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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2016)
WINE B Y L A N C E S PA R K S TIME IN A BOTTLE Many wines get consumed before they peak C heck the circa-1965 YouTube video of Mick Jagger and Stones crooning “Ti-i-i-ime is on my side, yes it is.” Mick looks like a kid; they all do, the whole band. Well, time is not on your side, or mine, or Mick’s or wine’s. Simple fact: Wines change over time. Some mature gracefully, some go through awkward stages, some die young. But except for nouveau (new) wines, the first pressings of a vintage intended to be quaffed almost immediately, most wines, even most whites and nearly all reds, could benefit from lying cool, quiet and dark, on their sides, still in the bottle, for at least a year, maybe longer, time enough for their flavors and textures to meld, allowing their “best” character to emerge. Rarely do they get that time. Wine-marketing researchers tell us that 90-plus percentage of a vintage will be consumed within a year after release; 99 percent will be consumed within five years. Time, clearly, is not on the wine’s side, or the buyer’s. Who’s to blame? Consumers? Typical buyer behavior involves purchasing a bottle, taking it home, pulling the cork, drinking the wine with the night’s dinner. A tiny percentage of buyers have the patience and resources to cellar or store their wines for (sometimes) years. For most consumers, this just ain’t gonna happen. What? Blame ourselves? Not likely. Producers? Most wineries, especially in Oregon, are small family operations, surviving (barely) on thin margins of revenue. They need all the sales (and none of the inventory) they can get. Few producers have the resources of, say, Chateau Musar, the famous Lebanon- based winery owned by the Hochar (pronounced “hoshar”) family that commonly holds its best big-red wines for up to four years after bottling, giving their wines enough time to enter their promising adolescence. Musar wines can often improve for decades. Their current release is Chateau Musar 2007 ($49), their signature blend of cabernet sauvignon, cinsault and carignan, yielding deep, rich flavors of dark berries, earth and (I swear) whiffs of spicy gun-smoke (grapes are grown in the Bekaa Valley, site of trade and warfare — and grapes — for thousands of years). Musar also markets a line they call Jeune (young) wines intended to be glugged soon after release; Ch. Musar 2012 (Red) Jeune ($22) is soft, bright, pleasant to drink, even now. Retailers? The best wine specialty shops might warn a customer that some particular wine really needs time to settle down; for instance, newly bottled pinot noirs are notorious for going into “bottle shock” and a “dumb stage” from which they will emerge in (sometimes) just a few months, so a wine-shop steward might advise a different wine — or taking more time. So, blame no one. Life is fast, and good wine is good now — and sometimes later. The last few years since 2008 have brought Oregon’s vintners some superb vintages (and challenges): International praise has been heaped on the 2008s, ’12s, ’14s and now the ’15s (maybe “the best ever”). Time, however, has redeemed the 2007s, ’09s (bold, “hot-year” wines). Many wine-wags have found the ’13 wines very appealing. For example, Bethel Heights 2013 Pinot Blanc ($24), a dry white wine with complex flavors, versatile with a wide variety of foods, has been judged “excellent.” Locally, Territorial Vineyards scores with 2013 Pinot Gris ($16), gold medal white. Territorial 2014 Riesling ($16), still very young, already dubbed “superb.” With a few years of maturation, this lovely white might be called “classic.” Time will tell. Much more to say, but we’re out of space — and time. Happy New Year. Resolve to drink some good wines: It’s time. ■ 2016 Eugene Fresh Truffle Marketplace Sunday, January 31st HILTON EUGENE 11am to 4pm Artisan foods including cheeses, meats, ice cream, chocolates, and the Oregon Truffle. cooking demos wine & beer tastings artisan food tastings author lecture series truffle dog demo and more ! $ 15 General Admission $ 20 with Wine Tastings Purchase tickets via website or at the door. Hilton Eugene, 66 E. 6th Ave. oregontrufflefestival.com CLASSIFIEDS To place a classified ad: CALL 541.484.0519 EMAIL classy@eugeneweekly.com WEB classifieds.eugeneweekly.com WRITE 1251 Lincoln St. Eugene, OR 97401 VISIT our office Monday-Friday 9am-5pm MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT Auditions AUDITIONS FOR THE NERD February 8 & 9 at 6:30pm Facebook.com/opal.center.fae HELP WANTED LINE ADS: $11/3 LINES ADDITIONAL LINES: $4 FOR SALE Clothing EVENTSCALENDAR • EVENTSCALENDAR ASSISTANCE LEAGUE® THRIFT SHOP COME THRIFT WITH US! 1149 Willamette St. Tu-Sa 10-4 Furnishings QUALITY FURNITURE Clean, modern & antique, furniture, electronics, tools & col- lectibles. New estates arriving daily. We are also buying! 