Columbia Gorge Wineries
Columbia George & Mount Hood AVA was one of the highlights of the trip.
Twelve lucky Wine Media Conference participants made their way to this unique wine growing region.
The Oregon Wine Board arranged the fabulous winery visits and suggested the group hotel, overlooking the Gorge.
Columbia Gorge & Mount Hood AVA
Our first stop on the Columbia Gorge & Mount Hood AVA trip for the Wine Media Conference 2021 was the Timberline Lodge.
This is located high on the slopes of Mount Hood.
At 11,249 feet in elevation, it is Oregon’s highest mountain.
Built in 1937 to give travelers and adventurers a convenient lodging, the lodge still serves skiers, mountain climbers, and hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail running past the lodge.
As a fun treat, we enjoyed delicious sandwiches, charcuterie, cheeses, on the bus before stopping at a nearby park for a wine tasting by several Columbia Gorge sparkling wine producers.
From Columbia Gorge we headed headed toward Stave & Stone Winery for a tasting of their wine – and the wine of neighboring property Wy’East Vineyards. Wy’East is the indigenous name for Mount Hood.
These two wineries shared some of the best Pinot Noir outside of Burgundy.
Phelps Creek owners, Bob and Lynette, invited to their home for a beautiful dinner in their home at the top of the vineyard.
Joining Phelps Creek were the owners of Cathedral Ridge.
Columbia Gorge History
The Columbia Gorge AVA, established in 2004, comprises vineyard lands on both sides of the Columbia River, in both Oregon and Washington.
The Columbia River, the largest river in the Pacific Northwest, is famous as the transportation mode for the Lewis & Clark expedition as it finished its final leg of travel to the Pacific Ocean.
More recently, the region became well known for Bridge of the Gods where author Cheryl Strayed finished her Pacific Crest Trail journey in Wild, depicted by Reese Witherspoon in the movie of the same name. The river is crucial to transportation, industry, and recreation in the region.
The Columbia Gorge AVA includes the vineyards in the Hood River Valley, which is the land surrounding the Hood River as it flows down from Mount Hood, a dormant volcanic mountain that juts by itself into the skies and is Oregon’s highest point.
Most wineries in the area are small, boutique wineries.
The next day we stopped at the Columbia Gorge – a fitting end to a fantastic journey.
Check out Other Oregon Visits
– Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
