Gorge Crest Farms – Underwood, Washington
Come to one of the newer vineyards in the Columbia River Gorge area, the Gorge Crest Vineyards. With the first harvested grapes coming out in the fall of 2007 and is already ranked as one of the Top Ten Wineries in the State of Washington! Rick Ensminger, the manager of Celilo Vineyards, which borders Gorge Crest, designed the vineyard. With is knowledge of higher altitude, late season, varietals he knows what it takes to produce great grapes in this area.
The vineyard doesn’t try to achieve large yields, it goes for the smaller yields with highest quality. With agreements with Celilo and the Columbia Gorge Appellation the vineyard will supplement production to get the quantity needed for making great wine for your pleasure. These grapes are handcrafted to provide the perfect touch to produce great wines. All the grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and pressed by hand to eliminate stem and skin bitterness which is caused by high pressure hydraulic equipment.
The tanks are hand siphoned for the clean juice off the top during fermentation so that transfer can take place without disturbing sediment. The tanks at the winery are imported Italian stainless steel fermenting tanks produced by Marchisi. When the wine is ready it is aged and racked in hand made barrels of French and American Oak.
The wines of this facility are the Gewurztraminer which is a dry Alsatian style white; Riesling with its candied apple and honeysuckle aromas, the Pinot Gris which is a dry white, Pinot Noir which is a Burgundian style, the Merlot with its coffee and ripe cherry flavor and the Syrah with a rich cedar and licorice flavor. Try each and find the one that best suits your taste buds. Enjoy the adventure of trying the newer wines and the environment of the area.
Gorge Crest Farms was once part of a large corporate farming operation. Prior to that it was a dry-land orchard producing apples until "The Big Freeze" in the 1930’s took it out. Then it was used to grow pears but that market also closed down so the land was then part of the large corporate farming operation. In 2003 the owners of Gorge Crest purchased the parcel of land. It is now a thriving farming operation with the goal of providing you with the best wines possible.
If you are looking for the perfect venue for your event then you may want to consider the Gorge Crest Vineyards. It offers: Expansive views of the Columbia River Gorge and Hood River Valley with Mt. Hood looming in the background.
New traditional winery building with intimate inside settings. We are one of the only sites that offer an incredible indoor area as well as an outdoor area with views from both.
Indoor events room w/stone fireplace (in case of bad weather)
Elegant indoor bathrooms
Extensive manicured lawns
Outdoor dance floor
Covered porches
Indoor/outdoor bars (including a wine serving area)
Beautiful cobblestone patios
Three dedicated band locations w/necessary electrical
On-site parking facility and Valet Parking turn around
Directions: From the Portland Airport head South on I-205 (get in right lane from airport). Look for signs that say “84 East –The Dalles”. Take 84 East for approximately 45 miles to Hood River. Take exit 64 “Mt Hood”, turn left, go across the green bridge. Turn left after bridge. Go approximately 1.5 miles and take the 3rd right onto Cook Underwood Road. Go 4.7 miles and turn right on Ausplund Rd. Go .7 mile and turn left into “Gorge Crest Vineyards.” There is a large rock sign at the bottom of the driveway.
Location: 461 Kollock Knapp Rd., Underwood, WA 98651
Phone: 509.493.2026
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