Most of us can appreciate activities for the whole family, which is why I love the Outdoor Summer Cinema, which features fairly new, and favored movies in Yakima’s lovely parks. Throughout mid-August, movies are playing at various parks around town on a large inflatable screen, with a theater-quality sound system. This Friday, “Monsters vs. Aliens” will be shown at Randall Park, and will begin at about 8:30PM. You are welcome to bring your lawn chairs, blankets, snacks, and friends. Admission is a canned good, which goes to Northwest Harvest; can’t get much better than that.

Fri. July 23 – Monsters vs. Aliens (PG) Randall Park
Sun. July 25 – Raiders of the Lost Arc(PG) Gilbert Park
Fri. July 30 – Where The Wild Things Are(PG) Randall Park
Sun. August 1 – Curious George(G) Gilbert Park
Sat. August 7 – The Karate Kid (PG) Sarg Hubbard Park
Sun. August 8 – Twilight: New Moon(PG 13) Gilbert Park
Fri. August 13 – Cloudy w/a Chance of Meatballs(PG) Randall Park
Sun. August 15 – The Muppets Take Manhattan(G) Gilbert Park

When our daughter Jennifer learned that I had started a wine blog last November she naturally assumed it was going to be all about her. At first this surprised me, until I realized that just a few weeks had passed since she, her fiancé E.J. and her sister Kristen had helped Barb and I pick the grapes and start the wedding wine that she and E.J. would serve at their wedding.

We had told them we’d keep them updated on the wine’s progress, so the blog might have just tracked the day by day, week by week progression of their wine.  Add to that the obvious fact that Jo was the bride to be, and until just a few hours from now will still be the bride to be, and it was silly of me to think anything besides Jo and this wedding would be more than a fleeting thought over the past fourteen months. But as you may have seen, I have sometimes strayed.

What I have done here is document some of the significant milestones for Jo and E.J. as it related to the wine aspects of the wedding. That is the most important part afterall. Last January, in my review of 2009′s top Yak wine moment, I documented the whole weekend the kids spent with us picking the grapes, stomping the grapes, etc… Along the way after that we sent periodic updates to the kids, and documented here the vast relief when the final product, their Riesling, went into the bottles.

Barb and I (sometimes) regretted not being closer to Jo and E.J. as they picked out colors and attire for the wedding party, planned the reception, and otherwise drove each other crazy over the past several months. But the daily/hourly phone calls kept us involved and quite often Barb would get texted pictures of shoes, cakes, or other critical decision points.

We were happy then we were able to visit with them and some friends in February to help pick some other wines for the reception.  Stories here and here.  See Jo, those first dozen or so blogs WERE about you.  I doubt Jo will read this today, so I think it’s safe to share a story that she doesn’t yet know. When we gathered in Illinois for the tasting party, we toasted the engagement along with Jo and E.J’s friends with a bottle of the wedding wine. Since her sister couldn’t make it, we sent a bottle to New Mexico so that Kristen and her partner Isaac could participate long distance. On the day of the party, however, Kris and Isaac were working, hiking or otherwise indisposed so they missed that tasting, no biggie.

A few weeks ago, Barb, during her weekly chat with Kris, asked if they had ever opened the wine and what did they think. I can see Kristen turning red now. “Mom, it’s gone and we didn’t drink it.” Huunnhhh? Sometime between February and now, Kris and Isaac had gone away for a trip and had left their home and dogs in care of a housesitter with instructions, use our panty. Well, on their return they found the bottle of wedding wine had been included in that use. No word whether they liked it or not, but the bottle was empty.

Finally, this past April, it was very special for both Barb and I to share in Jo’s bachelorette weekend visit to Washington wine country with several of her friends. Those girls all became surrogate daughters for us that weekend and we’d invite them all, together or individually, to come back. Actually that invitation extends to any and all of E.J. and Jennifer’s friends. Even last night we met some more of the young people that E.J and Jo have chosen as friends and visa versa, and they are all really neat people. Head West young man/woman; there is wine on the horizon.

But man also has to drink.  So E.J. and Jennifer picked the grapes, stomped, crushed, pressed, and added the yeast. Nature and a little time did most of the rest. They also designed the label for their wine and it includes this statement:

“Sharp, refreshing, and delightful: characterisitics that make this couple a favorite. It all started with a little crush and developed into a long lasting love. Our lives have grown stronger from the support of our family and friends. Let this love blossom into a sweet nectar from which we can toast our future.”

