Wine Tasting Tours Columbia Gorge

Wine Tour FAQ

What should I expect on a Wine Tour with your company?

Our guide will pick you up at your location and take you to a selection of at
least 3 wineries in the Hood River/Columbia Gorge area.

-Each of our guides has lived in the Gorge for over 10 years and has experience with each winery and the area.
-We will walk with you into the winery, tell you about the growing region and the winery history, and go with you up to the tasting bar to get you started with the day's flight selection. We are happy to tell you about how to wine taste if you are novice, and all the wineries here are casual and friendly. We pay the winery's tasting fee for you and there is no pressure to buy wine,
though if you enjoy one of the wines it's a good idea to pick up one or two bottles as most wines are limited productions and may be hard to find in stores.

-If you are looking for a certain type of wine or experience please let us know before hand and we can tailor the trip for you.

We often tour the Hood River Fruit Loop area with views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams and the Columbia River. This route offers great views and the wineries have a large selection of white, rose, and red wines. The varietals grown here tend to focus on Riesling's,
Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Merlot's and Zinfindels. One or two have some Pear Wines, sweeter wines or Ice Wines.

-We also can tour upon request the Eastern Gorge area, which has desert views and runs along the Washington side of the river. The climate here is hotter and varietals tend toward the red wines with Zinfandel, Cab's, Merlot's and some unexpected finds such as Nebbilo and Moscato's. However both areas of the Gorge share the grapes and each winery usually has some whites, roses, and reds to try.

Our tours generally last 4-5 hours.
We have a large passenger van which seats up to 14 guests, though we rarely take more than 6 guests per tour on a busy day.
We can do private tours on request, or if you have more than 8 people tours are always just your group.

During summer months we have a gourmet cheese and salami platter which you can have picnic style at one of the wineries.
We encourage you to sit outside, buy a bottle and enjoy the vineyard.

DO's and DON'T
Our tours are very casual and friendly, but if you haven't taken a tour before here are some general guidelines.

Do eat a large breakfast before your tour. Each winery has a lot of wine to try.
Do not be embarrassed about dumping a wine our spitting if you don't like a wine or want to limit your intake.
This is an expected practice at the wineries.
Do ask questions to the guide or staff about the area and how the wine is made.
Do drink plenty of water on the trip and know your limits. (water provided in van)
Do bring your camera and take photos in the vineyard and tasting rooms.
Limit perfume/soap/lipstick as it does interfere with what you can smell when tasting. Dress is casual.
Do stay overnight at one of the hotels in the area. We can help you find a hotel in Hood River or The Dalles in your budget and can recommend fun restaurants and nightlife.

Cheers!