Yakima Valley vineyards in autumn
— — October rows and the gold the leaves leave behind.
Not only on a wall.
“The Yakima Valley AVA was Washington's first, granted in 1983. About 17,000 acres of wine grape sit on benches above the Yakima River, from the Rattlesnake Hills down through Red Mountain. Harvest runs from September into late October. After the fruit comes off, Cabernet rows turn deep red and Chardonnay rows go a flat gold that holds for about two weeks before the first hard frost takes the leaves down. — from the studio.
Yakima Valley vineyards in autumn, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
The Yakima Valley AVA was established in 1983 as Washington's first American Viticultural Area. It covers roughly 1,100 square miles in south-central Washington and holds about 17,000 acres of wine grape. Three nested sub-AVAs sit inside it: Red Mountain (designated 2001), Rattlesnake Hills (2006), and Snipes Mountain (2009). The valley is bordered by the Yakima River, the Horse Heaven Hills, and the Rattlesnake Ridge. Elevation runs from about 500 feet at the river to over 1,500 feet on the Red Mountain bench.
Harvest begins in early September with white varietals, often Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, and runs into late October with the latest Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blocks. After the fruit is off, the leaves turn: Cabernet rows deep red, Chardonnay and Riesling rows a flat gold, and the colour holds for about two weeks. The first hard frost, usually in late October or early November, brings the leaves down and the rows back to bare cordon for the winter prune.
More than 120 wineries operate in the Yakima Valley AVA and its sub-AVAs, with concentrations around Prosser, Zillah, Benton City, and Red Mountain. Interstate 82 runs the length of the valley and connects most of the tasting clusters. The Catch the Crush weekend in mid-October and the Red Mountain AVA Alliance tastings are the autumn anchors. Tri-Cities Airport, about thirty-five miles east of Red Mountain, has the closest regional service; Yakima Air Terminal is the western gateway to the valley.