Congratulations E.J. and Jennifer, we love you, and may God bless your marriage and your life the way you have blessed all of ours.

Now go make us some grandbabies.

Barb and I got there a little while before the main group and were immediately greeted by a number of people, one of whom was Dick Boushey. Dick was as cordial as could be and we chatted for a while about the weather and a few other things.  We told him we lived nearby and had always wanted to visit his vineyards. Once the bigger crowd arrived, I noticed someone putting namecards of the wine people at some of the place settings. I found Dick’s card and claimed the seats to his left for myself and Barb. In the photo, taken by our new friend Ed Thralls of Wine Tonite!, Dick is obviously thrilled that I’ve been bending his ear for 2 straight hours.  I think I was looking for the dessert in the photo. 

Thoughout both of these encounters I asked Dick questions, as did others, along with the natural flow of conversation.  Dick is funny, self-effacing, generous with his knowledge, and sometimes a little sly.  He’d make a perfect politician if he weren’t the best grape grower in the State of Washington.

I could try to make a story of what I learned from Dick but the best thing probably is just to share the tidbits I remembered.  So here goes in no particular order…

• On the guys who pioneered Red Mountain, Jim Holmes and John Williams, “They were crazy!”  Of course, Dick was pioneering his own vineyards up the Valley a ways at the same time in the mid 1970′s.
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•  ”Winemakers make me look good”.  I offered that it was the other way around, but Dick says no.  In this case, I think we’re both correct.  Dick’s grapes are used by some of the best winemakers in the state who seek him out because he grows some of the best grapes in the state.
• Dick makes wine himself for personal use, would he ever start his own winery? “Too much capital needed to build all that stuff.”  I would guess that’s not the real issue, but time constraints and the love of being in the vineyards are what keeps Dick out of the wine production side.  That and the fact the winemakers who work with Dick have established a long record of success using Dick’s fruit, so why would he want to mess with that.
•   
• What do you think of Charles Smith?  Dick first responce (to Andrew), “What do you think?”  Then he offered, “Charles is a great marketer”.  Enough said.
• Black Rock Dam project?  Dick’s answer, “Boondoggle!  There are other ways to get water.”  Of course, Dick knew the other ways were already happening because two days later a press release went out that a large water project to deliver more water to Red Mountain was approved.
• “Wine grapes use a third of the water of tree fruit”.  I don’t know how accurate this is, but it certainly sounded convincing and since the nation doesn’t depend on Washington for apples or cherries or any other tree fruits, it makes sense to divert the scarce water resource to a more valuable and important crop, wine grapes.  I’m being a little sarcastic here, but Dick’s argument does make some sense and I’m sure he and others wine growers became good politicians to support the project mentioned just above. 
• When looking up at Ryan Johnson’s Grand Reve vineyard high above everything else on Red Mountain.  “He’s crazy.  It takes mountain goats to work in that vineyard.  No equipment can make it up there, all hand digging in rock.  He’s crazy!”  I later met Ryan and would agree with Dick’s assessment.
• As we walked down Red Mountain, Dick seemed to know every acre of every vineyard, who owned what, and when each block was planted.  Do you study this?  His answer, “I’ve worked this hill forever.”  I imagine Dick has consulted to a vast number of vineyards in the rest of the Yakima Valley as well and knows that patchwork just as well.  When I say consult here, I doubt Dick is paid by most people to consult, but he’s probably just a neighbor helping out his neighbors in the farming business.
•  On vine spacing, “I don’t know whether it helps or hurts the grapes, but I do know it costs an extra $1,000 more per acre for every foot closer together you plant the vines.”  Dick’s preferred spacing is minimum 6 1/2 feet.  He also makes a convincing argument that once a vine is mature, cordon and canopy management means more than how many trunks are in the ground.  And winemakers want low crop loads anyway, so more vines means more pruning, more cost to the vineyard with no more return per acre.  “Nah, six feet is close enough.”
•  I also learned that vine cuttings from Red Mountain, as well as Dick’s own vineyards near Grandview and I’m assuming many other vineyards in the Yakima Valley and elsewhere, are used by Inland Desert Nursery in Benton City to develope roots in creating the baby vines that are resold to vineyards across the state for new planting.  I knew about Inland and have driven past there; it’s a remarkable place to see the thousands of tiny grape vines growing on about 6 inch spacing.   As an aside, I’ve been told by other vineyard owners, if you want good planting stock, go to Inland.  I’ve heard this in Zillah, Naches, Mattawa, Alderdale, and Walla Walla, so it’s possible a case could be made that just about every grape in the state has some Benton City terroir in its history.   
• And the most interesting thing to me, Barb asked Dick where his vineyards are located?  “Over there somewhere.”  No, where exactly?  We know the roads above Grandview and Prosser, County Line, Snipes, Factory, Gap Rd, etc…  where are your vines?  Dick just smiled.  

