Eugene Weekly : Culture : 11.24.03

Less is More
Practicing conscientious consumption.
BY LANCE SPARKS

I was rattling around in my decrepit office on the 17th floor of the old highrise in downtown Eugene. Periodically, I stopped and stared through the smog-crusted windows across the cityscape, to the gray-shrouded Coburg Hills. I knew the time only from the deepening gray of dusk and the emergence of street lamps and house lights, already sprinkling of Christmas strings. I sipped from a snifter of Port, trying to find the spirit of Christmas.

On one wall of the office hangs a collage portrait of Holden Caufield, the teen "hero" of Catcher in the Rye. Judith Sparks created this piece years ago, gave it to me because from the moment it was finished it mesmerized me. She had captured Holden's anguish in sad eyes and rueful mouth, his defiance in his trademark red baseball cap askew on his head. He wears a plain white T-shirt; in the background, Holden is surrounded by a photo-montage of carnival images, icons of fake-front fun that plagues the boy, a world of "phonies," shams and charades. People masquerade behind motley costumes of piety, hiding greed and avarice under smiley faces. Holden's eyes follow me always; remembering them, I try to keep honest and real.

So much of Christmas has become phony, it makes my heart ache. I'm not all bent because the holiday isn't holy enough. It never really was, except in largely pagan myths that celebrated the solstice (myths that gave us trees, mistletoe, elves and such). Christmas involves the story of Christ only because the Church could never succeed in stamping out that ancient celebration and finally just had to co-opt the festivities, even though Christ was born in spring.

I'm not bothered by the gifts, the onus of "materialism." Gifts are sweet, tangible tokens of affection, pleasures to receive, greater pleasures to give — except when the pursuit of loving ends/goals gets twisted by warped means/methods. I call it the Wal-Martization of Christmas. We set out to buy items defined by beauty and quality, then sacrifice both for the "bargain" — usually a product manufactured in some Third World country by people working in near-slavery conditions, all so we can save a few pennies or a couple bucks. In the process, we see our neighbors lose jobs "outsourced" to Vietnam, Bangladesh, Malaysia — and the products we buy are more and more defined by sameness of materials, styles, craftsmanship.

Old rule: Crap drives out quality. Corollaries: We get what we pay for, and when we send dollars to chase dimes, we lose.

And all that brings us back to wine. Bush-onomics have sent the world into a tailspin, resulting in glutted markets, tumbling prices and consumers on tight budgets. So what to do? Buy three-buck-guck and get by? Drink schlock, or give it as gifts?

Please, no. Let's stay within our means, but not lose sight of our ends. If we aim to convey our love, we cannot sacrifice quality. We can buy less but buy better. And some very good wines are available at very good value.

Case in point: Tiny new local producer in Umpqua Valley offers Champagne Creek Cellars 2001 Gewurztraminer ($8), tasty, zesty little wine with grapefruit-like flavors and good balance, would make a fine complement to turkey and many Asian dishes — a very good bargain, and the money stays close to home.

Still available in local wine shops is Eugene's own yummy sparkling wine, Domaine Meriwether Brut Captain Wm. Clark Cuveé ($24), delicious toasty flavors, fine bubbles, stylish and distinctive blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier for roundness of flavors, length of finish. I'd love to see this wine in a blind tasting against competitors from California or France at similar price points. I think it would show very well and would bring honor to our region.

Want to show some love for someone who craves big red wines but don't want to spend the kids' inheritance? Find Vin de Tabula Rasa 2000 Columbia Valley ($15.50). The label is whimsical, a picture postcard with a cryptic message from G. to A.,"hinting at untold secrets." The secrets seem to be contained in the bottle, a rich, dense blend, 53 percent cabernet sauvignon, 47 percent cabernet franc, yielding flavors of dark fruits, hints of chocolate on a firm structure. On the postcard's "postmark," we read that this wine was produced by Andrew Rich in Newberg (Oregon); with every bottling he reveals more of his very special talent. A "tabula rasa" is a "blank slate," an echo of 17th century Cartesian philosophy that held that our minds begin as blank slates on which experience etches knowledge and character; Andrew Rich's wine experiences promise to fill his slate –and our palates — with rich reading for years to come. Note on time: this wine deserves to age and mature; if you can't give it years in a cellar, open it several hours before serving, pour it into a decanter and let it get some air.

Recently, Washington merlots have commanded such big retail tickets that most folks were simply priced out of the market, but Hogue Cellars have made extraordinary efforts to remain accessible. Try their Genesis 2000 Merlot ($17) for soft, round, ripe fruit flavors (black cherry, cassis, plums); the fine tannins make the wine drinkable now, would be lovely with pork tenderloin or cassoulet. This is a genuine value.

In vino veritas — In wine there is truth. And when we find that truth, and serve it with our friends and loves, we can make our holidays and our world a little less phony, a little more honest. May you all find real joy in the season: Merry Christmas.

