http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15848
--- Comment #11 from Will Tipton wtipton@hmc.edu 2008-12-19 22:13:51 --- sweeeeet!
For anyone seeking a temporary workaround: it seems that minimizing the splash screen causes the program to load correctly, and even in newer versions of wine, one can minimize it using a utility such as wmctrl.
Thanks!!