Springhouse Cellar
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Springhouse Cellars is a boutique winery and a custom crush facility in Hood River, Oregon. Enjoy a tasting of white and red wines and a special Black Cherry Dessert Wine. In the tasting room wines are on tap. A growlier can be purchased and refilled each time one visits the Hood River tasting room.
Springhouse Cellars has wine on tap, a feature not frequently found in wine tasting rooms. This is a boutique winery producing 1,000 cases of wine plus custom crushing. Visitors can purchase a special empty bottle, a Growlier, for refilling on return trips. This offers considerable savings for local wine enthusiasts who plan to return to the Springhouse Cellars tasting room. Using the refillable bottle allows the winery to put sustainability at the forefront.
Visitors to the tasting room can view the ruins of the Hood River Distillery with high walls of concrete still standing. Rather than tear the walls down the owners have decided to hold events below the remaining walls. It is a feature that allows for much creativity. Events include weddings, rehearsal dinners, meetings, birthday parties, etc. Events can also be held inside in a large area behind the tasting counter.
The owners of Springhouse Cellars purchased property in Rowena, about 15 miles from the tasting room and winery, in Hood River. The property is the location of a springhouse after which the winery is named. In the beginning the springhouse was used for wine storage. Eventually as the winery continued growing they needed more room to grow and moved to Hood River. They located the winery and tasting room in a facility originally functioning as a cannery and a distillery at different times.
The owner began making wine about 10 years ago. The winery is located below the tasting room. Grapes are sourced from local vineyards and Walla Walla. In addition to producing their own wines, they do some custom crush for others. One of their clients is Cerulean. Cerulean also has a tasting room in Hood River.
White Wines
The wine counter is a slab of wood. More so than other counters, one can really cozy up to the bar. Chardonnay Columbia Gorge 2009 was a light yellow. This wine was barrel fermented in neutral oak. The Chardonnay offered an aroma of pear and freshly picked apples with freshly picked apple notes on the taste. The finish was crisp with apple notes. The grapes for the Chardonnay were from the Garnier Vineyard, Mosier on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. Sauvignon Blanc 2009 was dry with tropical and citrus notes. This is a food friendly wine.
Red Wines
Ruins 2009 was named after the Hood River distillery which occupied the property about 1920. The wine is a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from Columbia Valley fruit. The resulting wine was a dark red with red fruit aromas. The taste had notes of cherries and raspberries. The finish was fruity with accompanying tannins. Reserve Syrah Columbia Gorge 2008 with a ruby color was a blend of grapes from two different vineyards, the Gamier Vineyards and the Chandler Ranch Vineyard in Yakima. There was an aroma of perfume and a touch of cedar. The taste was crisp with dark fruit notes. The finish was fruity with tannins. Pinot Noir 2009 was very aromatic and offered earthy plus cherry notes and tannins. The grapes were sourced from the Garnier Vineyard in Mosier.
Dessert Wine
While the owners planned to produce grape wines, when an over abundance of black cherries occurred, they were offered the opportunity to produce wine with black cherries. The result was Black Cherry ORT, a dessert wine, with a residual sugar of 1.5 percent. The wine was smooth with a cooked black cherry taste.
Located in Hood River, Oregon, Springhouse Cellars is within walking distance of several other wineries making this a great destination to travel to and enjoy Oregon wines. While traveling along the Columbia River in the Hood River vicinity be sure to stop by the tasting room, just a short walk from the center of town. There is a small parking area in front of the tasting room or visitors can park on-street and easily walk to the tasting room.
Springhouse Cellar
13 Railroad Ave
Hood River, Oregon
GPS: N45º 42.556’ W121º 30.732’
Support the following Oregon Wineries.
 |
 |
 |
|
| Civic Winery | King Estate | Sweet Cheeks Winery & Vineyard | |
 |
 |
||
| Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyard | Youngberg Hill |
