Eugene weekly., March 10, 2011, Page 37, Image 37

wine
RIDE
BY LANCE SPARKS
Raise a Glass
Toasting the working stiffs in Wisconsin and at home
I
n most parts of the U.S.,
folks consider wine a
luxury, even though
many people in other parts
of the world regard their
wine (and/or beer) as
essential to their meals.
And it’s hard to write
about enjoying a luxury
when so many of our
fellow citizens are losing
jobs and homes and hopes.
Even if prices have tumbled
recently, people who can’t afford
food can hardly afford fi ne wines. Let’s
see: should we buy bread or this nice pinot
noir? Not a serious question, right?
Of course, not everyone is suffering.
Corporate profi ts are soaring, along with
executive bonuses. Wall Street is thriving,
and there, too, bonuses are even higher than
before the fi nancial collapse that bankers’
absurd gambles produced across the world.
Big Oil is wallowing in so much cash that
oil billionaires like the Koch brothers can
afford to spend part of a week’s profi ts
buying the House of Representatives and
several state governments, which will, in
turn, produce policies that quickly return
the price of their purchase, and more.
Meanwhile, working people, instead of
using their strength to reign in the anarchic
rich, turn on each other and fi ght
for scraps. In Wisconsin, in a
move so bold and so cynical
as to be almost breathtaking,
the Republican Party
engineered a massive
($107 million) tax cut
for the wealthy, then
declared a budget defi cit
($37 million) to be solved
by busting unions of state
workers, cutting salaries and
benefi ts for teachers, fi refi ghters,
police, nurses, etc. And the chorus
of Koch-addicts cheer them on.
Now, the Koch brothers have their
eye on tiny Eugene. The Koch-junkies in
their front organization, laughably called
Americans for Prosperity, apparently
plan a Koch-fi nanced campaign against
the proposal for a modest tax increase to
fund our schools. The Koch Bros style
themselves “Libertarians,” and they don’t
like public education, or public anything.
They apparently live on a planet of their
own imagination. They can afford to.
I wonder what kind of wine the Kochs
drink, and if they get a special buzz off
knowing they can knock down a bottle of
Chateau Petrus 2005 ($5,000) at lunch, and
the rest of us chumps can’t.
Back on Earth, people lucky enough to
have jobs and modest means can still try
to enjoy our lives, eat a little dinner, drink
a little wine and raise our glasses in toast
of the working stiffs in Wisconsin and
all across the world, including humble
Bluegene.
Affordable wines of good quality are
appearing on market shelves from some
unusual places, yielding remarkable taste
experiences. Case in point: Portugal,
long famous for their rich, red Ports, now
markets other wines, especially from the
Douro region, including some lovely
whites. Kopke 2008 Vinho Branco
Douro ($10) charms with citrus/tropical
fruit fl avors and creamy texture, inviting
matches with seafood or cheesy pastas.
Alandro White is a blend of grapes
of various vintages, but it’s fresh and
lively, offering pretty aromas and fl avors
of citrus/pears and, at $5.95, it’s high value
for a little dinner of delicate fi sh or crab.
Charles Smith produces a broad array
of Washington wines, from everyday to
elite. His slightly off-dry Kungfu Girl
2009 Riesling ($12.50) has the fl oral/
fruit/mineral qualities that make Riesling
so appropriate to Asian cuisine.
I’m no prophet, but even I can see that
we’re in for some stiff storms. We should
probably take our pleasures while we can.
A little wine will help.
ew
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EUGENE WEEKLY MARCH 10, 2011 37