I respect Dick’s privacy and would never think of sneaking onto his land between 2 and 3 A.M. on a moonless night in mid to late October with 3 or 4 buckets, a small hand wagon, some grape snips, dressed entirely in black or camoflage and a can of pepper spray in case the dogs come.  I’d need to take some water, a thick pair of cotton gloves, a flashlight and a brix refractometer, and a blanket to hide the light for the brix test.  Quiet but comfortable clothes, layers because it can be cold at nighttime in October, shoes with good tread, but the kind that can’t be traced, an extra pair of snips in case I drop the first ones, some way to keep Barb from talking the whole time (hardest one yet), some Snickers bars in case I need an energy boost.  And a hiding place for the getaway  black truck.

No, I’ve never thought about doing any of that.

But I think Dick probably has.

One thing I learned during the WBC’10 Post-Conference tour of Red Mountain is that the rows there are oriented mainly on a North-South axis. The early Red Mountain rows put in by Jim Holmes and John Williams were planted that way because that’s the direction the roads ran. I doubt there were many roads, paved or otherwise, here in the mid-1970’s, but the first path was probably what is now Sunset Road, and it runs due North-South.

Most of the vineyards are oriented this way. Except for those that aren’t. In recent years, within probably the past 7-10 years, there has been a trend to twist the angle of orientation slightly off North/South. This is done to account for the shape of Red Mountain. It slopes toward the Southwest from its peak (or knob is more appropriate since Red Mountain is hardly a mountain at all), and by slightly turning the rows off the N/S axis, the vineyard managers have found that they get more even ripening and easier canopy management.

In discussing this with Kelly Hightower of Hightower Cellars and Ryan Johnson, of Grand Reve and Ciel du Cheval, there was some disagreement on what the “correct” angle is. Or maybe it’s because their vineyards sit on slightly different slope angle. But Ryan says the best angle is for the new vines is 12 degrees off N/S. Kelly told me the answer is 11. I tried to sway her to 10 or 12, or even 11.5. No, the best angle for Hightower Cellars to grow their grapes is 11.000 Degrees off North and in fact they named their vineyard “Out of Line” to denote this off-centered approach.

This was our first discussion with Kelly Hightower last week during the tasting event inside Terra Blanca prior to dinner.  I don’t think Barb and I had met Kelly previously and if we had it may have been just briefly in the Hightower tasting room.   But we were pleased when the random seating placed us next to Kelly during the meal.  I described the food for that meal in my last post, and in between bites and passing of platters Barb and I carried on a nice conversation with Kelly and the other folks at the table.

We told Kelly about carting their Murray Cuvee to Alaska because the picture of Murray the dog on the label reminded Barb of the dog our daughter Kristen had as a child.  Kris loved the bottle and the wine, though she called Murray “Denver” when she saw the bottle.  It was kind of embarassing since the word MURRAY is in large font just above the dog’s face.  This picture of Kelly is with Murray’s doppelganger and love child (I’ve heard anyway), Riley.  Hightower’s is the first winery website I’ve ever seen with a page devoted to the winery dog.

Anyway at dinner we went on to discuss mother-in-laws.  Kelly loves hers as do I mine and Kelly’s mother-in-law is the owner of the Syrah block of their vineyard (even though they still put the dog’s picture on the Syrah made from those vines). We also talked about differences in tasting palates within a husband and wife winemaking team. That one so far has always worked by consensus at Hightower, but there may be some years in the future with a “Tim” release and a “Kelly” release.

Kelly was offering three wines for tasting that Sunday: their Murray Syrah, their top of the line blend “Red Mountain”, which for now is sourced from various vineyards in the AVA, and a not-yet-released estate wine called Out of Line. Barb and I had sampled and purchased the Murray Syrah not long ago, know Hightower’s powerful Cabs and blends, but had never seen Out of Line.  Kelly told us this would be their first release of this label, made with all estate grown Red Mountain fruit. After trying all of the superduper power wines being tossed about, I drank and thoroughly enjoyed the Out of Line with dinner. 

