joe Dobbes, late of Willamette Valley Vineyards, now growin’ his own: Dobbes Family Estate 2002 Viognier , Rogue Valley, Sundown Vineyard runs around $30, big ticket but truly outstanding: ripe and round, with floral/citrus/mineral notes, leaps in the mouth, cries for crab, will raise huge grins. More modest but quite tasty is Yalumba 2004 Viognier South Australia ($10), not as complex as Dobbes, but pretty, zesty, firesale bargain. Mario, Madman of Sundance Cellars, asks, “Why do the French do everything better than us?” Provocative, no? But he has evidence, to wit: Joseph Drouhin 2003 Saint-Veran ($11), a modest chardonnay, no California oak-bomb, merely charming, mouth-filling with tropical fruit, vanilla hints, flawless bal- ance. Deep Freanch red? Commanderie de la Bargemone 2001 Coteaux d’Aix en Provence ($13), again quite modest, just rich, dark blend of Rhone grapes, smooth and juicy, pas mal. Hate to say it, but Californicans can craft bubbles. Stuff a beloved’s stocking with OFF COUPONS GOOD UNTIL DECEMBER 16, 2004 ANY 18” LARGE OR 16” MEDIUM PIZZA PLUS 2 FREE 20oz. SODAS 10¢ OFF PLUS A SLICE ® 1 FREE 12 OZ. SODA 1211 ALDER 686-9598 ON CAMPUS NEXT TO SACRED HEART HOSPITAL james von boeckmann attorney at law G E N E RA L P RAC T I C E , I N C LU D I N G : fa m i l y • b u s i n ess • c r i m i n a l l aw a p p ea l s • i m m i g ra t i o n * C O S T- F R E E I N I T I A L C O N S U LTAT I O N S * H O M E V I S I T S AT YO U R C O N V E N I E N C E 968-0781 J LV O N B O @ M S N . C O M F O R A N A P P O I N T M E N T, P L E A S E P H O N E : OR EMAIL: SORRY, WE DON’T HAVE LOW CARB DESSERTS. BUT WE DO HAVE RICH, GOOEY, DECADENT, BUTTERY, FUDGY, CREAMY, FLUFFY, CHUNKY, CHEWY. Sweet Life 755 Monroe St. • 683-5676 • www.sweetlifedesserts.com Hours: Sun - Wed till 10:00pm • Thur - Sat till 11:00pm Domaine Chandon Etoile Sparkling Rosé ($40), stiff tab but rich, full-flavored sparkler with pin-prick bubbles that tingle softly in the mouth, could make even this new year less grim. OK, happy holly daze, roasting chestnuts on your open pyre, with silent knights bearing lovely whites, dancing and prancing with bub- bles jolly in your head, a luffly time of year. Joy. ew trekking? medical advice for global travelers T HE T RAVEL C LINIC 1200 Hilyard St., Suite S-560 343-6028 Start traveling healthy today at www.TravelClinicOregon.com DECEMBER 2, 2004 39
