Wine tasting guide to Columbia Gorge and Hood River
The Columbia Gorge AVA is set in the visually stunning Hood River and located on the border of Oregon and Washington states. Very popular for wind surfers, craft beer fans and outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy some jaw-dropping views of Mt. Hood.
Surprisingly, the area is not very well known and is dwarfed in popularity by its more famous neighbor, the Willamette Valley. How Cassie and I stumbled upon this region is pretty a-typical.
Columbia Gorge wine tasting
While out to eat in Portland, starting a weekend trip touring around the Willamette, we asked the Sommelier’s recommendation for a local bottle of Pinot. Expecting something from Willamette, the Somm returns with a bottle from a different region, stating that “you need to try it, trust me”.
We took a chance on a 2016 Analemma Pinot Noir from the Columbia Gorge. The fiery red juice had spicy notes of black pepper and tomato skins with undertones of smoke and ash. This was not a Willamette Pinot by any means! This was something different, something very interesting. Similar to our dining experience in Burgundy, we emailed the winery on the spot and asked if we could come taste later that weekend.
Luckily for us, there was availability for tasting, and thus began our journey in the Columbia Gorge. We had an incredible day wine tasting in the Columbia Gorge, and we are sure you will as well. Read on to find out about the region along with our picks for where to taste, eat and stay!
How to get to the Columbia Gorge
Hood River is located about 1 hour east via car from Portland airport. The region has one overarching AVA – Columbia Gorge, but there are so many diverse subregions, and there are rumors that other areas may be getting their own sub-AVA’s soon.
95% of the wineries, either on the Washington side to the north or Oregon side to the south are boutique wineries, producing 5,000 or fewer cases of wine per year. As of June 2020, there are 50 wineries that reside in the Columbia Gorge with 90+ vineyards. Thus, wine tasting in the Columbia Gorge is exciting and quite accessible.
Diversity is the favorite buzz-word around here, due to many pockets of microclimates. Underwood in Washington gets a decent amount of rain and cooler temperatures, lending itself to growing higher acid whites, sparkling and Pinot Noir varietals. A little further east on the Oregon side sees a lot more sun and thus Italian varietals like Sangiovese, Barbera and Rhone varietals are more popular.
Best wineries in the Columbia Gorge
Since the region is split between Oregon and Washington, we’ll organize our favorites as such. We recommend staying either in downtown Hood River, located on the Oregon side or downtown White Salmon on the Washington side.
Oregon
Analemma Wines
The place that brought us to the Gorge. Analemma (pictured at the top of this post) is a Biodynamic producer started by Steve Thompson in 2010 on a cherry orchard. First vines were planted in 2012 and their juice is as delicious as it is sustainable (as cheesy as that sounds).
The vineyards are located around Mosier, which receives some of the warmest weather in the Gorge. However, there are enough microclimates and wind to allow the growing of a range of varietals including Syrah, Grenache, Pinot, Gewurtz and Albariño. There’s also a fan-favorite Mencia which has a delicious herbaceous note and tangy tannins.
The tasting experience is top-notch; Cellarmaster John Price led us on a two-hour walking and tasting tour where we explored the property, sipped a portfolio of wines and discussed the history and vision of the winery. Reservations highly recommended and will open back up to the public soon.
Hiyu Wine Farm
It wasn’t until our second trip to the Gorge where we were able to taste at the much talked about Hiyu. Started by former French Laundry Somm Nate Ready in 2012, Hiyu promotes Biodynamics and Natural winemaking, producing a suite of funky, skin contact, whole cluster, thought provoking wines.
During our visit, Nate points out that all of his wines are whole cluster — meaning the grapes are not de-stemmed during the fermentation process, giving a more gritty, vegetal notes on the wines. There’s no fining nor filtration either, so what you’ll get here is a much more pure, true expression of the wine versus what you’d find in the mass-produced Supermarket aisles.
We highly recommend booking a lunch and wine pairing and if you’re lucky, Nate will be your server. Even with all the hype, Hiyu exceeds all expectations.
Phelps Creek
On the way to Hiyu, make sure you stop by this local gem. Their “tasting experiences” like Yoga may seem a bit of a kitchy mainstream attraction, but they are producing good juice and have some killer views on their property.
Phelps Creek hires the same Burgundian winemaker every year to sample barrels and make blending decisions. The Pinots are enjoyable, but the real story here is the Chardonnay. If you’re a fan of a crisp, mineral-driven Chablis style Chardonnay, this is a must-visit.
Upsidedown Wine
Totally different from Hiyu and Analemma’s natural approach, but that’s ok. Upsidedown’s winery’s actually based in Yakima (Eastern Washington State) with a tasting room in downtown Hood River.
Wines are much more clean and polished than the ones previously mentioned, and the setting is in a modern art gallery. They produce some very drinkable (and well priced) Rhone blends and we found them to be much better than the competition of other tasting rooms in the area.
Transportation
During a day of tasting, it’s best to not be driving yourself in a vehicle. Thus, we recommend the following options:
Riverview Rides offers luxury van tours to wineries, breweries, eateries and any other attraction around the Gorge. We’ve personally met with their founders, a husband/wife duo, who are extremely friendly, professional and most importantly, on-time! Send them a note about what you’re looking for and they will craft a custom itinerary just for you.
If biking is your thing, check out Sol Rides in Hood River; use discount code WINESCRIBESRENT at checkout for 10% off a full day e-bike rental and code WINESCRIBESTOUR for 10% off a group tour of 4 persons or more.