Afterwards, we looked to see when the Out of Line would be released and discovered Hightower was having a release party on July 17.  It was a tough decision, it’s a really good wine, but Barb and I decided if we ever wanted to meet our grandchildren we should attend our daughter Jennifer’s wedding that day in Illinois.   So instead we went back to Red Mountain this past weekend, met Tim and Pam, the tasting room lady, and talked the Hightowers into selling us some Out of Line for a PRE-RELEASE REVIEW on Yak Yak Wine dot Com.

We had this wine the other night with beefsteak and baked potatoes; not quite as fancy as ostrich, but I knew what I was eating.  So, for the first time ever here are my tasting notes from a wine not yet available to the general public…

Deep Ruby in color, nose is of caramel with bright cherry notes coming through after a one hour decant. Mouthfeel is full but not overpowering, flavors of cherry, black raspberry, and cocoa. Very fine tannins, there, but neat and well integrated. For a young wine off young vines, the future vintages of this wine, and the bigger wines that will be made from these vines should be very good. As is, it is a delicious entry of the estate blend from Tim and Kelly Hightower. $25 is a steal for this all Red Mountain bordeaux style blend.

Finally, as another first time ever treat, below is a video, filmed for our new friend, Jeff of Conscious Wine Blog, who convinced Barb and me that we would look good on video camera after four days of sun and wine and a huge meal.   The camerawoman for this shoot was none other than the winemaker, Kelly Hightower.  Look what happens when the smartass from Yakima gets a little…

Out of Line.

Barb and I eat out fairly infrequently but we do attend quite a few wine events in and around Prosser (in case you hadn’t noticed from reading this blog) and with the WBC’10 pre and post events found ourselves again last weekend on Red Mountain and in Prossers Vintner’s Village (new website!).

When you run into the same caterer and chef two times it’s a coincidence; three or four times is a trend. When you run into the same chef SIX times within a three week period, only once in his actual restaurant, you’re either a stalker or you know that guy is the one people want to hire, and the one whose food brings in the crowds. Before this slug of events, most of our encounters with Frank and his food have been by chance and even when we knew he was catering, his presence didn’t necessarily influence our decision to attend. We’d even been to Picazo7Seventeen (hard name to type BTW, but for some reason my spellchecker likes it) a few times, and while the food has always been good, I wasn’t quite catching on to what all the raves I’d been reading were about.

Well, my opinion has changed, and I’m now a true believer in the culinary talents of Frank Magana. For one thing, his menus as a caterer are always varied. You may see a few of his specialties more than once, his chorizo stuffed shrimp is worth the drive from anywhere, but generally the freshest ingredients are used to make a fusion of appetizers that compliment each other well, and always compliment the wines being served. Since we go to these events to taste the wine, while the food is important, the wine is normally our main focus.

Our first recent encounter was at Milbrandt‘s 2nd Anniversary Party, Frank made a nuts, cheeses, and olive platter, shrimp ceviche, quinoa salad, and grilled fresh asparagus. A dessert was there too but I was too busy snarfing shrimp to sample dessert that day. My dad is a very religious man, and since my first trip to Calabash, NC as a small child, he always told me it is a sin to leave shrimp on a platter. My father, I have not sinned.

Encounter number two was by chance. Barb and I went to Col Solare for their Saturday Sole to get a pre-WBC look at the Shining Hill winery on Red Mountain. There, the appetizers served were again prepared from a menu Chef Frank had prepared, and this time a light salad with grilled veggies, and a plate of thinly sliced buffalo meat served with grilled bread that literally melted in our mouth. These appetizers and the wine tastings at Col Solare were very spendy and the funkiest part of the trip was that we weren’t allowed to tip the servers who did a fabulous job making us feel welcome.

The next couple of meals from Frank we knew about ahead of time and were associated with the Pre- and Post- WBC’10 tours to Yakima Valley and Red Mountain. Frank and his crew were on-site at Milbrandt again for the pre-WBC Buster bus tour. His menu that night included the chorizo stuffed shrimp, calamari, chorizo stuffed shrimp, mini-crab cakes, chorizo stuffed shrimp, BBQ short ribs, chorizo stuffed shrimp, and chorizo stuffed shrimp. I apologize now to anyone else there who may not have gotten to try one of the appetizers, but I was just trying to do what my father told me.

