northwest destination
Absolutely Gorge-ous
Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge wows with wine written by Kevin Max
WHEN IT’S TOO COLD for even the hardiest windsurfer or kiteboarder, the Columbia Gorge has a second act—and one far more accessible to most. Take a wool sweater, a raincoat, a small backpack for hikes, and a sense of adventure. The rest will take care of itself. In the southwest corner of the Columbia Valley wine growing region, or AVA, lies the intersection of wind, watersports and myriad wine styles that straddle the Columbia River. The Columbia Valley AVA is a predominantly Washington territory, dipping into Hood River and The Dalles and continuing north to the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and east to Walla Walla. Draw lines straight around the globe from here and you’ll go right through the famed French wine-growing regions of Burgundy and Bordeaux. This, Washington’s largest AVA, lays claim to 17,000 planted acres and dozens of wineries. This corner of the region produces some very good wines and great experiences in a small-batch and backroad format. We can walk into any old store and buy a bottle with no other reference than its price and pleasing taste. In many of the wineries in the Columbia Valley, you will learn the story behind the wine, the winemaker and get to the elusive “why” of each wine. This is the gold we wine adventurers seek. Morning crept in with a jacket of fog over the Columbia. A fall chill felt good as I stepped into Doppio Cafe on Hood River’s new waterfront. Summer culls windsurfers, kiteboarders and kayakers to the river. Now, all around me were signs of Hood River’s massive craft brewing industry—Pfriem, Full Sail and newcomer Ferment Brewing. Bearded brewers be gone, this trip was about wine and food. I drove up the Hood River Valley. The surrounding pear and apple and cherry orchards were all reminders of the Ice Age Missoula Flood, which produced such fertile and productive soil in Washington and Oregon. In this zone is Hood Crest Winery, 82 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE
DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018
so discreet that I almost missed it. Where the vineyard now has a proper sign forged in a shop where letters are symmetrical, it once had a hand-painted sign that said only “winery,” with such a charm that is found on other signs such as “elk jerky” or “beware of dog.” The owners and winemakers, Tess and Patrik Barr, laughed as they recalled how many visitors they received only because of the curiosity that that sign provoked. The Barrs have life figured. He is handy to the point that he built a beautiful tasting room. She has the creative juices of a winemaker. They are both musicians. Together, they make wine and play music. In the corner of the indoor/outdoor tasting room and restaurant is a small stage where, on Saturdays, the blues waft over the tasting room along with the aroma of pizzas from a wood-fired pizza oven. The Hood Crest sangiovese and grenache are my favorites and perhaps their best. Go on a Saturday and treat yourself to outstanding blues in the vines. The Pines 1852 has a tasting room in Hood River and its vineyard in The Dalles. Tasting rooms are great but only show a finished product in a filtered light. I wanted to see the origins of this wine and walk among its vines. I wanted to see another side of The Dalles that I hadn’t seen before. In prior visits, I had stayed close to the main attractions—the Sunshine Mill Winery, even grabbing its Copa Di Vino sealed glasses to go for camping. Some of the best stories come from getting out and wandering. So it was in the 1980s when one orchardist was walking 4 miles southwest of The Dalles and stumbled upon acres of abandoned zinfandel vines that dated back more than 100 years. Lonnie Wright, a young man from Indiana who had returned from an irrigation job in Libya, heard about this and presented himself unannounced to help revive these vines. This began Wright’s future as an orchardist and wine grower. He took me to the vineyard where these vines were discovered and where it all began for what would
Blaine + Bethany Photography
Vineyards, like these near Mosier, are the magic of the Columbia Valley AVA.
