Stoltz Vineyard
by
Kathy Sullivan
Summary: Stoltz Vineyards is a boutique winery. The winery and tasting room are located in an 1896 house. While tasting wines be sure to ask about the house ghost.
During a visit to Stoltz Vineyards tasting room, sit on the deck and enjoy a glass of wine while taking in the view that overlooks the Columbia River and the mountainous peaks in Washington. Here visitors can enjoy handmade small production of old world quality wines. Wine production includes the use of wood barrels rather than stainless steel or plastic.
Located in the town of Hood River, Stoltz Vineyards tasting room is in the oldest and largest house in town. The tasting room is on the first floor and a small porch with several white columns adds to the ambience for tasting handcrafted wines.
Garrit Stoltz is the winemaker who began making wine with California grapes and then ventured to South Africa to spend a season working at a high-end South African winery.
The Hood River house, with the tasting room and winery, has been owned by John Stoltz for twenty-five years. The house has history and a story. Before Hood River became a town, the house was built in 1896 by a banker who also helped finance several other commercial buildings in town. The house became known as “The Mansion on the Hill.” After the banker passed away in 1922, the Anderson family purchased the property and transformed it into the Anderson Funeral Home, a morgue. The building remained a morgue until 1967. There have been reports that the house is haunted however the winery owners have never encountered the paranormal. Perhaps the angel’s share appeases the spirit.
Garrit has been making wine since 2006. He likes to make wine from little known varietal grapes and sources fruit from the Columbia Gorge. Stoltz Vineyards has 75 acres of grapes in Mt. Hood. In the winery, Garrit follows certain principles including: never allowing wine to sit in plastic and never pumping the wine.
Wines
Fernao Pires was a straw color. The grape is a Portuguese variety. Nuances included apple, pear and citrus. The finish was crisp with layers of fruits. Chardonnay 2008, sur lie, was barrel fermented and aged. The wine was a golden yellow with an aroma and taste of apple, pear with a hint of freshly baked bread. The finish was crisp with mild tannins and fruity. PINK 2007 was an experimental blend of Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Malbec. The light red wine offered an aroma of spice and hints of cedar. The taste had multiple layers of fruit and spice. The finish had mild tannins with red fruit yielding to spices especially cloves. PINK is the winery’s bestseller and with its baking spices nuances a good bet for Thanksgiving dinner. Pinot Noir 2009 was produced with organic grapes. This red wine had raspberry notes on the aroma with a taste of raspberries and a hint of cherry. The fruity finish had tannins and was crisp.
Enjoy a visit to Stoltz Vineyards tasting room, where you can easily walk between several downtown wineries. Spend some time on the deck watching the activity on the Columbia River.
Stoltz Vineyards
514 State St.
Hood River, Oregon 97031
GPS: 45º 42.493’ W121º 30.946’
Support the following Oregon Wineries.
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| Civic Winery | King Estate | Sweet Cheeks Winery & Vineyard | |
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| Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyard | Youngberg Hill |
