Zen of Wine Tasting

Massif in Me

January 6 | 4 min

In early October 2021, right before the snow descended on the Northwest, we made a quick Sunday drive along the North Cascade Loop. The cool, clear weather hinted at dropping temperatures and the fall foliage was a few weeks past its prime, but giant red and yellow leaves still managed to pack the car’s grill. Washington’s Highway 20 had been closed most of the summer due to massive wildfires near Winthrop, so it felt great to embark on the road and support the many brave businesses in the Methow Valley, including wine tasting in Winthrop.

If you are looking for galleries in nearby Twisp, I recommend visiting The Confluence.

The summer fires stirred up great waves of sadness in me for our beautiful trees and animals. I felt profound hurt and loss, and I told my sister that my happy places were burning up. Reliving past hurt and emotion, however, does physical and mental harm. When we are constantly pulled back into the past where we felt intense and deep emotions, Bessel van der Kolk MD explains in his book The Body Keeps the Score, we will suffer a loss of mental flexibility and capacity to let our minds play. He further writes, “the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present.”

Instead of looking to the past for my identity and reliving the pain of the fires, I found grace and inspiration at the Lost River Winery tasting room, located just as you head west out of Winthrop. Despite the time crunch to make it over the stormy mountains, our short visit was greeted with free tastings, and once we settled on a bold red choice, we departed with a bottle of 2009 Columbia Valley Massif.

Crafted by winemaker John Morgan, my first ever Massif consists of 80% Malbec and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and is French oak barrel aged for 22 months. The wine’s rich red color and pleasing smell stimulated my creative juices and delivered a sense of stillness, as the label well defines as, “a large mountain mass of interconnected peaks made of old, complex rocks that are resistant to erosion.” I savored the warm and smooth “complex medley of fruity and earthy flavors” and was reminded of the enduring power of nature and the resilient mountain inside me.

Enjoying this bold Massif is part of teaching my body about the beauty and fragility of this moment. While understanding our past story may encourage self-awareness, we often go too far by defining ourselves through past events and by identifying too deeply with that past self who was treated badly. A dear friend writes down what is done and over with and then playfully crumples up the past, boldly moving forward to the next adventure. Let’s recognize the story is over.

Wishing you a New Year filled with imagination, energy, and great wines. Cheers to 2022!

— Ottilie Katz

Lost River Winery is located at 26 Highway 20, Winthrop, Washington 98862. Phone (509) 996-2888.

Bubble Away Anxiety

Featured by Ottilie Katz

August 21, 2021 | 3 min

Stress can trigger the body to hit overdrive and say, “Hey, why aren’t you listening to me?” Our protective nerve endings keep us away from harm, however, their repeated overstimulation can lead to dangerous outcomes. My recent lesson about nerves arrived in the form of red, itchy splotches covering my body. Coupled with incessant thoughts, anxiety frequently steals opportunities to experience the fullness of life, along with upsetting our well-being and peace.

Nerve endings can also generate amazingly positive responses in our bodies—think about how the taste of wine can heighten the experience of a meal. According to the Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, our taste buds are clusters of specialized receptor cells surrounded by nerve endings. While these clusters enjoy the treats we offer them, other nerve endings in our body often become overworked when anxiety spills in. To stimulate a parasympathetic response in our bodies—the nervous system responsible for rest and digestion–my inaugural post focuses on an effervescent Rosé with an amazing pink color to delight your senses and bring calm into the moment.

Our first visit to Benson Vineyards Estate Winery happened in early March 2021, when the vines were brown, and the crystal-clear view of Lake Chelan was framed with snow-capped mountains. In the relaxing setting, there were hints of new growth dotting the beautiful landscape. The air was brisk and breezy on the deck overlooking the vineyard, so Jake and I quickly claimed the outdoor fire pit to accompany our bottle of wine. On a coworker’s recommendation, we requested a tap-filled bottle of Benny Bubbles.

Bubbles. Bursting, refreshing bubbles, enticing you to sip away the past and experience the present joy. Brief fizzy marvels that quickly disintegrate into nothingness. Ignore the nearby patron who rebuffs the idea of bubbles in her Rosé and instead imagine the winemaker carefully incorporating the grape skin color to create this intensely pink wine. Allow the rosy splendor to spread to your taste buds and float your mind and body into a calm and lovely place. The Benny Bubbles we sampled were created from the 2019 Pinot Noir Rosé, which they charge in a keg and serve onsite.

