Three Downtown White Salmon Tasting Rooms and Ten Wineries Near White Salmon
White Salmon is fast becoming known for its wine country, from winemakers and vineyards to tasting rooms and wine events.
One of the newest Pacific Northwest Winemakers is Jure Poberaj, owner of Poberaj Wines. Jure Poberaj, inspired by his uncle Josko Gravener, (known as one of the world’s most revered winemakers), has a vineyard a few miles outside White Salmon. “I’m grateful to live and work in White Salmon and to be surrounded by vineyards and fruit orchards – it’s an area that is up-and-coming and exciting in the wine world,” says Poberaj.
POBERAJ WINES
Downtown White Salmon Tasting Rooms
Start your wine wonderings in downtown White Salmon. With three tasting rooms and superb dining choices, it’s a perfect home base.
CLYZM
CLYZM wines started when Austin Culver first stumbled across an old overgrown vineyard a few miles from White Salmon. Austin was struck by the veracity of the vines growing at such high altitudes competing with full-grown pine trees. He knew he had stumbled across something special. “Growing up working a vineyard, I realized that I wanted to create a wine label that focused on showcasing wines from special vineyards throughout the Columbia Gorge and elsewhere,” explains Austin.
The CLYZM tasting room is an evolution of Austin’s drive and a way to connect Austin’s winemaking aspirations with the larger community.
Le Doubblé Troubblé Wine Co
Christopher Stiffler and McIntosh Forrence, both equally passionate about good wine and deep powder, met while chasing the great wine and incredible snow. Lucky for us, they have landed in White Salmon, where wine and skiing meet. In 2018, Le Doubblé Troubblé Clubhouse (tasting room) opened for business and is now a favorite local hangout. “We like to think that our tasting room is homey with comfy couch spots to hang out in or belly up to the bar. It also has an open kitchen style that adds to the homey vibe. We leaned into the ski theme for décor, with lots of old skis and ski art around the place. We want to be a warm, inviting, and relaxing place, and I think we nailed it,” says Christopher.
Soča Wine Shop & Bar
Soča Wine Shop & Bar may be our newest business in downtown White Salmon, but the owners are anything but new to creating memorable, tasty, and authentic experiences. Bethany Kimmel, the owner of The Color Collector, Jure Poberaj, and Nina Jimenez, owners of the White Salmon Baking Co, have joined forces to create Soča.
Soča Wine Shop & Bar is where flavor and curiosity rule, and there is always something new to smell, taste, and discover. “It is part wine library, part community gathering place, drawing inspiration from enotecas [an Italian word to describe regional wine shops] and local wine shops in other winegrowing regions around the world,” explains Bethany. Whether shopping for a case of wine or having a glass, stepping inside Soča is to step outside your day and be welcomed to the world of surprise and delight that wine offers to all senses.
10 Washington Wineries within 10 Miles of White Salmon
Underwood, Washington, is to the west of White Salmon, and Lyle, Washington, is to the east. Either direction has wine AND views that will blow your mind.
Wineries Near White Salmon – Lyle Washington
COR Cellars, featured in Sunset Magazine, Wine Spectator, NYTimes, and many more (not even counting the media surrounding the architecture), is a modern-vibe wine-tasting room, courtyard, and boho-aesthetic tents sprinkled around the vineyard. You feel like you’re a part of the wine-making process in the courtyard and barrel room and a part of the COR family while walking around the vineyards.
COR means HEART in Latin, as “good wine pleases the human heart.” COR believes wine is the perfect mix of agriculture, art, and science – the things that set us aside as a species and speak to our evolution on this earth.
Born in New York City and raised in the wilds of Pennsylvania and Utah, Luke Bradford moved to Washington to attend Evergreen State College in Olympia. Studying sustainable agriculture while exploring the mountains and rivers of Washington, he developed an interest in wine on a climbing trip to northern Italy. Guided by a desire to integrate his love for agriculture, history, and art, he committed to a life in wine.
The definition of Syncline is a trough of stratified rock in which the beds dip toward each other from either side. Syncline is also the name of the popular hiking and mountain biking area near by the Syncline Winery, which follows the dramatic Coyote Wall Formation.
Poppie and James Mantone relocated their home to the Columbia River Gorge, lured by the stark wildness of the mountains and whitewater rivers. Here, passion for Rhône and sparkling wines led them to explore the emerging potential of vineyards in Washington State. They purchased land in the Columbia Gorge AVA ideal for planting vines in 2003. They began building and cultivating what is now 17 acres of producing estate vineyards and a boutique-sized winemaking facility.
They have built a strong reputation as a creative, limited-production estate winery with a determined vision of creating world-class wines while maintaining biodynamic estate vineyards, green building practices, and innovative winemaking. Production is kept under 5,000 cases annually to ensure intimacy with each barrel and vine.
Alexis and Juliet Pouillon practice traditional artisan winemaking techniques: gently guiding the wine, allowing it to mature in the cellar before bottling and labeling each by hand. Harvest times are based not only on ripeness; but climate, color, acidity, and potential flavors. The grapes are hand-harvested and processed in our small winery by an intrepid crew of wine lovers.
Alexis and Juliet make wines that showcase the vineyard and climate. Living in an area that sees drastic climate changes from one year to the next gives us the special opportunity to create wines that reflect the vintage and have unique personalities. As much as possible, they produce “natural wines.” Natural wines are made with very little influence from the winemaker. Using native yeast from the vineyard and gentle winemaking practices with little or no sulfur during the primary fermentation allows for multiple layers of flavors and a distinctly old-world style of wine.
Alexis Pouillon worked at Chateau Beaucastel in France for several years, where he learned to trust the grapes, take risks, and have faith in the winemaking tradition.
