I know that I am not the only one that feels like time is flying by, well maybe not flying by, but definitely on the move.
I watch the apples in my tree off of my kitchen window as they grow seemingly each day. They are like an hourglass with sand flowing down.
I’m not sure where I am going with this. I think I am already starting to get a bit nervous about harvest coming up. I am trying to decide whether to purchase a trailer that I can haul behind my Jeep and that all depends on how much wine I intend to make.
I know that I am not going to make Semillon this year as I still have two vintages in barrels. It’s odd that it is my best seller at the winery when visitors to the winery get to taste it, but on the shelf it just sits there. So that is two tons of grapes I won’t be buying.
I am excited that I am going to be using a new vineyard this year. It is called the Upland Estate in Sunnyside. Most of the vineyard is located on the east end of Snipes Mountain which is a east-west running hill that is about eight miles long in the middle of the Yakima Valley. It was originally planted to grapes in 1912 and a few of those vines are still alive. They are massive, about the size of Shaq O’Neill’s thighs.
Among those first vines are some Thompson Seedless grapes which actually makes a pretty good wine when grown in a cool climate.
I walked the vineyard with Todd Newhouse, three generations of which operate the farm, including the orchards and vineyards; Todd is the youngest, then his dad, Steve, then Todd’s grandfather, Al. Last year when I was picking up some Cabernet Franc I met all three at the loading dock.
I am thinking that I will just get a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. I’m thinking about getting some Gewurztraminer also but I am going to try to get some west-side, Puget Sound, white grapes like Siegerrebe and hope for a good harvest of Chasselas Dore.
I also hope to get some Pinot Noir from Monument Farm Vineyard on Vashon Island.
Oh well, I am getting ahead of myself. This weekend, Danny O’Keefe will be in concert at the winery. Three weeks later, on August 23rd, there will be a flat-out folk festival under the apple trees, eight hours of straight music with as many as ten bands playing, organized by Wally Bell.
And finally, Samuel Green will be reading poetry at the winery to finish off our concert series.
Time might be moving, but I have a lot of things to do in the meantime.
