trekking?
BY LANCE SPARKS
Happy Hampers
medical advice for
global travelers
Light libations for picnic pleasures
When I stepped out of the rig, the dense vanilla
scent of heliotrope was thick enough to
spoon. I staggered to the door, swept
open by the rose-cheeked Molly,
beaming: “Oh, Sleuth, you’re just
in time. Would you please help
Anthony? He’s in such a dither
about the wines.” Anthony? Ah,
Mole’s home-name. I forget.
I passed through Molly’s kitchen,
noting slabs of smoked salmon, roast beef,
sliced turkey, a half-dozen exotic cheeses,
baguettes, three containers of salads, enough
food for a hungry platoon of Marines. “Molly,” I
asked, “how many on the picnic?” “Oh, just our
few friends, and you of course,” she beamed. I
rubbed my forehead, ambled on, found Mole
with about fourteen wines lined up on a counter
above the cooler. He was frantically facing la-
bels, touching caps, rubbing his hands.
“Sleut’, ya made it! Ya gots to help me de-
cide. Molly’ll skin me if da wines is wrong.”
“No worries, pal,” I responded. “We’ve
been here. Let’s check the lab report, see which
ones made the cut.” We went to work.
Bubbles: You might not think it, but a great
picnic, like a great dinner, opens with a lovely
glow when good bubbles launch the feasting.
And we had found a beauty: Louis Bouillot
Rosé Brut is marked as a Crémant de
Bourgogne. “Crémant” means that the wine is
under slightly less pressure than usual, hence has
a “creamy” mouthfeel; the “Bourgogne” on the
label indicates its origin in France’s Burgundy
region, which signifies that the grapes are pre-
dominantly pinot noir, which means depth of
flavor and satisfyingly complex finish. The
punch-out is the sticker: $15. Da-yum!
Rosé: One word: gottahavit. Viento
2005 Sangiovese Rosé ($14) from Hood
River is about as pretty a rosie as anyone could
want. The Sangiovese grape is the main juice in
Chianti, so it has the charm of spicy cherry fla-
vors and enough acidity, especially in a dry
vinification like this, to stand up to creamy/oily
foods. And it’s a screwcap.
Shocker: Chehalem INOX 2005
Chardonnay ($20) might be a bit pricey, but it’s
among the best chardonnays I’ve tasted, certainly
among Oregon origins. It’s not saturated in oak
so true chard flavors burst through, a complex
medley of apples, tropical fruit, touch of citrus
and crisp acidity. Also screwcap: brilliant.
Topper: Red on a picnic? Yup, this one:
Mystic Wines 2003 Barbera ($27), an-
other Italian grape given Oregon (Salem, grapes
from the Columbia Valley) terroir, so it’s round
and opulent, again with food-friendly acidity,
superb.
Pack your hampers, friends, and soothe your
minds in Oregon summer sweetness. Mole
capped it: “Good grub and good pals, wit’ swell
wines and a river. Ain’t life sweet?”
ew
T HE T RAVEL C LINIC
1200 Hilyard St., Suite S-560
343-6028
Start traveling healthy today at www.TravelClinicOregon.com
J-FURRY
© 2006 Pabst Bre
wing Company
L
ate in spring term, one of my best and
brightest students sidled up, ask-
ing how I was doing, the
usual pleasantries. I asked about her
summer plans. Her body stiffened
and her eyes narrowed, intense.
Her voice dropped to near-whis-
per: “I’m getting out of the United
States, and you should, too. That
fence they’re building across the
Mexican border, all that military? That’s
not to keep people out. It’s to keep us in.” She
launched into a litany of neo-con political ac-
tions that, to her mind, evoked Germany in the
early days of fascism. I couldn’t counter her
facts — they warrant concern, no doubt — but I
couldn’t accept her solution.
America’s been here before, actually many
times in its brief history, starting in its infancy as
a nation. David McCullough’s fine biography
of John Adams documents clearly how close
Alexander Hamilton may have come to estab-
lishing a military dictatorship with himself at its
head, perhaps as future king. I also just finished
reading Sarah Bird’s novel, The Yokota Officers
Club, and I recall my own military-brat child-
hood, especially the period in the ’50s, the
McCarthy era, when paranoia gripped the coun-
try and a right-wing coup seemed imminent.
And anybody who paints the history of the
Sixties in America as a time of love fests and
Flower Power didn’t live through the same time
I did; most of us who were politically active
then lived in daily fear, witnesses to assassina-
tions of our leaders, massive police intrusions in
our lives, the ominous shadow of nuclear war.
In retrospect, the worst of the Bush/Cheney era
is just more of the same, leaving people who
love America and the dream of its democracy
with the constant task of preserving its prom-
ises. But that’s not to deny the darkness,
When my thoughts turn somber, I take a
drive. One of the compelling charms of Eugene
is that ten minutes in any direction will bring us
into close contact with some of the most beauti-
ful land and waters on Earth. I rolled east,
through Springfield, up the McKenzie River,
through Walterville and Vida. In summer’s
early morning sunrise, light danced on the water
and painted rainbows in the mist. The air was
scented with resins and a tang of river rocks,
ferns and mushrooms. I hung my arm out the
window and let the scene wash my eyes and
clear my head.
Mole had called. He had a problem: Molly
wanted to picnic and he wanted confirmation on
wines. Should mention that a Molly picnic
doesn’t involve dogs and burgers or chips and
dips with pops and punch; in fact, a Molly out-
ing is a Production.
I wheeled into the gravel driveway,
crunched to a stop amid a dazzling profusion of
roses, dahlias, crocosmia, pansies and petunias.
If your nights need some spark, J-Furry can plug you in to
the juice. His blissful trance-house brings you to the brink of
pure passionate abandon, but keeps you on earth with a
bass throb from the deep. You can find J-Furry at surprise
parties all around town or check espot.eugeneweekly.com
E NTER TO WIN T ICKETS TO Oregon Bach Festival’s
Performance of Hadyn’s Creation Mass
Conducted by Helmuth Rilling
F RIDAY , J ULY 14
S ILVA C ONCERT H ALL
H ULT C ENTER , E UGENE
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JULY 6, 2006 39