Wineries Near White Salmon – Underwood Washington
Rachael Horn and Anais Mera strive to bring wine that is artisanal in quality and true to the ideology of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love.
Gorge Crest Winery focuses on producing limited quantities of premium “handcrafted” wines from the local region. All grapes are de-stemmed, crushed, and carefully pressed to eliminate stem and skin bitterness caused by high-pressure hydraulic equipment.
Gorge Crest grapes are fermented and aged using a traditional gravity-based siphon system used for centuries by many of the world’s most exclusive wineries. Clean juice is siphoned off the top of the tank during fermentation, so the transfer can occur without disturbing sediment, as is often the case with large-scale commercial pumping equipment. Gorge Crest reds are fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged and racked in hand-made French and American oak barrels. Whites are fermented in stainless fermenting tanks.
The winery maintains its craft quality standards by producing limited runs of each vintage in small batches. The winery has historically produced a Gewürztraminer, a Pinot Gris, a Pinot Noir, a Merlot, a Syrah, a Riesling, and plans to begin production of a Gamay Noir, a Rosé, and some sparkling types.
After a successful career in the animation industry- working on such groundbreaking films as Shrek, Monster’s Inc, and ANTZ- Thane Hawkins decided it was time for a change. During a six-month leave of absence, he relocated to Oregon, where he immediately fell in love with the Willamette Valley, and more specifically, Pinot Noir. He began making wine out of his garage, and his mixed results verified his passion for wine-making. He set out to get hands-on experience by enrolling in Chemeketa College’s viticulture program, and working harvest at Wine By Joe. In 2007, Methven Family Vineyards hired Thane to be their assistant winemaker. While working for Methven, Thane was presented the opportunity to make a small quantity of his own wine. And thus, Hawkins Cellars was born.
Ten years later, Hawkins Cellars has found a home on Underwood Mountain in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, a region of unparalleled beauty similar in climate to Alsace. It is there that Thane is both growing and sourcing cool climate varietals, including Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as continuing to source Rhone varietals such as Syrah, Mourvedre, and Viognier from a stable of world-class vineyard sites.
Savage Grace Wines was established in 2011 by owner-wine-maker Michael Savage, with a vintage of Cabernet Franc. His vision is to make old-world style, lower-alcohol, balanced, and terroir-expressive wines. He continues to deepen his core understanding of all stages in the vinification process, to put his philosophy of low-intervention winemaking into practice, where the grape, vineyard, and vintage form a unique balance. Currently practicing regenerative farming, Michael advocates the hands-on in the vineyard and hands-off in the winery philosophy.
Savage Grace Winery is perched on Underwood Mountain in the Columbia Gorge AVA. The estate includes 42 acres that span from 1000 to 1400 feet in elevation. Overlooking the Columbia Gorge, The Columbia River plays an integral role in the weather and temperature surrounding and in the vineyard.
“SAVAGE” – echoes the struggle of the grape to withstand the stress of ripening, along with making wine that is true to the grape, site, and vintage. “GRACE” – also Michael’s wife’s name- symbolizes what he hopes to achieve as the end result. A wine that is delicate, balanced, approachable, yet expressive.
Philip and Sheryl Jones purchased land in the Columbia Gorge in 2006. Vineyards were planted, and a winery was built over the next three years. Today this has grown to 45 acres of vineyards on 176 acres. Spencer Hill’s New Zealand success was based on Phil’s wine-making passion for getting things right. Within four years of being the Winemaker at Spencer Hill, the winery had won the top Chardonnay prize in the world at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London. Many top awards followed over the next two decades. His passion is now focused on the Columbia Gorge, with their son Spencer taking over the lead wine-making duties and Sheryl managing the South Hill Tasting Room.
Spencer Jones has worked alongside Matt and Jules at Spencer Hill and other prestigious wineries in New Zealand. He has also worked at wineries in Sonoma and Oregon. Spencer is passionate about the wines of Washington and Oregon and has joined South Hill Winery to develop the South Hill brand further and take the winery and vineyards into the future.
In 2019, Brendan Simpers took the leap and left his full-time job to focus on growing Willow. He and Tarnna Simpers are now at 900 case production annually, including Columbia Gorge Riesling, Chardonnay, Rosé, sparkling wines, Yakima Valley Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
Loop de Loop wines are high-altitude wines created by Julia Bailey Gulstine and Scott Gulstine. Loop de Loop winery and vineyard are on an extinct shield volcano on the edge of the Cascade Mountain Range (Underwood Mountain). Loop de Loop makes vintage-specific wines that speak of the places they are grown – some very special sites.
Loop de Loop’s Light Anthology vineyard is planted at 1250 feet in elevation, with volcanic, ashy-sandy loam soil on a 33-degree slope facing Southeast. The vineyard also faces the Columbia River, which is key in allowing grapes to be grown here without frost problems. The wines from this little mountain are bright, focused & intense – they are savory, aromatic, lithe, elegant, often mineral, and sometimes even saline.
White Salmon Wine Walk
The downtown White Salmon businesses and the local winemaker community are pleased to announce the inaugural White Salmon Wine Walk in celebration of the White Salmon Wildflower Festival. Participants attending this first-ever event will stroll around downtown White Salmon, exploring each business and sampling local winery offerings.
Enjoy the live music and special Wildflower Festival events and specials as you sip, shop, dance, and mingle in Downtown White Salmon. The White Salmon Wine Walks will be held annually in May and November.
Plan Your Wine Adventure
Book a room in White Salmon and start planning a memorable wine adventure! Want to learn more about wine? Bring your friends and book a private wine-tasting class with Kayla Marean. Kayla’s Wine 101 and Tasting 101 classes are designed to create a fun and comfortable atmosphere to practice tasting, ask questions, and empower consumers to explore the amazing world of wine.
