An opportunity to spend an afternoon wine tasting on Vashon Island, just across the water from Seattle, was something I couldn’t pass up.
My colleagues and I had been in the Seattle area for two weeks and it was our last full day in town before heading to our respective homes. With the afternoon off, one of my colleagues convinced us to hop the ferry in West Seattle and head over to the island for some wine tasting and visiting his Aunt.
I knew there was great wine in Washington State, so obviously, I had to go check out Palouse Winery.
We drove from our hotel to the ferry and waited in line to head on board and to the island. Normally, the traffic is a bit worse and the ferry a bit more crowded. But thanks to the early days of the Covid shutdown in Seattle, many people were staying home and the ferries were not as full as a normal Sunday afternoon.
Because we were still in the very early days of knowing about the virus, we were not allowed to get out of our cars on the ferry to enjoy the views. Since it was a short trip, and we were towards the front of the ferry, it was fine for us. We still had a pretty cool view.
The 20 minute or so trip across the Puget Sound was very easy. Once we docked, we drove uphill a little over a mile to the winery. There was a small parking lot outside of what looked like a little barn and a house. But the sign said Palouse Winery and my friend’s Aunt and her husband and dog were there. We were clearly in the right spot.
Although the tasting was fairly normal, we had to clean our glasses with antibacterial wipes, including the stems, before the first pour. I did rinse it off to get rid of the alcohol taste, so that helped a lot.
We also had to “bus” our own glasses by putting them into the washing crates once we were done. This was not a problem at all for me or my colleagues at all and we appreciated that the winery was still open when so many businesses in the Seattle area were in the early stages of shutting down.
I managed to try every option available and really enjoyed the variety of wines available that day in the tasting room. While the tasting room was small, the decorations were fun and it did not feel closed in at all.
After my friends and I made our way through the tasting, George & Linda Kirkish, the owners of the winery, invited us to join them outside on the patio for another glass of wine. This was such a treat as we were able to learn more about George and Linda as well as the winery.
A bonus to sitting on their back patio? The views from here were absolutely stunning, with trees all around and the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
We had dinner on the island then made our way back to the ferry to get back to Seattle and rest up for our flights the next day. This afternoon on Vashon Island was definitely one of those days that I am lucky I was able to enjoy.
I am lucky that I have friends I work with who are willing to venture out and try something new and that I am adventurous enough to do that as well.
I don’t know if I’ll ever have the opportunity to go to Vashon Island again, but if I do get the chance, you better bet I’ll hit up Palouse Winery while I’m there. I have more to taste and would love to sit outside and soak in those views again.
Is there somewhere you’ve been on a trip that was completely unplanned and such a joy that you still think about it to this day?
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