There are thousands of programs for those unfortunates among us who just can’t lay off drinking wine. But where is there a program to aid those with just as big a monkey on their backs— the people who just can’t stop making the stuff? How many lives have been bent out of shape by the relentless urge to squeeze out one more vintage; how many have been bankrupted by the lust to acquire just a few dozen more French oak barrels?

As an unashamed Exhibit A to illustrate my thesis, I give you one Michael Matz. By day a respected child psychiatrist practicing in Spokane, Matz squanders all his spare time, energy, and cash on a single goal: producing sparkling wine as good as that produced in Champagne.

What’s worse, he has communicated his obsession to all around him: wife Pat, proprietor of a Montessori School; brother John, a social worker; 25-year-old son Erik, already planning to take over when Matz Sr. flags at last; 20-year-old son David; and even 16-year-old daughter Rachel, wasting her youth and promise in the thankless tasks of disgorging (dreadful word) and labeling.

Worst of all, the Matz family doesn’t realize it’s a slave to the bottle. On a recent promotional visit to Seattle, the elder Matzes positively gloried in their situation, foaming over like one of their own products with scientific information, historical anecdotes, and personal reminiscences of 17 years’ devotion to the dream of creating the perfect bubbly.

Perfection is not to be had in this naughty world, but the Matzes’ self-immolation is producing some remarkable results. Their 1994 brut ($24), a classic champagne-style blend of two-thirds pinot noir, one-third chardonnay, and a smidgen of meunier, is a humdinger (earning, for those who care about such things, a 90 rating from Wine Spectator).

But to experience the ultimate plateau in Matz winemaking to date, you’ll have to drop by Cascadia Restaurant one evening and order a bottle of Mountain Dome 1990 brut under the custom Cascadia cuv饠label. It’ll set you back in the neighborhood of $70, but, when you whiff that racy, yeasty bouquet and wrap your tongue round its almost chewy golden substance, you won’t regret a penny of it. This is great winemaking by any standard. Maybe the Matzes’ sacrifice is worth it after all.

The full line of Mountain Dome wines can be viewed at www.mountaindome.com.

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