Ten Other Things

Today is the beginning of the Wine Bloggers Conference 2010 in Walla Walla.  Well technically, the WBC’10 itself starts tomorrow, but it starts today for Barb and me with the pre-excursion tour of the Yakima Valley.  Odd in a way for us, since we’d have to drive somewhere else to get on one of the buses that’s coming here if we were joining the tour group for transportation.  Fortunately Reno at Zephyr had the good sense to let us drive our own car to today’s venues.

 

One thing I’ve noticed about the events today is there’s a heck of a lot of bandwagon jumping by the wineries.  When it was first announced the Yak Attack was happening, there were four vineyard owners and a few wineries announced participating.  Now that list is 20-25 wineries long and it’s caveated “and more”.  Great for them, but it means we’ll get to see more familiar faces.  Fun!!  The dynamic will be interesting if and when they recognize Barb and me.  Because although a few know us well and know about this blog, I’m certain some others don’t and will wonder where the fat guy and his beautiful bride get off crashing this party (too).

I’ve seen lots of wine bloggers handing out awards and advice over the past day or so, or announcing their own version of planes, trains, and automobiles as they descend upon Eastern Washington.  I thought I’d offer my own local insight on things folks should do or look for (besides the wine) that might make their long weekend more fun in the area we now call home.

Dave Letterman Style:

10. Eat a cherry straight off the tree.  The early red varieties are getting ripe (a little late this year) and the trees with the dark green leaves of the Yak are absolutely loaded.  It’s better to rinse them off with water to remove any spray but a warm cherry straight from the tree, the way God and the WSU scientists intended, is a must.

9. Drink a beer made with local hops.  Actually just about any beer made in the U.S. is made with hops from this area, but my local favorites are Snipes Mountain Coyote Moon (Sunnyside) and Whitran Highlander Scottish Ale (Prosser).

8. Eat some asparagus. That season is almost over amd Walla Walla onions will be promoted daily I’m sure, but the fresh asparagus is pretty good stuff.  Barb and I are almost tired of it having had it as our green vegetable for every meal for the past 6 weeks.  

7. Eat a sage rat.  No, don’t eat a sage rat, but look for them.  They are these tailless rodents somewhere between mouse and grain rat size that scurry all over the vineyard roads, occasionally becoming splattered along the way.

6. Drive or walk along an irrigation ditch.  These ditches are an engineering marvel that deliver water to the vineyards, orchards, and row crops everywhere you look.

5. Look at the mountains.  Take the time to learn which snow covered peak is which.  Mounts Hood, Adams, and Rainier are the main ones in view from this part of the world.  St. Helens used to be over there beside Adams until she blew.

4. Eat some salmon.  Even if you are not a fish eater or a seafood person, you MUST eat some Northwest Salmon while you are here.  Summer fishing season just opened and though I’m no expert, I think it’s the big Chinooks that are running now.  And ask for the fish by variety at the restaurant, Chinook, Sockeye, Coho… not just “salmon”.  That’s the equivilent of asking for “wine”, when you really mean Cab Sauv, Gewurztraminer, Malbec, Syrah…

3. Drink the coffee.  I realize Starbucks are everywhere now, but they started in Seattle, and the entire region is dotted with little coffee shacks where you can pay anywhere from $2 to $10 for a high octane beverage.  It took us a while to adjust to caffiene level of these drinks, but now we’re just as wired as everyone else.

2. Kiss a farmer.  The crops growing here, there, and everywhere, that make up one of the richest agricultural basins in the world, didn’t grow here naturally.  Oh, there are plenty of organic certified and other “natural” crops, but the men and women who work their tails off maintaining the irrigation lines, turning the soils, and building the elaborate trellises deserve our love.  Give it to them.

And the Number One thing to do while in the Yakima Valley today….

1.  Make the bus driver stop at the DariGold Factory Shop in Sunnyside.  In addition to a self guided cheese tour, they have a fantastic ice cream stand and flavors change daily but always about 20 or so choices.  A single cone for $3 contains about a half gallon of ice cream.  And the amazing thing is that it contains NO calories.  You’re on vacation, Ice Cream Calories don’t count.

SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!!