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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 2001)
Travis Geny for the EmeraldA King Estate Vineyard, located in the Lorane Valley, is home to some of the best wine in Oregon, as well as elegant, old-world architecture. Even this barrel storage area is made attractive with graceful columns. King Estate Vineyard: getaway for wine lovers o 3 ELEGANCE ON THE CHEAP TRAVIS GENY Wine can be had al most anywhere. It can be bought in nearly any store, and it is produced in almost every re gion of the world. Yet some of this wine is terribly expensive, of poor quality, too far away or just plain bad. In this area, Oregonians are lucky. Home to what is becoming one of the great wine-producing regions in the world, the Willamette Valley has truly won derful vintages and winemakers right here in the backyard. One of the best places to see the very best in the burgeoning business of Ore gon wine production is Eugene’s own King Estate Vineyard and Winery. One of the largest vine yards in Oregon, King Estate is known for its excellence in pro ducing some great Oregon wine. Located on the Territorial High way in the Lorane Valley, King Es tate is nestled just far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city to be a place reminiscent of Old World vineyards. The windy drive is well worth the ef fort. The grounds are expansive: More than 800 acres of cultivated and wild rolling hills comprise the vineyard. The winding drive way leads through row after row of grapevines, now bare of fruit and leaves until the growing sea son begins again in the spring. The winery itself is a huge build ing reminiscent of a large chateau that could have been plucked An entertaining and intelligent satire of the Victorian Empire and its rigid attitudes, especially toward sex •Cloud 9) January 18-February 10,2001 By Cary* Churchill Directed by Corey Pearlstetn _TICKETS *65-1 506 Limited Student Tickets Available! $5 for Thursday 1 /18, $7 for Sunday 1 /20 Lord Leebrick Theatre Company 540 CtiameHoh, Eugene Wednesdays: io pm Justice League of America presents Dance Hall House Tunes v. (ladies Free) y. Thursdays: io pro, \i 8o’s New Wave, Pop 6 Butt Rock. Vinyl. 136 E.11th, Eugene 342-3358 °Q°9a 21 and over o o T Q Now serving o O full liquor bar. from the French countryside. Just coming onto the grounds is reason enough to visit King Estate. The view is breathtaking from all sides of the building, which oozes charm from every side, and the landscaping and architecture complete the package. Not a mere { { This is an excellent place fora little romantic getaway, even just for an afternoon. ^ facade, this building was purpose ly designed inside and out for both the wine and the wine drinker. This is an excellent place for a little romantic getaway, even just for an afternoon. In case you were wondering, the wine is smashing as well. While priced a little higher than other local wines, the wine is of better quality and justifies the few extra dollars per bottle. While King Estate produces a variety of wines, as with other Oregon wine makers, its Pinot Noir is some thing special. If budget is the key word here, then check out the vineyard’s Lo rane Valley label. Made of grapes produced all over the valley by outside growers, the wine is pro duced in-house, is of exceptional quality and is less expensive; however, it lacks some of the char acter and depth of the estate wines. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are quite good but are miss ing some complexity. The estate wines, which are produced with grapes grown by King Estate, will most likely con vince even the most miserly to splurge a little. But let’s face it: If wine-drinking is your thing, then you shouldn’t be loath to spend a little on good wine. I highly rec ommend the ’96 Pinot Noir and the ’97 Chardonnay. Both are good, reasonably priced and will go well with dinner and a date. While King Estate wines can be found in local area stores, I recom mend taking the drive up. To reach King Estate, head south on Willamette Street past Spencer Butte. Turn right on Fox Hollow and follow it past an intersection to the end. Turn left on the Lorane Highway and follow that to the end. Turn left on the Territorial Highway and watch for King Es tate Vineyard on the right. Free tours of the winery and barrel room are provided free with the tasting, and the outside is just charming. Not only will visiting give you a chance to sample King Estate’s repertoire, but it will also provide you with a great wine ex perience. Have your eye on that special someone in class? A trip out to King Estate will surely leave a great impression on both of you. Retirees take to Eugene culture ■ Whereto Retire Magazine rates the city as among the most appealing to retired individuals By Mason West Oregon Daily Emerald College students aren’t the only people flocking to Eugene these days. Every year, more retirees move to the Willamette Valley for its tem perate climate, friendly atmosphere and diverse cultural opportunities. According to a recent feature in the January issue of Where to Retire Magazine, the number of seniors in the area will continue to grow. Eu gene was one of four American cities featured as ideal places for people looking to retire. The magazine is published five times a year and features four differ ent cities per issue. Cities are chosen by the editors based on specific criteria including climate, proximity to natural recre ation, presence of a downtown area, low housing costs and sufficient medical facilities. Stanton Patty, the author of the ar ticle, was pleased with Eugene. His most recent visit was not his first, and he already had a favorable im pression of the city. He spoke with re tirees in the community to hear their reasons for choosing Eugene. “Many of the people I spoke with moved from large cities and didn’t want to give up their cultural activity,” Patty said. Aspects of the community that provide retired people such activi ties are the Hult Center, opportuni ties to volunteer and the University. Gaston Carlier, a retired Eugene resident, currently takes advantage of classes offered by the University’s music department. Contrary to the Retirement is big business. It's very profitable for a city to attract relocating retirees. Karen Northridge Where to Retire Magazine stereotype that older people don’t like the “younguns,” Carlier said the young population of Eugene adds energy and vitality to the communi ty Growing up in Southern Califor nia gave Carlier another reason to end up in Eugene. “This is a great place to live a sim ple, modest life,” he said. Patsy Bay, another Eugene retiree, also values the atmosphere of a uni versity town. Eugene specifically caters to her interest in alternative medicines. The eclectic population of Eugene is more welcoming than the members other old home in Ven tura, Calif., she said. “Here, people will talk to you in the middle of Costco,” Bay said. Eugene isn’t perfect. Carlier’s only complaint was the length of the gloomy season in Eugene and the po tential of suffering from seasonal de pression. But he said the summers are spectacular and he’s put up with the rough parts for almost 20 years al ready. Although Bay disagrees, Patty has found that Eugene retirees are not al ways satisfied with the accessibility to air travel, which requires trips to Portland International Airport to reach any major destination or meet family. This shows that Eugene’s receiv ing this publicity does not necessari ly mean that all retired people in the country will be rushing here. People all have different checklists for their golden years. Karen North ridge of Where to Retire Magazine said people spend between two and five years before retirement thinking about where they want to be. “Retirement is big business,” Northridge said. “It’s very profitable for a city to attract relocating re tirees.” Patty said the article won’t make people want to retire in Eugene, but it will attract “looky-loos” who are willing to consider the option.
