Too Rich for Our Blood?
Regular Menu:
Jumbo American Dog ................ $3.95
Big All-Beef Frank ...................... $3.95
Polish Kielbasa .......................... $4.75
Sicilian Sausage ......................... $4.75
Cajun Hot Links ........................ $4.75
Mediterranean Chicken Sausage $4.75
Oktoberfest Sausage .................. $4.75
Jalapeño Cheddar Frank ............ $4.75
Chili Dog Supreme .................... $4.95
Giant German Beer Sausage ...... $4.95
Dog Of The Day:
Knock-Out Knockworst ...... $4.95
Hungarian Garlic Sausage .. $4.95
WED: Cheddar Frank .................... $4.95
THUR: Bavarian Bratwurst ............ $4.95
FRI: Andouille Sausage ................ $4.95
SAT: Black Forest Beef Sausage .... $3.95
MON:
TUES:
2 GREAT LOCATIONS:
17th & Pearl • 6th & Charnelton
OPEN MON - SAT
www.DoginaBoxEugene.com
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www.eugeneweekly.com
$3900, the ooohs and aaahs will be worth it, make folks tenderly
fondle their fl ag lapel pins.
No slackin’ on dessert wine, go for the gold, the queen of
Sauternes, Chateau d’Yquem, maybe the 2001 vintage, a
100-pointer according to Robert Parker, the king of raters. A
bottle goes for only $700, maybe not that impressive, but what
about 1967, maybe the greatest ever, can be found at $1800,
boffo and affordable.
Dinner like that has gotta prove that even if your portfolio lost
a little weight dodging the Bear, you’ve still got the legs to run
with the Big Dogs.
Sure, those of us who live on Main Street instead of Wall
Street might miss the party. And we might ask innocent
questions, like, is that bottle of Burgundy really worth
$3400? Is it really a hundred times better, in fl avor and
quality, than a bottle of Oregon pinot noir stickered at
$34? Answer to the fi rst question is sure, if you think
it is. Answer to the second question is no, of course
not, sillies.
Wine is said to be a barometer of recessions, and
right now wine prices are falling — for the mid-range
wines where working people, if they’re working, buy
their best. But those big-ticket lollapaloozas?
They’ve dipped in price but are selling just fi ne.
What in the world does that tell us?
First, we have to recognize that wine, like
diamonds, is almost purely a supply-and-
demand commodity, for which prices are
directly related to whatever levels consumers
abide and pay. If consumers suddenly decide,
for whatever reasons, that diamonds are just
rocks and there are plenty just as sparkly for a
lot less money, then demand plummets, along
with prices. Same with wine.
But mystique also has value. So do illusion
and image, creating auras of worth and the
ambience of power. And power, Tobias Wolff
wrote, “can only be enjoyed when it is recognized.”
Wolff added, “and feared.” I doubt there’s much
fear inherent in wine, but maybe some folks get
a jolt out of hoping they’re envied, reveling in
that sense of exclusivity, I-can-have-it-and-you-
can’t. That’s psychology deeper than we can go.
Value and price, it seems, have to remain one of
the mysteries of capitalism, even for wine.
Meanwhile, the party’s on, for those who
pack hefty juice.
■
C HI C K
R
ecession sucks, right? Lotsa folks are worried
about jobs, mortgages and prospects for a
dismal future. But while some are scratching
out a bare living, some others are living just swell.
The wine we drink measures the difference.
Let’s say you’re a “retired” hedge fund manager
who found offshore parking for, say, $29 mil just
before the feds locked the doors and hauled away
the hard drives. Now you’re hosting an intimate
dinner for your closest pre-indictment associates. You
want to show pals that you’ve still got big-dough
mojo, so you plan to serve vinos that convey that
silly, playfully extravagant side of you that’s always
charmed the gang.
Soooo: Splash the party right off with the cream
of Champagne, a double-magnum (3 liters) of
1999 Roederer Cristal. The ticket’ll run $2900,
but that’s (Wall) Street cred that represents. Plate
assorted can-a-pees, and guests will go gaga
right through the fi sh course.
It’s a straight road from bubbly to
Burgundy, and no label conveys the
essence of pinot noir and pure panache
like Domaine de le Romanée-Conti La
Tache, $3400. Players at the table will
concur that your je-ne-sais-quoi still
kicks and the Tesla’s still in the garage.
The biggest of Burgundies gotta lead
to the baddest of Bordeaux, and only a
piker would de-cork any but a mature,
historic vintage. Start soft, mighty merlot,
Chateau Pétrus 1989 (super year), rings
the register at $2900. Could scrounge
a truly historic vintage, maybe 1945,
all-time greatest, but $15K might seem
pretentious. Of course, everybody’s
raving about Chateau Le Pin 2000,
and it’s only $3900. Bit of a dilemma.
But follow up with Rothschild f’sure,
a classic year, 1982 Lafi te Rothschild,
peak of perfection, only $2600 and
a heart-warming expression of your
affection and generosity.
Probably oughta show some buy-
local, fl y-the-fl ag patriotic fervor, so
bring out a bad-boy Napa cab, oh baby,
Screaming Eagle 1997 Oakville; even at
by Lance Sparks
BI
OUR WINE MAN REVELS IN RECESSION-PROOF PRICING
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