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.
Zen of Wine Tasting 