The Tongue can Wait; Eyes and Nose First

Oct 2 2009

The Eyes

For her birthday on Sunday I took my beautiful mother out for some wine tasting.  After we had our share for the day, we were sitting on Kiona Vineyards and Winery’s patio overlooking the vineyards and the hills.  Those of you who went out for Catch the Crush festivities on Saturday or Sunday know just how unseasonably gorgeous the weekend was.

Thus was the setting when my mom said, “I could sit right here forever,” and I could hear in her voice that she meant it.  Naturally, I did not agree with her out loud at the time.  As a general rule, I don’t agree with my mother on matters of opinion.  If she were to tell me that raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens were a few of her favorite things, I’d hope there were enough of them in the world to make her happy, but I’d also instantly have to adopt them as my least favorite things.  As it is, I’m not too fond of whiskers on kittens anyways.   But on this rare occasion, I had to agree– at least silently.

I am amazed at how beautiful this area is.  I have to believe it is one the most hidden gems in the country.  This bewilderment is not coming from a visitor, but from someone who grew up here, who made the drive from Prosser to the Tri-Cities without ever looking around, for fear of death from boredom.  When I was a young kid, that place called Benton City was merely the place where if I had to travel for a soccer or football game, I was annoyed at it for wasting my valuable time I could have been using to practice my penmanship or at  least pick my nose in private.  Where was this view when I was watching Big and Kindergarten Cop on VHS for the millionth time each?  Where was this graceful falcon dancing in the otherwise empty sky for me when I was playing duck hunt until I looked like Ben Stein in a Clear Eyes commercial and when I was blowing the “dust” out of Nintendo cartridges until I needed supplemental oxygen?

I first noticed I had been taking this beauty for granted a couple years ago, when I came back from Europe of all places.  Even though I saw a lot of rural beauty in countries like Italy, Austria and Spain, I spent most of my time in London, suffocated by buildings.  When I came home, this stark transition made me see all I had been missing for 20 years.  But since then, I left again, then went abroad again, and when I came back I was still taking our area for granted.  This Sunday, from Kiona’s stunning vantage point, I realized again just how lucky I am to have the chance to live here.

So mom, I too could sit right there forever.  I don’t even need wine to enjoy it.  Well, I should be more careful with my words.  I wouldn’t mind sitting right there forever.  I probably can’t though.  If I told the proprietors of Kiona that I would be sitting on their patio for the rest of eternity, I would most likely soon be escorted from the premises by some of Benton County’s finest.  Even if I was allowed to sit there until the melting glaciers and ice caps flood the Earth, I would prefer some more company.  Rather than spend all that time with only my mother at my right side, maybe a female who didn’t give birth to me would also be nice.  I know– high standards.

The Nose

Another highlight of my Catch the Crush experience occurred a day earlier when I went to Goose Ridge with my friend Derek.  When Lola, my GPS device finally got over her issues and led us to Goose Ridge, I had to first make sure I hadn’t walked in on a cast party for Cougar Town.  Soon after, I found an activity to test my sensory adeptness.  Set up in the entrance was “Aroma Awareness,” with three different ingredients each from a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon isolated in glasses for participants to smell and identify.  Perfect!  This can’t be too hard.  Right?

For the first ingredient in the Chardonnay– I smell Jagermeister.  I know there’s no Jager in the wine, so I guess what, in retrospect, is probably just as irrational to be in a white wine.  “Licorice,” I shout out before Derek has a chance to steal my perfect answer.  He looks at me like he’s embarrassed to be with me.  “Ummm…I was thinking vanilla.”  Derek is right and immediately emerges as the teacher’s pet.  Neither of us gets the next– citrus.  But then Derek identifies butterscotch as the third, while I’m still sniffing away like my life depended on sucking up wine through my nose.

So I’m 0-3 after the first wine.  Now, I’m a reformed perfectionist.  Ten years ago I would have had a seizure at such a score on any test, no exceptions– but I can handle this.  It leaves room for improvement.  Surely I will do better on the Cab.

The first ingredient smells to me like rubbing alcohol.  Apparently I associate oak/cedar with rubbing alcohol.  The second ingredient smells like vanilla.  Derek is smelling butterscotch again.  The guy running Aroma Awareness tells us that no one has gotten this one right all day.  Now, this is coming from the ex-perfectionist who in grade school blamed any imperfection on the teacher, but still, I think that’s a hint that you may want to check your glass again.  Turns out that the vanilla butterscotch is supposed to be chocolate.  0-5.  I’ve got one last chance to redeem myself.  I get some hints this time.  I’m told it’s a fruit.  I’m pretty sure that I had read earlier in the day that the Cab had blackberries in it, and that may be how I immediately and correctly smelled blackberries.  Whatever; I got one.  I may have cheated, but it’s a step up from smelling Jagermeister.

Hopefully I come much further in the coming weeks / months / maybe years.  I’m going to review my first wine soon.  Hopefully you’ll find something to trust from the judgment of someone who can (kind of) smell one out of six ingredients.