Hood River Weekend: Sunday is Wine Day

After the fun we had trying out beers on Saturday, we opted to take a drive about to some of the wineries on Sunday. There are a great number of wineries in Hood River, and because we were heading out to go hiking hear Mt. Hood, we picked 3 to hit up as we left town. The first was Mt. Hood Winery. With an amazing view of its namesake, this winery had a beautiful and open tasting room and a great number of fruit-forward wines. The most notable I think being their Pear Wine.

Mellow and soft on the nose, this wine is extremely delicate and fruity. The pear is clearly present in the flavor along with melon and a floral sense in the finish. It is lightly sweet without being syrupy, and beautifully pale in color. I enjoyed this wine, and would certainly sip it chilled on a hot day.

Our second stop was Viento, a small winery behind the Gorge White House. The private label of noted winemaker Rich Cushman, this winery puts forth a lovely array of limited production wines. My favorite was Vento, a red blend of Sangiovese, Grenache, Syrah, and Barbera, this Italian-style wine is powerfully fruity with cherry and plum with a spicy finish. I also found vanilla throughout. I picked up a bottle to drink at home - likely with a grilled steak.

Finally we went to Wy'East Vineyards. Greg bought himself a glass of the Tilly Jane (a crisp, citrusy white) and curled up with a book while I sampled a mix of whites and reds. My favorite of all the offerings was the Cloud Cap Select, a port-style dessert wine. I usually do not go for very sweet wines, but this was just spectacular. Full of chocolate, raisin, plum, and vanilla, I bought myself a bottle with the plan to crack it on a cold winter night with some chocolate and strawberries. NOM!