Mushy Slushy Snow
Something about blobs of snow, moss and rocks reflected in pools of snow melt make me smile. It’s February 19 and the stir craziness of winter has the best of us so we drive to the Gorge under fog, cloudy skies and rain. We were so spoiled last year with a mild February. No, not this year. The last reports of roads under snow and flooding closures in the Gorge were in the past week. Did we really think it was made up to keep us away?
Our arrival to Hood River removed all doubts–snow, slush, melt puddles… We look over toward Coyote wall and even Catherine Creek. While the southern sun warms the Washington side more than the shaded Oregon side, they’re still under substantial snow.
We venture to The Dalles and visit the Discovery Museum, enjoying the exhibits in the warm dry halls while outside wind blows spitting rain across the glass. Their pond out back is still under a creamy haze of ice. After our visit we reason that the best use of such a day in the Gorge is for visiting wineries and checking in on new and favorite vintages.
First stop was 15 Miles in The Dalles on Court St. The tiny tasting room has three tables set up–two filled with people chattering away and sipping wine. At the tasting counter we’re greeted by Coulter, the winemaker. This is a big, pleasant, easy going guy and his wines mirror that easy going spirit. We leave with a few bottles.
After recounting what lunch-ish snacks we have brought, we make our way to Marshal’s Winery on the Washington side. We give each other concerned looks when there’s a large for sale sign posted on their vineyard sign. Tucked in the valley we come to a house and old tasting room. It reminds me of the start-up days of many wineries I’ve become so fond of. Inside the thickly-accented proprietor asks, “What do you want?” We look at the astonishing variety and choose the dolcetto, syrah, marchel foch, lemberger and cab franc. I find the dolcetto very appealing and the syrah pretty standard. The marchel foch tastes as if the bottle might have already been open a couple weeks and the lemberger was FANTASTIC. The cab franc was not in a style that grabbed me…oh, but the lemberger was delightful, so a bottle joined our journey.
Next was our Gorge Favorite! Jacob Williams. Their wines are splendid; the atmosphere overlooking the Columbia from the deck on a warm day, or from inside the picture windows on a not-so-warm day is like an instant vacation; and their staff, Laurie and Brian are people we look forward to seeing so much! A couple bottles came home with us from there but it would be unfair to say which one as they join other whites, roses, red blends, robust reds and dessert wines from Jacob Williams already on the shelf. It’s rare to taste an less-than-lovely wine there.
Last stop was to Memaloose in Lyle, WA. They make both reds and whites and we tend to be partial to their reds and right now, the Brioso blend is topping our charts so we added one of those to the happy little gaggle of bottles in the trunk.
Pretty impressive for a day we’d wanted to hike instead…and a time when my dear Munchmix had said, “We really need to buy less wine!” He’s right but I’m happy to report he was equally sucked in to buying as I was.
Looks like it will be a while before the snow all melts out. We hear later this week snow levels will be back down to 1000 feet. Wonder if this will mean a delayed spring bloom?
