Springfield Business Journal_2020-11-02

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 39 NOV. 2-8, 2020 I believe there is a correlation between our California fire season and the arrival of Ital- ian wines on our shores, besides the time of year. I also believe it is some sort of munifi- cence on the part of Italian vintners to make sure there will be no shortage of good, affordable wine in this country because of the fires. Munificent or not, the annual flood of Italian wines has begun, and I was privileged to sample some of the new arrivals. Tenuta Di Arceno Chianti Classico Riserva 2017 ($30) A classic Chianti is a popular red wine that has been made from grapes grown in a specific area and given a little extra oak barrel aging. Riserva indi- cates the wine was held in the bottle for more aging to allow for the melding with all of its components before being released to the public. This wine, a blend of the traditional sangiovese and 10% caber- net sauvignon, is bold and has spent almost a year in oak to allow for the perfect marriage of all the el- ements and to ensure an elegant smoothness. The aroma stresses violets, raspberries and cranberries, with oak and vanilla quietly lying in the background. As with all premium Chianti wines, this product has a long, smooth and elegant finish. This is a grand and regal wine that will prove what Chianti is capa- ble of and also what made it famous. Attems Pinot Grigio DOC 2019 ($15) This wine could be considered the quintessen- tial pinot grigio as it embodies all of the beauties that the grape can offer. If you are a fan of Cal- ifornia pinot grigio, this wine from the home of the variety may be a different and enlightening experience. The Italian grown grape combined with the Italian style of winemaking results in a wine that makes a positive aroma and flavor statement. The aroma presents citrus, mostly lime, and the variety’s signature aroma of grass. The flavor introduces peach and more citrus that then carries over to a rather long finish. This wine is a solid accompaniment for Asian food and seafood. This is not a soft and squishy Cal- ifornia pinot grigio; it’s Italian in every respect and as true to that personality as a wine can get. Luce della Vite Lucente 2017 ($20) Lucente translates from Italian as “shiny,” and this wine definitely befits its name. It shines, and to pro- mote that, there is a sunburst on the label. The aroma is about as multifaceted as a red wine aroma can get, featuring plum, chocolate, leather and pepper. The flavor and finish are constantly changing in the glass and make for an enjoyable experience. While this is a wine that can accompany red meats or any strong-fla- vored meal, it also stands out as a sipping wine. Tenuta L’Impostino Montecucco Rosso Riserva 2014 ($19) This red wine is truly novel. It is a blend of two fa- vorites: sangiovese and merlot with just a bit of syrah and petit verdot added in for extra depth. Just by the ingredients you know that this will be a full-flavored wine, and it is. The aroma reflects plum, eucalyptus and tobacco accentuated by an Italian earthy sensa- tion. These follow through to the flavor and then on to the full finish. This wine just cries to be the accompa- niment to strong-flavored and spiced foods. As a side note, the producer recommends the wine be served on the cool side, about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. I solved that problem by putting the unopened bottle in the fridge for about 15 minutes before opening it. Wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net. OPINION Elections should focus on issues, not politics as usual Italian wines arrive to fill need B efore proceeding with this column, I want you to think about what you’ve read, seen or heard from the candidates running for state office during this campaign season. How often have you heard detailed proposals to deal with the major issues facing our state? Such is- sues include COVID-19 and steps to reduce infec- tion, addressing complications of reopening schools or dealing with a budget crisis of historic propor- tions. Other issues involve bridging the partisan di- vide to deal with rising homicide rates in major cities, the continuing problem of inadequate fund- ing for our highways and expanding Medicaid health care coverage. Instead, we’ve been bombarded with ideological simplicities and near-mindless “feel-good” TV ad- vertisements. Then, there are the attack ads that level vague, and sometimes misleading, charges against opponents. Some of these attack ads are from “independent” or- ganizations that do not have to disclose their con- tributors, leaving voters in the dark as to the special interests involved. Those ads allow a candidate ben- efiting from a “dark-money” funded attack to deny responsibility. I miss the era when candidates issued detailed policy proposals and then held extended news con- ferences to explain their plans. I fondly remember decades ago when the TV studio in my former Capi- tol newsroom was used by candidates to provide re- porters with detailed written proposals followed by lengthy questioning. That issue-focused approach had several major advantages. It obviously provided Missourians with a more solid foundation to make voting decisions. But it also helped Missouri residents, as well as reporters, to better understand the complexities of policy issues facing government. Further, a winning candidate who stressed a significant policy issue was handed a mandate by the voters to overcome governmental in- action. Two governors stand out as perfect examples. In 1972, Kit Bond campaigned on a plan to restrict special-in- terest influence in government. His victory empowered him to lead the successful, bipartisan legislative effort for campaign and lobbyist disclosure require- ments, as well as the state’s Sun- shine Law requiring public access to government meetings and records. Cleaning up government was an easy and safe campaign theme so soon after Watergate. Two decades later, Mel Carnahan campaigned for governor on what appeared to be a sure election kill- er – a tax increase for education. Although Carnahan conditioned his proposal on voter approval, his elec- tion victory made it easier for the legislature to adopt an education tax increase without voter approval. Carnahan and Bond demonstrated that a cam- paign based on substantive issues can leave a last- ing legacy. But not every candidate has won by making a potentially unpopular public policy proposal a campaign issue. In 2000, Republican Jim Talent narrowly was de- feated by Democrat Bob Holden, who attacked Tal- ent’s idea for a highway-improvement bond issue. As governor, Holden’s alternative plan, worked out with Republicans, was overwhelmingly defeated by Mis- souri voters. To be honest, I’m not optimistic we ever will re- turn to an era when the campaign season was a time for a meaningful public policy discussion on detailed proposals. The growing focus on purist ideology has been a factor. So too has been the growing pressure for partisan loyalty by candidates. Social media plays a role with the meaningless, sometimes snarky, posts that often dominate public attention. Compounding the prob- lem are the secretly fund- ed special interests with so much money that they can dominate discussion with ads designed to further their financial interests, rather than educate the public. It all contributes to an environment that I suspect leads many candidates to focus their campaigns on simply getting elected rather than using their cam- paigns to champion ideas to improve government. This current political environment is so different from Abraham Lincoln’s plea in his 1861 inaugural address that his country be “touched ... by the better angels of our nature.” Phill Brooks has been a statehouse reporter since 1970, making him the dean of the Missouri statehouse press corps. He is director of Missouri Digital News and an emeritus faculty member of the Missouri School of Journalism. Send letters and comments to sbj@sbj.net WINE REVIEW Bennet Bodenstein GUEST COLUMN Phill Brooks Many candidates focus their campaigns on simply getting elected rather than championing ideas.