OFF HWY. 35 On the Fruit Loop, Mt. Hood Winery’s lodge-style tasting room is set among 25 acres of vineyards, with huge windows, a 30-foot bar and a custom stone fireplace. At the Gorge White House, enjoy handcrafted wines and hard ciders under 100-yearold oak trees overlooking a 30-acre orchard. Be sure to leave enough time to pick blueberries, strawberries, or many other U-pick fruits or flowers grown here, and lunch on treats from the on-site food truck. Fox-Tail Cider & Distillery is a family- run operation that blends Northwest apples and pears with exciting flavors like pineapple and cherry for a full line of ciders, apple wine and spirits. (They also have a taphouse downtown.) Across the highway, Wy’East Vineyards serves glass pours of locally grown pinot noir and pinot gris from a comfortable tasting room with a garden-like patio overlooking a valley of vines. Fifth-generation Stave & Stone Wine Estates enjoys a picture-perfect location next to Hood River Lavender Farms (or visit their local-art-filled tasting room in downtown Hood River). Long known for its U-pick operation, petting zoo and farm store, Draper Girls’ Cider Company now produces small-batch handcrafted ciders from the fruits grown and harvested on the farm. Just outside of Parkdale, Grateful Vineyard is a winery, cidery and microbrewery — all set inside Mt. View Orchards, a heritage apple and pear farm. In addition to its modern tasting room and covered patio, an open meadow provides outdoor seating and stellar mountain views during the warmer months. HOOD RIVER OUTSKIRTS Named after the ridge of a nearby summit, Cathedral Ridge Winery is known for its bold wines and beautiful grounds. The tasting room is a quiet and tranquil spot to enjoy a picnic during the warmer months. Phelps Creek Vineyards offers tastings of estate-grown pinot noir and chardonnay and tours — as well as a relaxed outdoor space with fire pits and epic views of Mt. Hood. They also operate a tasting room just off Highway 30 at the west end of Hood River. With a climate similar to Northern Italy, the Hood River Valley was the perfect place for winemaker Franco Marchesi to start his vineyard over 20 years ago. Today Marchesi Vineyards welcomes visitors from all over the world to its Wineries & Cideries Situated in the foothills of Mt. Hood, the wineries of the Upper Hood River Valley are surrounded by orchards, lavender fields, alpaca farms and other working farms. A visit to the area’s many tasting rooms can be combined with fruit and flower picking, hayrides, live music and more. Check online or call wineries before visiting to see if they require tasting appointments. FROM LEFT: VISIT HOOD RIVER; PICKLES PHOTOGRAPHY 28 Visit Hood River Travel Guide
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