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
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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.