The post-WBC meal at Terra Blanca on Red Mountain was quite Frank(sic)ly off the charts. We, along with the other 40 or so attendees, had been wined and dined for three or four straight days, some even longer, with delicious wines, rich foods, and amazing company.  I saw Frank working the grill during the pre-meal wine tasting and re-introduced myself and told him I was looking forward to dinner. He was grilling skewers of veggies and chunks of steak, so I knew that was on the menu. After being seated, the platters started coming, salad course, then the grilled veggies, then a huge platter of sausages; then the grilled “steak”. Almost full! Then a huge platter of scrumptious BBQ ribs. WOW, I’ll even say it backwards, WOW.

We’d paid a fee for the WBC post-conference tour on Red Mountain but we covered our cost and then some with just this meal. The dessert was another treat with fresh cherries and blueberries incorporated somehow. I’m still in a slight stupor from that whole night. I do remember Frank letting us know (after the meal was eaten) that the sausages had been made with wild boar, the “steak” was actually ostriche meat, and the ribs, while boring pig, were covered with a Chukar Cherry BBQ glaze, found at fine stores everywhere, along with their Factory Outlet Store in Prosser.

With this behind us, and Barb and my wine palates scorched beyond recognition, we meekly entered Picazo7Seventeen this past Wednesday. We didn’t see Frank, but our waitress Ashley was very helpful. We ordered the chorizo stuffed shrimp (can you tell I like this shrimp dish?), a small salad to split, and Dungeness crab cakes (again we split).  To ease back onto the wine horse, we ordered the house sangria. On Wednesday Picazo waives the corkage fee since it’s “industry” night and we even had some wine in our car, but we needed something light to ease back in. The white sangria did the trick. Filled with pineapple, peaches, and fresh blueberries, this cocktail was very refreshing. What’s in it besides the fruit? After checking, Ashley reported Pacific Rim Late Harvest Riesling, some prosecco, and a splash of Cointreau.

The sangria disappeared as fast as the shrimp, so I tested my legs on the house red with the crab cakes. Vino Roja, a special blend was listed as being from Horse Heaven Hills. After tasting, and loving, the first few sips, I offered some to Barb and made her a bet. If I could guess the grapes in the glass and the winemaker, she would pay for dinner; otherwise I paid. She bit.

Definitely Cabernet Sauvignon base with some Syrah pepper at the back end, and likely Merlot. I suspected an Alexandria Nicole connection (no other glass pours on the summer menu were AN) and pegged Jarrod Boyle as the winemaker. Ashley confirmed the Alexandria Nicole but thought it was Quarry Butte. No, both Barb and I tasted Syrah, and we knew QB was Syrah-free. After checking, she came back with the good news, it was/is a Cab/Merlot/Syrah blend with some Petit Verdot and Malbec for good measure. Barb pulled our her pocketbook.

Feeling my oats, I teased “Double or nothing for the vintage”. I was truly full of it on this, but guessed 2006; Barb plays along with my games most of the time and guessed 2007. This time, after checking, Ashley came back with the sad news… 2007. D’oooh! But I paid and tipped the waitress anyway.

Barb tried to change the rules and say I now owed her TWO meals at Picazo, but since our money is OUR money, it doesn’t really matter anyway. Next time I’ll gladly pay again (even if I’m using Barb’s credit card). Frank popped out to the bar as we were getting ready to leave, so I went over and said hi. I told him we were tired of his food, but did he have any more shrimp?

Finally, on Friday, after a hectic morning of work, I took a breather and went into Desert Wind in Prosser. Their tasting room has a nice grill named Mojave inside and I needed lunch. Low and behold, there was Frank again (that’s where I finally took his picture at the top). Frank is now the executive chef for Mojave at lunch time, his own place at night, and the every other tasting room in the Yak wants him to cater the rest of the time. I asked if he had cloned himself; no all Frank, all one guy. My burger and potato salad lunch was again yummy and the blue cheese twist made the potato salad unlike any I’d ever tried before.

Six meals in three weeks, all fabulous food, but the one thing I love about Frank Magana and his Picazo7Seventeen Restaurant the most… his corkage policy.

The wine menu at Picazo is loaded with Prosser and the Yakima Valley’s finest wines; even still, patrons are invited to bring their own wine. When we’ve stopped previously after being on the wine trail, we’ve taken advantage of this to try a new wine.

