Living in Wine Country - For non-wine folks? (Yakima, Walla Walla: store, food)

[Searching-01]

Hi All,
I'm not a wine person nor vinter, but curious about life in Yakima, Tri-Cities, Walla Walla region.

Are vineyards like other farms... always importing fertilizer and having a cloud of agri-chemicals over them all the time?

So how is life in these areas?

As an aside, despite not being a wine person, would be curious about the wine biz. The processes, methods, etc. seem interesting. (Took a side interest in it after dabbling with sour dough bread starters. Yeast based food processes just seem interesting to me.)

[pnwguy2]

Wineries are somewhat like farms in that they take up a certain land area for growing. The industry in the larger wineries is supplying retail with their product, and there is plenty of that in and around Tri-Cities/Walla Walla. The sub-industry is "wine tourism", where wineries (some large, some not so large), offer an on-site retail store that offers wine tasting and of course, bottles to be sold. The most successful wineries do both. The "Wine Tourism" sector has been growing the fastest in the region, and today there are over 200 wineries within an hour of Tri-Cities.

Here is a good article on the industry in the area:

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/t...try/index.html

[M3 Mitch]

I wasn't into wine when I first moved here, but I got into it, no regrets.



You may broaden your culinary horizons as well, or not. If you are not into wine, it's not like that makes you a social pariah.

[Searching-01]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

I wasn't into wine when I first moved here, but I got into it, no regrets.



You may broaden your culinary horizons as well, or not. If you are not into wine, it's not like that makes you a social pariah.

I wasn't worried about the social aspects so much. Made yeast carbonated sparkling beverages as an experiment in the kitchen a few years back for fun. (Was a side trip into fermentation after fussing with sourdough bread, LOL!)

Were I more ambitious and wealthy, the idea of starting a brand of beverage actually appeals to me. But probably, realistically, not in this life time.

I was more curious if it was like living near a feed lot or a corn farm in Iowa... which is to say, lots of agg chemicals and manure in the air at all times?

[M3 Mitch]

Originally Posted by Searching-01

I wasn't worried about the social aspects so much. Made yeast carbonated sparkling beverages as an experiment in the kitchen a few years back for fun. (Was a side trip into fermentation after fussing with sourdough bread, LOL!)

Were I more ambitious and wealthy, the idea of starting a brand of beverage actually appeals to me. But probably, realistically, not in this life time.

I was more curious if it was like living near a feed lot or a corn farm in Iowa... which is to say, lots of agg chemicals and manure in the air at all times?

Well the dairies and feed lots around here smell about the same as those in Iowa or anywhere else. But the wind grape vineyards don't smell, except to smell sweet in flowering time and near harvest. I have seen tree fruit being sprayed with some sort of pesticide that is potent enough that the guy riding the tractor was dressed in what looked like a space suit, helmet and all. They don't do that so often, you can just close windows when they are spraying.



Some buddies of mine have made their own beer on and off. They tell me that they can make a really tasty beer every time, but it's always a little different, can't make a consistent tasting brew. While most who have tried to make their own wine said they were doing well if it was as "good" as Mad Dog.

[Searching-01]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

Well the dairies and feed lots around here smell about the same as those in Iowa or anywhere else. But the wind grape vineyards don't smell, except to smell sweet in flowering time and near harvest. I have seen tree fruit being sprayed with some sort of pesticide that is potent enough that the guy riding the tractor was dressed in what looked like a space suit, helmet and all. They don't do that so often, you can just close windows when they are spraying.



Some buddies of mine have made their own beer on and off. They tell me that they can make a really tasty beer every time, but it's always a little different, can't make a consistent tasting brew. While most who have tried to make their own wine said they were doing well if it was as "good" as Mad Dog.

Yes, that was my experience with sparkling beverages... inconsistent results. But then I hadn't learned much about it at that time either. I imagine once one learns how to do it correctly, consistency comes with knowing the real industrial processes that commercial producers use.

From what I've read, trying for a consistent product is something wineries do worry about.