Far From Any Beaten Path

Where I grew up, it’s all about the wine. Back in the day, it was all about the mill. People worked either cutting down, transporting, chopping, or selling trees. Now, it is home to drone technology groups, outdoor sport giants, small boutique clothing stores, breweries, and wineries. After college during a short stint living back home with my parents, my weekends were filled with “wine tastings” and dance parties with my local wolf pack. Still to this day, when I am home, it is the first organized activity we plan as a group.

My home in the Pacific Northwest is not unique; there are valleys all across the Northwest trying to spark the wine tour economy. What does make my home unique is the story from each vineyard and how it has developed over the years. Passed down from among generations, or families pioneering a new frontier for themselves in a modern age, each visit holds the story of how history, culture, economies and individual drive create these unique and special places. Wine provides a channel for us to understand environmental, political, legal and social issues with the small town color of family, friends and laughter. I have not visited these homesteads, but the rumor mill of small towns is urging me to stop and listen to the uniqueness that defines these areas.

Walla Walla and Yakima in Washington state are not unique either; they face many of the same problems found across small towns in the United States. However, each has stories that are unique, build charm and depth for us to understand some very complex issues and how they effect the family. This isn’t big industry wine that pushes people through group tours every hour. This is Mom and Pop, family owned business that make there living each day in the fields perfecting their craft. It is an all hands on deck business, where religion, race and language are forgotten and it’s all about how hard you work. Wine gives us the opportunity to learn about place and people through a tasting lens of family, friends and laughter.