		Wine: Less is More Practicing conscientious consumption. Less is More Practicing conscientious consumption. BY LANCE SPARKS I was rattling around in my decrepit office on the 17th floor of the old highrise in downtown Eugene. Periodically, I stopped and stared through the smog-crusted windows across the cityscape, to the gray-shrouded Coburg Hills. I knew the time only from the deepening gray of dusk and the emergence of street lamps and house lights, already sprinkling of Christmas strings. I sipped from a snifter of Port, trying to find the spirit of Christmas. On one wall of the office hangs a collage portrait of Holden Caufield, the teen "hero" of Catcher in the Rye. Judith Sparks created this piece years ago, gave it to me because from the moment it was finished it mesmerized me. She had captured Holden's anguish in sad eyes and rueful mouth, his defiance in his trademark red baseball cap askew on his head. He wears a plain white T-shirt; in the background, Holden is surrounded by a photo-montage of carnival images, icons of fake-front fun that plagues the boy, a world of "phonies," shams and charades. People masquerade behind motley costumes of piety, hiding greed and avarice under smiley faces. Holden's eyes follow me always; remembering them, I try to keep honest and real. So much of Christmas has become phony, it makes my heart ache. I'm not all bent because the holiday isn't holy enough. It never really was, except in largely pagan myths that celebrated the solstice (myths that gave us trees, mistletoe, elves and such). Christmas involves the story of Christ only because the Church could never succeed in stamping out that ancient celebration and finally just had to co-opt the festivities, even though Christ was born in spring. I'm not bothered by the gifts, the onus of "materialism." Gifts are sweet, tangible tokens of affection, pleasures to receive, greater pleasures to give — except when the pursuit of loving ends/goals gets twisted by warped means/methods. I call it the Wal-Martization of Christmas. We set out to buy items defined by beauty and quality, then sacrifice both for the "bargain" — usually a product manufactured in some Third World country by people working in near-slavery conditions, all so we can save a few pennies or a couple bucks. In the process, we see our neighbors lose jobs "outsourced" to Vietnam, Bangladesh, Malaysia — and the products we buy are more and more defined by sameness of materials, styles, craftsmanship. Old rule: Crap drives out quality. Corollaries: We get what we pay for, and when we send dollars to chase dimes, we lose. And all that brings us back to wine. Bush-onomics have sent the world into a tailspin, resulting in glutted markets, tumbling prices and consumers on tight budgets. So what to do? Buy three-buck-guck and get by? Drink schlock, or give it as gifts? Please, no. Let's stay within our means, but not lose sight of our ends. If we aim to convey our love, we cannot sacrifice quality. We can buy less but buy better. And some very good wines are available at very good value. Case in point: Tiny new local producer in Umpqua Valley offers Champagne Creek Cellars 2001 Gewurztraminer ($8), tasty, zesty little wine with grapefruit-like flavors and good balance, would make a fine complement to turkey and many Asian dishes — a very good bargain, and the money stays close to home. Still available in local wine shops is Eugene's own yummy sparkling wine, Domaine Meriwether Brut Captain Wm. Clark Cuveé ($24), delicious toasty flavors, fine bubbles, stylish and distinctive blend of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier for roundness of flavors, length of finish. I'd love to see this wine in a blind tasting against competitors from California or France at similar price points. I think it would show very well and would bring honor to our region. Want to show some love for someone who craves big red wines but don't want to spend the kids' inheritance? Find Vin de Tabula Rasa 2000 Columbia Valley ($15.50). The label is whimsical, a picture postcard with a cryptic message from G. to A.,"hinting at untold secrets." The secrets seem to be contained in the bottle, a rich, dense blend, 53 percent cabernet sauvignon, 47 percent cabernet franc, yielding flavors of dark fruits, hints of chocolate on a firm structure. On the postcard's "postmark," we read that this wine was produced by Andrew Rich in Newberg (Oregon); with every bottling he reveals more of his very special talent. A "tabula rasa" is a "blank slate," an echo of 17th century Cartesian philosophy that held that our minds begin as blank slates on which experience etches knowledge and character; Andrew Rich's wine experiences promise to fill his slate –and our palates — with rich reading for years to come. Note on time: this wine deserves to age and mature; if you can't give it years in a cellar, open it several hours before serving, pour it into a decanter and let it get some air. Recently, Washington merlots have commanded such big retail tickets that most folks were simply priced out of the market, but Hogue Cellars have made extraordinary efforts to remain accessible. Try their Genesis 2000 Merlot ($17) for soft, round, ripe fruit flavors (black cherry, cassis, plums); the fine tannins make the wine drinkable now, would be lovely with pork tenderloin or cassoulet. This is a genuine value. In vino veritas — In wine there is truth. And when we find that truth, and serve it with our friends and loves, we can make our holidays and our world a little less phony, a little more honest. May you all find real joy in the season: Merry Christmas.
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