Benson Vineyards Estate Winery is located on the warm north shore, in Washington’s Lake Chelan AVA. They harvest the grapes from the vineyard, right next to the tasting room, and move them swiftly into the production facility. Everything happens in one place, encapsulating all that is important to making wonderful wine.

Breathe. Listen. And delight your senses with this effervescent Rosé. There is nothing you must change or fix. Simply let yourself gently float with the bubbles.

— Ottilie Katz

Benny’s Bubbly Rose – https://bensonvineyards.com/ Benson Vineyards Estate Winery, 754 Winesap Avenue, Manson, Washington 98831, (509) 687-0313 x106.

If you want to learn more about Rosé in the wine market, I recommend the Wine Economist’s post at https://wineeconomist.com/2021/07/20/pink-power/

Lake Chelan AVA
- Established 2009
- 301 acres under vine
- Varietals: syrah, merlot, malbec, riesling, gewürztraminer, chardonnay, pinot noir
- Touring note: with dazzling alpine scenery and mild climate, this AVA is anchored by a 1,486-foot-deep lake that’s 55 miles long.
- Source: Washington Wine Commission.
- AVA stands for American Viticultural Area

Uncomfortable Space and Liberating Wines

October 29, 2023 by Ottilie Katz

The sweltering heat has finally arrived and stifles all movement, even with the air conditioning blasting. Sweat and exhaustion seep into efforts to be productive, and relief is mostly found in cool showers and aerated swimming pools. Naps are long under ceiling fans cranked on high volume. This is summer in Arizona.

The tiring heat feels like a metaphor for the past months, where a series of events have left a rigid, heavy feeling of loss. Loss of family, friendships, jobs, money, and homes.

Loss permeates so many parts of life and leaves its mark, sometimes with traumatic, deep wounds. And after the loss occurs, the next day seems oblivious to what has happened and trudges ahead. A lifelong connection with a family member may end in an instant and we must move forward, in disbelief that they are gone. When we depart from a job, our coworkers, whom we interacted with every day for years, are suddenly no longer a part of our lives. And when we leave one home for another, the spaces where we spent so much time eating, relaxing, and recreating are left void of our energy and presence.

Taking a weekend trip is our customary diversion, especially when moving through difficult times. On the road, the deep feelings of loss and absence begin to shift and become an opportunity for fulfillment and discovery. We fill our summer days exploring unique and uplifting wines.

First, we venture to Merkin Vineyard’s tasting room located in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona. Their Chupacabra flight includes a noticeably light white wine (Blanca 2022), with a clean refreshing taste and clear color. Next is the Chupacabra Rosa 2022, a blend from Buhl Memorial Vineyard in Willcox, Arizona. It has a light golden color and was not sweet to us at all. Our palates could not discern the raspberry hints, but we did pick up a bit of blood orange zest. Last, we enjoyed the Chupacabra Red 2022, with its light red and brown color and wonderful cherry taste, so a bottle came home with us. On the next visit, we indulged in a glass of the NV Chupacabra Bubbles, a carbonated blend of Malvasia and Sauvignon Blanc from Willcox, Arizona. A delightful must-have for any wine enthusiast.

Southeast Arizona is home to several wineries in the Sonoita American Viticultural Area (AVA), south of the city of Tucson. The mountain ranges offer unique soils and wide open spaces, so we took a scenic day trip to Rune Wines and sat in the outside tasting room with its striking desert views. The vineyard, with its solar-powered and off-grid tasting room, is the only one in Arizona, withstanding the many challenges of the rural desert setting. We tasted a white wine (Westward 2021) bottled under Brigand, a new brand from winemaker James Callahan. On a warm day, we found this younger wine to be crisp and smooth, dry and refreshing, with a light golden color. The wine contains 70 percent Roussanne, 17 percent Viognier and 13 percent Picpoul Blanc. Another notable aspect is the striking western-themed label art. The artist, Daniel Helzer, does both the Brigand and Rune labels. More of his work may be found on his Instagram site at www.instagram.com/artbyhelzer.

As the day at Rune Wines comes to an end, I notice how loss has created an uncomfortable but liberating space in my life. According to Eckhart Tolle, “when you are full of problems, there is no room for anything new to enter, no room for a solution. So, whenever you can, make some room, create some space, so that you find the life underneath your life situation.” I am thankful for my new wine discoveries and opportunities to reveal the life underneath the loss.

For more facts about Arizona wine, the Wine Economist Mike Veseth posted Arizona Wine Revisited. Also check out Arizona Wine Growers Association for a visitor guide and details about the Arizona wine regions.