Washington
AniChe Cellars
Located just a few minutes from highway 14 is a boutique operation called AniChe cellars. The highlights of this 4k case production include a Sauv Blanc & Semillon 50/50 blend fermented in amphora–great mouthfeel with a long finish. Another favorite is the 2012 Lizzy 62% Marsanne 38% Roussanne blend that presents wild aromatics and still plenty of life; swoop this one up before they are gone.
For our 2024 vintage of Cassie Bella Wines, AniChe was kind enough to let us use their destemmer and help us load the stem-free grapes back into the truck. They are as kind as they are talented winemakers!
Willow Wine Cellars
Wine Scribes focuses on small mom and pop producers who care deeply about the quality of wine; few wineries embody this more than Willow Wine in Underwood. The tasting room and winery is simply Brendan’s garage and back yard. While the atmosphere is low frills (we love it), the wine quality is top notch.
Brendan has an affinity for Alvarino, a crisp white wine popular in Portugal along with Bordeaux-style blends. The white wines (Alvarino, Riesling, Chardonnay) are all loaded with beautiful citrus aromas and high acid. This is complemented nicely by nuanced, lower ABV red blends. We especially love the Cab and Merlot blend.
Syncline Winery
Further east on the Washington side is Lyle – much less rainfall than Underwood, with a wide range of hot/cold swings during summer and winter. As such, the wines from here are typically geared towards bigger and bolder reds
Syncline has a beautiful garden tucked away behind the winery, open for tasting via appointment. The highlight during our flight was a Grenache Blanc that spent some time aging in concrete to give some body without the oaky undertones. Matt Ash, our tasting host was extremely knowledgable about the wines themselves as well as the region.
Domaine Pouillon
Up the hill from Syncline is one of our favorite spots in the Gorge. For full transparency, Jesse is currently working here, but we will try to let our biases aside here. This is a family-run operation with a small production and lots of attention given to the wines.
Vignerons Alexis and Juliette Pouillon along with assistant winemaker Teddi Fuller are primarily focused on Rhone varietals — cool-climate estate Syrah as well as single varietal Cinsault, Mouvedre and white varietals like Marsanne, Rousanne and Viognier blends.
Domaine Pouillon believes in minimal intervention winemaking and also likes to take risks: releasing creations like the “New Normal” (sparkling Syrah), whole cluster Cinsault, Solera-method Sherry, barrel-aged Riesling and Pet Nat.
CLYZM Wines
Not just your average wine bar. This one is actually owned and operated by the winemaker himself–truly a unique treat.
Located in the quaint downtown of White Salmon, stop by CLYZM to sip some fantastic wine (Syrah, Chardonnay amongst others) and learn from Austin; he’s grown up around wine his entire life (from Paso Robles originally), and does a fantastic job educating while tasting through his lineup!
Where to eat in The Columbia Gorge
Best restaurants in Hood River
- Solstice Pizza: Some of the best pizza in the western US! Highly recommended to book ahead as tables can be hard to come by. If there is a wait, check out Pfriem and Ferment breweries located nearby.
- Hiyu Wine Farms: Everything prepared is fresh from the garden. Perfect for a tasting reservation mid-day.
- Kickstand Coffee & Kitchen: A great brunch or lunch option serving a wide variety of health-ish and hearty options.
- Stonehendge Gardens: Upscale, outdoor garden dinner setting. Fun cocktails and a small corkage fee make this a great choice after a day of tasting or playing on the water.
- Double Mountain brewing: Delicious brews (and funky stuff like bretty ciders). The pizza is to die for and may be the best pizza in the Columbia Gorge.
- Hood River Common House: A wine bar, bottle shop, craft beer mart blended into one great time. Check for their dinner event series and score a ticket.
- Sushi Okalani: Fresh sushi and reasonable prices. Take out only as of Feb 2021; phone orders are available starting at 4pm.
Best restaurants in White Salmon
- White Salmon Bakery: With deep roots in Italian family winemaking, this small operation absolutely nails baked goods and sandwiches. A local’s tip: swoop by on Monday for their Pizza night.
- Everybody’s Brewing: Local brewery with a surprisingly complex menu. We highly recommend the burgers.
- Feast: Part deli, part luch grab n go, part fine dining. This unique shop may have one of the best hole-in-the-wall dining experiences in the Gorge. We didn’t have high expectations but the limited-seating dinner blew us away. Reservations highly recommended.
- Ruby June Inn: Rotating chef tasting dinners during the summer – these book up early so reserve in advance.
Where to stay
Ruby June Inn
We love this cozy little inn near White Salmon. Part B&B, part wine bar, part unique dinner experiences. Owners Chris and Gretchen used to run a wine bar in the Seattle area and we are glad they brought their talents to the Gorge–the wine list is always rotating and fantastic! There are only 5 rooms at this little gem and on Sunday afternoons, the garden transforms into a lively outdoor wine bar (open for guests and non-guests). During the summer, Chris and Gretchen organize local chefs to come in and cook tasting menu dinners. These fill up quickly but there are some tickets reserved for hotel guests.
Inn at the Gorge
Keeping with the Bed and Breakfast theme, this spot is located on the Hood River side and is within walking distance to downtown. While this accommodation won’t have the winning views of Columbia Cliffs, it has a more home-y feel and is closer to the main strip.
Columbia Cliffs Villas
Located right on the water, this hotel offers up some great views and is within a short drive to downtown Hood River. We recommend booking a room with a river-view, otherwise this place can be underwhelming.