For those bringing in wines, the corkage fee is $15 per bottle for Washington wines.

California wine…$25.

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   #wbc10 Lot 1. Napa martini cab. Way too hot. Way to expensive

   

• 5:09 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
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• #wbc10 isenhour bachelor nice cab bright fruit smooth beatiful
• 5:15 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
• #wbc10 the crusher petit sirah 12 dollars. Worth it maybe
• 5:19 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
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• #wbc10 Desert wind ruah. Prosser represent. A little weak. Amber is sweet
• 5:24 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
• #wbc10 duck pond red blend great daily drinker. Pizza wine
• 5:28 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
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• #wbc10 molly dooker. Velvet glove shiraz. HUGE WINE very hot. But the name fits. 120 dollars maybe worth it
• 5:34 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
• #wbc10 Trio riot. Great wine. Funky blend. Dick Boushey. Den Hoed. Great YAK vines
• 5:40 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
• #wbc10 ponzi pinot noir 08. Very nice!Great QPR Great vintage for Williamette
• 5:46 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
• #wbc10 stoller 07 JV light elegant. Pinot Noir. Another QPR winner at 25 dollars
• 5:50 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
• #wbc10 stepping stone. Cab franc Napa 08. Very nice. A little weak
• 5:55 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
• #wbc10 long shadows sequal 07 WOW syrah from boushey walulla
• 6:02 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®
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• #wbc10 @solenaestate. Very nice pinot. 50 dollars. SmooOoooooooth
• 6:05 PM Jun 26th via Twitter for BlackBerry®

 Other highlights of the weekend included crossing paths again with Dana Dibble of RivenHaven and meeting Robert Smasne, a rockstar winemaker in my book, who makes wine for about 24 different labels; many that I didn’t know about, some that I did.  All good stuff, and his Alma Terra Syrahs made me temporarily consider giving Jon Martinez up for adoption.  There will be more blogging later about Robert.  Either that or a Police report where we’ve been caught inside his production facility in Grandview at 2:00 A.M.

My re-education on Red Mountain will have to wait for another set of posts.  A particular wine from a new favorite there that we sampled on Sunday evening will be featured very soon.

 My brain is on sensory overload (so this blog may be a little disjointed) and I have been described by Barb as a (really big) kid on Christmas morning.  The presents keep coming for two more days though so there will lots more to absorb. 

So far, my highlights have been meeting some great bloggers and industry folks from all over the U.S. and the world, Argentina, Spain, Australia, South Africa, and Georgia (actually I think they were from the state, not the country).  Barb and I even met a very nice young lady from Tennessee who now lives in New York and works for Rias Baixas Wines, a Spanish wine distributor.  Chandni seemed quite distressed that she now has to wear shoes.

Also a highlight from Thursday was meeting Dick Boushey, Joe Hattrup, Wade Wolfe, and Hugh Shiels for the first time, all top notch wine growers from the Yak.  Matt Rawn from Copeland (and Two Mountain) was there too, and while he grows great fruit too, he’s more like an old friend to us by now.  I’ll take my time writing about those experiences and the wines these other vineyards and wineries have produced in the near future.   Another neat experience was meeting Becky Yeaman (Wade’s wife) of Thurston Wolfe and finding the inspiration for Sweet Rebecca, which by chance we had just drank the prior night as our dessert.  An adorable name for a wine and the namesake was just as nice.  I need to learn more about Wade and Becky and I’ll seek them out this summer after the hubbub has died down a bit.

I’ve traded away most of my Let’s Make a Deal wine and have gotten some great wines from Canada and California in return, with more pledged to be on the way.  I also brought over about a half case of other wines that I’ll barter with over the next couple of days.  Anybody here who wants some, look me up, Twitter @yakyakwine.  What I have left are Syncline Cuvee Elena from the Gorge, Severino Red Wine from the Yak, White Heron Rousanne from Quincy, and Pangaea Cab Sauv from Horse Heaven Hills.  Other than the Syncline, I’d imagine the other wines aren’t available outside Washington and they’re all nice juice and I’m anxious to trade for juice from anywhere.  Even California.

The Walla Walla highlights have been many but my favorite so far is meeting Dana Dibble of Riverhaven Cellars.  Dana is the vineyard owner and grower of some truly nice Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.  He also grows some other important fruit and I asked him to sign my bottle as Prune Grower.  He happily obliged and we had a really nice conversation about the difference between plums and prunes, which before yesterday I always thought were the same thing.   Funny though, after drinking Dana’s wines, Barb and I both had to make a beeline for the restroom.

