Gorge Wines Portland Grand Tasting

The Columbia Gorge is defined by Columbia river as it cuts through Cascade Mountain Range and makes its journey to the Pacific Ocean. Here every mile counts because from west to east each mile loses an inch of rain and gains a lot of sunshine, it’s a distinct combination of climate, soil, and geology.

Gorge is a new frontier, of sorts, undergoing discovery as a world-class wine region while holding to its identity. The winemakers create wine through dialog with land and by embracing the extreme conditions of its terroir.

We had an opportunity to taste wine at the Portland Grand Tasting event dedicated to Gorge wines. There were 20+ wineries, all pouring under the same roof for one night only. It's a representation of wineries that came from 40 miles of intense geography and transitioning climates of Columbia Gorge.

Portland Grand Tasting is one of the best-organized events of this size. It had an atmosphere of the loft: open space and a welcoming vibe. The food selection was superb from the setting to the quality and variety of cheese, sausages, nuts, dried fruits, etc. It was easy to find a matching pair to the wine in the glass. But that's not why we came.

We came for the wine, and we found favorites almost at every table. We tasted wine and had a chance to speak with winemakers and staff of nine wineries. That's not bad for three hours event, wouldn't you agree?

Spitting and dumping the wine while tasting was highly encouraged, and we did it to stay as focused and objective as possible. Although we did get some glares like "how could you do that?"

There was a wide range of wineries at Grand Tasting from well-recognized labels like Maryhill to boutique and relatively new ones. The best part that the overall quality of the wine was good and while there were some unimpressive wines there were no apparently faulty wines unlike at some other tasting events we've been to.

Here are a few wines that stood out for us. When we tasted, we didn't try to compare wines from one winery to another but instead picked the best wine from each one. The wines listed in the order of tasting.

Our favorite from Hawkins Cellars was 2017 Underwood Chardonnay. This wine reminded us of Burgundian style with notes of apple, lemon, and touch of minerality. Barrel fermented and aged in 50% neutral oak and 50% stainless steel tanks it retains its freshness and fruit is not overshadowed by typical buttery notes of American Chards.

At COR Cellars kiosk we like a rare blend 2017 AGO Chardonnay | Tocai Friulano. Tocai Friulano is a varietal from the Friuli region of Italy. We were intrigued by the combination of scents of pear, white blossom, salinity and touch of smokiness. On the palate, it's an exciting combination of yellow plum, apple, and a bit of almond.

The Pines 1852 Vineyard impressed us with 2016 Merlot. It's berry forward profile is easy to like. It's a bottle filled with flavors and aromatics of plums, blueberry, chocolate, and toast.

2016 Quiver - blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah stood out from Stave and Stone Wine Estates. Plum, cherry, blueberry, chocolate, and cedar were coming through on the nose and the palate.

Analemma's 2018 Tinto is Spain inspired blend of Tempranillo, Grenache, and Syrah. Tinto greeted us with aromas of blackberry, black cherry, herbs, and cedar. Sensible tannin and acidity help to balance the ripe fruit of blackberry, black plum, and chocolate.

We had some exciting Rosé wines at the show and liked them all, but the best of the show was 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir by Wy'East Vineyards. It had sweet strawberry scent complemented by funky and smokey notes. On the palate, it's dry wine with perfectly ripe strawberry flavor and right acidity.

2018 Viognier by Syncline Winery was another discovery of the show. It was well-balanced wine with tropical fruit and nectarine and refreshing acidity complementing this full-bodied white wine.

2016 Primitivo by Garnier Vineyards was another treat. Primitivo is descendent of grape varietal known in the United States as Zinfandel.
It's jammy and chewy wine with flavors of prune, black cherry, and chocolate - everything we would expect from good quality Primitivo.

Each winery served between three to six wines, and it would be impossible to describe every wine that we liked without turning it to a book. As you noticed we mentioned different wine from each winery. It shows you how diverse and promising Gorge wine region is. The odds are if you like a particular grape variety they might grow it here and make the wine with "your name" on it.

We look forward to next year's Portland Grand Tasting. We got an opportunity to taste wines made from twenty wineries, have some great food, talk to winemakers and learn about the diversity of grape varietals and different winemaking approaches of Gorge wine region.