Wine Down Wednesday

The long stretch of solstice sun across the sky last Monday officially put a check mark next to summer for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere.  Standing on the rim of Cowiche Canyon Wednesday night, Aileen, Shelley and I were soaking in the descent of this new season sun.  It was a perfect summer evening: warm without trying, the quiet rush of the creek moving below us, yellow grasses bending in sway to the light breeze, and the lingering smell of cooling hot earth was all around.  We were left silent as we tried to unclench this fistful of senses coming at us in the calm of such a vast space.  We had walked into the canyon from the top through the Naches Heights Vineyard, but in this moment, it was the landscape, not the wine, that left us feeling giddy.
It’s amazing how this space is right in the middle of everything—homes, farmland, businesses—and yet, walking the sloping, dusty path under a broad sky of dramatic clouds, it feels much more remote.  We all sense it.  It’s like the veneer of hustle and bustle is stripped away quickly, and when it’s gone, the lighter feeling is surprising and welcome.

The walk back to the winery was playful. Cresting the hill, dry grass and dark basalt give way to the cool greens of the vineyard.  There might have even been some skipping involved, but I won’t swear to it.  It seemed appropriate that the Wine Down Wednesday party was going on at Naches Heights to return to.  The live music and white tents lulling us back with the promise of a good time.

We buy a bottle of rosé and step over to the Twisted Sister food truck for a Cubano sandwich and settle in to the great sounds of the band BGP. Cody Beebe even jumped on stage for a quick croon as the clouds in the dusky sky continued to shift behind them.  The return to hustle and bustle is not half bad.

Wine sipped, sandwich devoured, we step away at closing time, getting an eyeful from the fantastic view on the hilltop as we wend our way to the car.  Walking down the hill along the lavender laced driveway, we smile and breathe deep.

Summer in the Yakima Valley is an amazing time.  Everything is growing and beginning its slow slide into ripe.  Events celebrating our superb warm season are everywhere.  Not only do we have a host of wineries to choose from, but we can actually walk the fields where the grapes in our bottle are grown.  Outstanding!  Wine me down anytime, Wednesdays for sure.