 Cleaned out and ready to go, there will be more later from The Walla.  Nah, that doesn’t have the same ring as The Yak.

800-453-1888

theseasonsyakima.com

Photos by Sara Gettys

The Barany Home

Yakima abounds with wonderful secret cottage gardens, hiding behind privacy fences and tall arborvitae hedges throughout our many neighborhoods. If you’re lucky enough to be invited in, a magical world of plants, trees, fountains and art awaits.

We’ve asked three local master gardeners to open their special garden retreats to our readers, with the hope that their stories won’t intimidate, but rather encourage others to create their own versions of an outdoor sanctuary.

When Carol and John Barany bought their house above Franklin Park in 1982, they found it surrounded by an acre of lovely green lawn. About that time national style mavens Martha Stewart and Laura Ashley started publishing their phenomenally popular home and garden books, filled with floral motifs and quaint country cottages that started a trend.

“We all wanted to make our homes look like little England,” Carol explained. Coincidentally, Shirley Whiteside opened Yakima’s Loo Witt Gardens on Summitview Avenue at the same time, offering green thumbs a much wider range of perennials, English roses, shrubs and garden art to accomplish just that.

When Carol started planting her garden she admits she had no plan and remembers starting with a six-pack of marigolds.

“Over the years my garden has grown like an amoeba,” she joked, as she gazed out at a sea of roses, poppies and delphiniums, bursting with color in her backyard. “I just wanted more flowers, and I kept taking out more grass to make room for plants.”

Her husband has not been idle while his wife toiled in her flower beds. Over the years, John has focused on their side yard, terracing and constructing a brick wall to allow for a vegetable garden and building an impressive grape arbor that drips with vines during the summer months. He also sculpted free-form plaster likenesses of his children’s faces on the front pillars of the home’s entry. An accomplished artist, John’s turned wood pillars, with heads created by local artist Penn O. Shelton, add a whimsical touch to the overall look of the Baranys’ garden.

Joyce and Tony Sagare moved into their home near Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in 1969, also finding a lot of lawn, junipers and a variety of trees.

yakima-magazine_gardens_0086

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“While I was teaching, my gardening consisted of pulling weeds, planting some petunias for color and raking leaves in the fall,” Joyce said. “After retiring in 1993, I became interested in gardening, adding some perennials here and there with some new shrubs and roses. I took a class on attracting birds, so birdbaths and new plants were added.”

Today the Sagares’ backyard is an amazing and tranquil setting, totally hidden from the street side of the house. Their large deck gives a view to a terraced landscape and an ever-changing cottage garden that provides a variety of settings. “Throughout the backyard, garden rooms and sitting areas have evolved. Pathways have been added. I like to try new combinations of textures and colors in the beds,” Joyce said.

The couple installed a gazebo in 1998, and a primitive potting shed and bench in 2000.  Enjoying a more rustic look, they’ve collected orchard tree props and wooden ladders to use as trellises. A variety of birdhouses make the backyard a wonderful spot to observe the wide variety of feathered friends native to Eastern Washington.

Joyce lists Queen Elizabeth grandiflora roses, hostas, astilibes and hydrangeas as her floral favorites. Her favorite annuals include coleus and calibrochoa that, she says, feature great color, “and they thrive in our hot summers.” She feels her backyard sanctuary has microclimates of sun and shade, and has planted each area accordingly.

“My garden is constantly changing, moving, adding, dividing and sharing.” And the result is a year-round retreat that takes complete advantage of Yakima’s four seasons.

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A collector of all things Americana, Jane has decorated her outdoor space with objects that elicit family memories. A vintage bicycle given to Jane for a childhood birthday has been transformed into a planter. The old door from her fifth-grade classroom at Toppenish’s Lincoln Elementary School makes a rustic backdrop for a flowerbed bordered by a collection of antique china plates. Her grandfather’s old farm plow and wheelbarrow rest under a 60-year-old broadleaf tree. The home’s shady patio houses Jane’s collection of vintage white wicker furniture — a perfect spot for sipping cool lemonade and eating gingersnap cookies in the shade of the hot summer sun.

Jane’s clever eye for country garden design got the attention of others, too: her Americana Garden was featured in this year’s Yakima Area Arboretum Garden Tour.

