On our Monday drive to Prosser we stopped at Hood River to check out some of the tasting rooms in the downtown area. We found on-street parking right next to Naked Winery. Although we arrived in the morning, there were several couples that found the Naked Winery tasting room and tried their wines. Try wines with suggestive titles including the words: missionary, penetration, foreplay and orgasmic. There is also clothing that can be purchased. We fed the meter for the on-street car parking and ambled to Springhouse Cellar.

Of the tasting rooms in the downtown Hood River area, only two have wineries in the same building. Springhouse Winery is one of those. The large space has a L-shaped tasting room. Notice that the wines are on tap, thus saving to total energy footprint by not having to use as many bottles. Springhouse Winery also has a reusable bottle for the local patrons. They can purchase the bottle and have it filled with wine. Afterwards, they can return with the bottle and have it refilled again.

The other downtown Hood River tasting room to have the winery onsite is Stoltz. We drove to Stoltz thinking that we could park closer to the winery and feed the meter less cash. We parked the rental car in front of the winery. Stoltz has taken residence in what once was the mansion on the hill, one of the oldest buildings in Hood River. For decades the building was used as a funeral home. Now it is home to other spirits and some believe that it may be haunted. If so, the spirit doesn’t bother the present owner or winemaker. I wonder what happens to the angel’s share?

After a few hours in Hood River, we headed off to Prosser one hundred miles away. After the double digit rains that we have had on the East Coast during the last four weeks, it was nice to see the high desert. After turning off of Washington Rt 14, we noticed a sign for the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. Surrounding the sign was desert with its brush. It didn’t look as though grapes could grow here. However we stood in New Zealand’s Gimblett Gravels and knew that grapes could handle the high desert. After traveling a few minutes we passed green oases of vineyards surrounded by the light yellow tones of the earth. Tomorrow it’s off to some Prosser tasting rooms.

Cheers,
Terry