On a recent road trip we found ourselves turning off I-90 to become blissfully lost along the backroads of Zillah in eastern Washington. The sun was shining, the sky blue, a perfect day to wander aimlessly. The Rattlesnake Hills area as it is called, is known for its abundance of vineyards, wineries, and the most striking orchards of cherry, apple and pear trees.  Along the way, my husband and I came across signs pointing to the Portteus Winery and Vineyard. I was familiar with their wines since the organization I volunteer for, the Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS) often purchases cases for networking events because they are not only delicious, but also certified Salmon-Safe.

On the way up to the vineyard, one turns onto a good dirt road leading into the hills. At the top of the hill sits the winery on 74 acres of incredible scenery. When you arrive you are not greeted by a big fancy tasting room, but rather a no-frills, real-deal winery setting. If you are serious about wine this a great place to start. They are also the rare vineyard that produces wine from their own grapes. Now this might not seem that strange but it is more common for other wineries to buy lots from various vineyards and produce wine offsite.

Portteus produces wines that win awards on a regular basis and this year was no exception. They were the 2011 Seattle Wine Award winner for two Double Gold awards including one for their 2009 Portteus Winery Zinfandel “Old Vines,” and one for their 2008 Portteus Winery Cabernet Sauvignon. But fancy accolades aside, this family-owned winery puts a little more than great grapes into their wines. Their process for over 30 years includes staff who are like family and have been there for years; no chemical applications that are toxic or harmful; no sprays on plants after the first grapes have begun to show, and then nothing on the plants all the way to harvest. Their tank system uses a state-of-the-art Ozonator, which sterilizes and sanitizes the tanks. According to Paul Portteus, the process is 200 times stronger than chlorine with toxic or chemical effect.

So if you’re looking for a great trip to Washington wine country, don’t pass Portteus by. Drinking responsibly is whole lot tastier.

Photos by Robert J. Pennington

By Emily Corey

As children, we learn to mix yellow and blue to make green. As the colors merge before our eyes, we are astonished at the transformation. And so it is with the green movement today. While we maybe easily overwhelmed by the enormity of the global problems facing us, in the simple mixing of small ideas and quiet actions, a greener planet can be reborn.

The EcoZome Journal is a gathering of those smaller, quieter actions that contribute to our daily transformation. Imagine it. Change implemented by the good deeds of ordinary people. Hardly a new concept, but a concept whose time has come on the heels of great concern that our time on earth is fleeting if we don’t do things differently. Now.

And nothing will speed up that process faster than people from all walks of life putting out an effort. But is it really an effort or is it just the day-to-day workings of regular life, wrapped around new intentions like a birthday present? Perhaps it’s really that simple. And just like the old saying, “Many hands make light work,” the success of the green movement lies in the power of single-handed deeds.

Is it about choice or necessity? Depending on whom you talk to there might be some wiggle room for doubt, but most level-headed thinkers agree the earth is heating up. While it’s awkward to be a naysayer and an optimist at the same time, opting out for Chicken Little crying the sky is falling and then doing nothing renders us like deer in a headlight. The human fingerprint on climate change seems pretty clear and we don’t need CSI to track down the unsavory details of the
crime scene. Instead, we’ve been given the gift of early warning and, like a tornado siren on a Kansas plain, the alert tells us we have somewhere to go. And something to do when we get there.

We have choices. All of us. The Rhizome Design staff and our contributors to The EcoZome Journal are clear-headed about that decision. Small actions. Quiet deeds. Mixed together they make green. Just like it did when we were young and blue and yellow paint transformed into something new and wonderful. Right before our very eyes.