If you’re planning on creating your own private outdoor retreat, our experts have a few tips: first, make a plan. Then consult the experts (plants, shrubs and trees are expensive); and finally, start small. All three of these cottage gardens have evolved over the years because of hard work, mistakes, fabulous successes and the most important ingredient … a passion for gardening.  Martha Stewart, eat your heart out!

Yakima Avenue Tea at Second Street Grill. Photo by Robin Beckett

By Heather Caro

We love a girl who puts a little consideration into her martini.

That’s why, when reader Angela Wentz asked us for help finding the best outdoor happy hours in Yakima, we couldn’t turn her away. She had a serious list of criteria: great service was a must, an outdoor seating area, and, of course, good happy hour specials.  Said Angela, “Everyone knows that if you can get a discount it makes the fare that much better.”

We had our work cut out for us, but to make it easier, we enlisted Angela to help.  And many happy hours of research later, we developed a list of a few sunny spots we think are worthy of even more investigation.

Second Street Grill

There’s something so…urban about sitting outside the gargantuan “garage” doors at Second Street and enjoying a cocktail after work with your friends right in downtown Yakima. You’ll have to leave work a little early for appetizer specials, but that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.  Happy Hour Sunday through Saturday, 3-5 pm for appetizer specials, 3-6 pm for drink specials.

Get Happy: Half price wells, half price special microbrew (picked daily), half price special martini (picked daily).

Second Street Grill

28 North Second St.

Yakima

509-469-1486

secondstreetgrill.com

Angela says, “The bartenders are friendly, and with the eclectic sampling of appetizers, it’s hard to pick just one.”

Zesta Cucina

Slip into the bar or sip out on the deck with its gorgeous summer flowers at the Italian-fare favorite, Zesta Cucina. Happy hour lasts from 4-6pm Monday – Friday and features half-price drink and appetizer specials – but be sure to come early as seats fill up fast.

Get Happy: $2-$5 appetizers like their chopped salad, sautéed mushrooms and braised meatballs.  $2 bottled beer, $3 wines by the glass, $3 draft beers, $5 cocktail drink specials.

Zesta Cucina

5110 Tieton Drive
Yakima

509-972-2000

zestacucina.com

Angela says her three Zesta faves are the martinis, the chopped salad and the chicken ravioli.

The G Spot Bar

Sitting outside the G Spot Bar at Gasperetti’s Restaurant, one wouldn’t know that North First Street is just around the corner.  With its soothing fountain, lush plants and comfy seating, the only thing that’s missing for happy hour goers are the blue cheese potato chips (house made) we highly recommend.  Happy hours are Monday through Saturday, 3-6 p.m.

Get Happy: $3 draft beers, $4.50 well drinks, $5 house wine, assorted discounted appetizers, such as pizza, blue cheese potato chips, hamburger sliders

Gasperetti’s Restaurant/G Spot Bar

1013 North First St.

Yakima

509-248-0628

gasperettisrestaurant.com

Angela says, “If you haven’t tried (the blue cheese chips), you need to…these definitely give nachos a classier name, and who doesn’t love melted cheese on fried food?”

Sportscenter

Who can resist sharing a pint among friends beneath Yakima’s iconic glowing neon hunter? Yakima’s Sportscenter has been a night-life hot-spot, but with happy hour specials and yummy appetizers like sweet potato fries, diners need not wait until after dark to visit. Get “centered” for happy hour from 3-6 pm, Monday through Friday.

Get Happy: $1 off draft beer, $3 off wells, $3-4.00 appetizers

Angela says, “The appetizers are tasty and with the pricing, you can share a couple with friends.”

Sportscenter

Crab cakes drizzled with red pepper aioli, and a finding Nemo Cocktail. Photo by Cal Blethen

214 East Yakima Ave.

Yakima

509-453-4647

yakimasportscenter.com

Tequila’s

With its exotic outdoor bar and its “outside of the boxcar” location, Tequila’s offers nothing but sun and terrific drink specials during the warmer months.  Grab a table with an umbrella and enjoy a margarita with some nachos during happy hour, Monday through Friday from 2-6 pm.

Get Happy: $2 domestic beer $2 lime margaritas, $3 well drinks, $3 imported beer and $3 appetizers, such as nachos and quesadillas.

Tequila’s

1 West Yakima Ave.

Yakima

509-457-3296