939 River Road, 689-4554, riv- erroad2ndhand.com CHECK US OUT!! $20 FOR 20 DAYS BULLETIN BOARD FOR THOSE NEW TO OUR STUDIO! Announcements DETAILS ONLINE Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan 3635 Hilyard | yogawesteugene.com Family Confl icts? Wills and Estates Divorce and Separation Parent/Teen Other family confl icts 22 years experience Mediation/Facilitation Hannah Clotere Real Estate Broker • 541-543-9345 HannahSellsHomes.com ATTENTION CRAFTERS: SPRING FAIR April 1-3 at Douglas County Fairgrounds. Our 41st year! Booths available for quality crafts. For info send SASE to Spring Fair 2016 PO Box 22 Dillard, OR 97432 or innerspacefamily@ gmail.com * * * SAVE OUR PLANET * * * “To change everything we need everyone” facebook.com/Save-Our-Planet-Eugene Wanted ARTIST LOOKING FOR OLD DOORS in his work. 217-549-3361, Ernie SEEKING FINE BOOK COLLECTIONS!! Antiquarian/Scholarly/The Unusual thebookfinder@gmail.com. 541-520-9821 Pets GREENHILL HUMANE SOCIETY Everybody Deserves a Good Home. Fr-Tu 11a-6p. Closed Wed/Th 88530 Greenhill Rd 541-689- 1503 green-hill.org See our Pet of the Week! SHELTER ANIMAL RESOURCE ALLIANCE es Se I can help with communication & problem-solving. e that Shin rvic WIGGLY TAILS DOG RESCUE is a foster based rescue that focuses on helping abandoned and surrendered dogs find their forever homes. View photos of available dogs: Facebook.com/WigglyTailsDogRescue Connexus Confl ict Management Tim Hicks - 541-915-9606 ConnexusConfl ictManagement.com S.A.R.A.’s Treasures Gift & Thrift Shop. Volunteer, Donate, Shop, ADOPT! 871 River Road, Open Daily 10am-6pm. 541-607-8892 sarastreasures.org LOOK FOR THIS WEEK’S RESCUED CAT . Roland S. Monteymayor needs 9 Temporary Sheep Shearers to perform a variety of duties: shear sheep in conditions associat- ed with state(s) climate such as winds, dust, cold and snow. Must be able to shear loose (without tying feet if this is required by the wool grower). Applicants must have six (6) months experience shearing using power-driven clippers and must be able to shear 90 ewes/lambs a day after an initial 5 day break in period. Places animals in shearing station and then clips wool close to the hide so that wool is removed in one piece. Care must be exercised to avoid nicking, pinking or cutting skin to avoid double cuts. May help move sheep in and out of shearing area. Oils hand pieces and sharpens combs and cutter. May tie fleece. 6 mos. Experience - Must be able to shear 90 head of sheep a day after initial break-in period of five days. Work in CA, CO and WY. From 2/13/16-5/30/2016 for 11.89 per hour CA, 11.27 per hour CO, 11.75 per hour WY or the higher per piece of 2.00 head Ewe, 1.90 head – R.Lamb, 1.50 head – F.Lamb, 4.00- head Ram. Guaranteed offer of employment for a min. of 3/4 of the workdays of the total work contract period. Employer will: provide necessary tools supplies & equipment at no cost to worker; provide housing for work- ers who cannot return to their permanent residence at the end of the workday and reimburse the worker for transportation costs & subsistence to work site when worker completes 50% of the work period. Report to or send resume to the California State Workforce Agency at 661-635-2600 or at the nearest office of the SWA in the State in which the advertisement appeared using job listing #CA14623600 $DANCERS$ Tired of your current club! SWEET ILLUSIONS has day & night shifts available. No experience, can train. Excellent tips! 541-852-8625 or 541-517- 7196 THE HOTTEST CLUB IN LANE COUNTY! BRILLIANT @ SOCIAL MEDIA? Dedicated to environmental justice and community engagement? You might be our kind of per- son! Beyond Toxics, Oregon’s first environ- mental justice group, seeks a part-time Social Media Outreach and Project Assistant. Visit www.BeyondToxics.org for details and application instructions or call 541-465-8860. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT NEEDED This is a terrific opportunity to join a compa- ny that offers stability and room for growth! The selected candidate will support the day to day operations of the senior leadership team by providing seamless administrative support. This individual will be responsible for maintaining sensitive and confidential information in a professional manner. RESPONSIBILITIES • Data entry, preparing documents, filing, and creating reports • Maintaining database information and doc- uments to ensure accuracy, compliance, and confidentiality *Shopping, E.t.c or any other duty will be allocated to you. If inter- ested, please send resume to pdoug- las054@gmail.com. SEEKING A HAIR STYLIST AND AN ESTHETICIAN . Esthetician has private room w/ waiting area. Nuance Salon & Spa 1110 18th #1, Spfd. 541-746-6449 DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL Independent Environments Inc. is non-prof- it company that supports people with devel- opmental disabilities. IEI is hiring full and part time staff to join our team of reliable, fun-loving, hard working Direct Support Professionals. All shifts, all hours available. Must have ODL and pass a criminal back- ground check. 541-338-0130. 696 Country Club Road, Eugene 97401 SEEKING MULTICULTURAL/INTERNATIONAL dance teachers with own music. $ compen- sation, (541) 232-1038 SEEKING EMPLOYMENT WONDERFUL CAREGIVER AVAILABLE: Certified, experienced, and insured. Intuitive, holistic, compassionate support. Healthy, delicious meals. Contact krista. morien6@gmail.com or 541-688-3225. Career Training ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR TRAINING PROGRAM Serenity Lane, 52-week no cost Addiction Counselor Training Program. For more information visit www.serenitylane. org, click on Employment Opportunities, then on Serenity Lane’s Counselor Training Program Opportunities. Or call 541-284- 5702. GARDEN OF INK TATTOO SCHOOL One spot available for March. www.gardenofinktattoo.com YOGA TEACHER TRAINING sincere seekers Eugene & CostaRica everydaypeopleyoga. com eugeneweekly.com • January 21, 2016 35
