Lazy Days are Good Too!

Terra Blanca

June 2, Thursday: Our morning was poky--our new digs was the Days Inn in Richland. It was very nice, quiet and close to everything. We had a nice breakfast at Shari's (a very popular chain). We realized that it was "Senior skip day" at the local High School because the place was gradually filling up with tweens with silly conversations and laughs and giggles and teenage awkwardness among friends--(the poor waitresses). This was our first time there and despite the crowd, our breakfast was on time and good,...(and they played good music!)

Bought the hat...

We had gone to several wineries in the Prossor area yesterday with beautiful views: Terra Blanca was first. It was high on a hill just a breathtaking piece of land. The winery and vineyard are on 300 acres, 80 of which are planted with grape vines. The Mediterranean-style facility on the southwestern slopes of Red Mountain overlooking the Yakima River comprises the tasting room, event facilities, barrel caves, bottling facility, and crushing/fermentation production areas. I let Jim do the tasting, you see, I liked everything! I didn't swallow, like someone I know...

Another cluster of wineries is off the highway east of downtown Prosser, at exit 82. There's a bit more ambiance out this way, and wineries like Kestrel Vintners (2890 Lee Road) make the most of it, using clever landscaping to create pleasant outside seating areas. Kestrel also provides light lunches and has an impressive cheese case, and indeed, the wineries in this area are working together to make this corridor a food-lover's destination. For example, on Friday nights from April to October, Kestrel, Snoqualmie, Desert Wind, Hogue Cellars, Heaven's Cave, Alexandria Nicole Cellars, Cowan and Mercer collaborate on a "Sip and Stroll" - the wineries stay open until 7 p.m., many offer nibbles and bites, and if you visit all participating wineries and get a card punched, you're eligible for a prize.

Our surprise winery was a  little place at the end of a long windy road situated on the same lush ambiance of vineyards. As we reached the end of the road...there were barrels flanking either side...It looked like a shack when we reached the end of the one lane road. There was a sign that said "Old School Wine Tasting" aka Blackwood Canyon Winery. A scruffy guy walked out to the car...asked if he was open and he replied and turned away..."of course" We walked in to a very dusty room with old calenders and yellowed newspaper articles/maps hanging on the walls--among other things. The front counter was covered with dusty bottles and a couple of used unwashed wine glasses. He disappeared for a moment to turn on this Jazzy music and Jim was brave and started with the whites...but this eccentric, very knowledgeable guy was filling Jim's glass a little higher than most and Jim was swallowing....Oh boy...this was only the whites...he had Red, Rosé, Ports and Desserts to go and a couple of sample of each...He explained his European process...and Jim was impressed after each glass...and we know why...(hic)... it seemed if a wine was questionable, he would microwave a brat or serve a very strong cheese with it...I thought everything taste like bourbon...I wasn't impressed. Also noticed that the wine was not in the correct labeled bottle...We bought 2 bottles one Port and the other probably vinegar... We were told later that this guy was once a great winemaker, but had since declined....Oh and we could take a dog (tied to a tree) if we wanted it on the way out. Byeeeeeeeee!