When:
June 13, 2015 @ 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
2015-06-13T08:00:00-07:00
2015-06-13T18:00:00-07:00
Where:
Departing from The Hood River Inn
1108 East Marina Drive
Hood River, OR 97031
USA
Cost:
$275.00
Contact:
WinesNorthwest
360-604-1205
Geological Wine Tour of the Columbia Gorge Wine Region @ Departing from The Hood River Inn | Hood River | Oregon | United States

WinesNorthwest and Community Bank present another extraordinary Geological Wine Tour, this time in the Columbia Gorge Wine Region, and once again with the dynamic and expert tour guide Professor Scott Burns. The tour will depart from the Best Western Plus Hood River Inn in Hood River, Oregon.

Immerse yourself in this full day of discovery… touring, tasting, meeting with winemakers and growers, and unearthing of the geological backstory of the Columbia Gorge Wine Region and its wines. Perhaps the Pacific Northwest’s most visually stunning wine region, the Columbia Gorge is certainly its most intriguing.  Nowhere else can you find as many distinct microclimates sandwiched together in such a short stretch of wine country. You can count on learning about and tasting the Gorge terroirs as they transition from temperate rainforest to dry grasslands all within a 40-mile course through the Cascade Mountain Range.

Over eons, the dramatic geological events that systematically created the wild beauty of this sea-level passage are the same events that brought about the wide variety of terroirs and correspondingly diverse grape-growing opportunities in the Columbia Gorge Wine Region. From Albariño to Zinfandel, more than 30 different premium grapes are grown here.

Join us for this all-day Geological Wine Tour starting and ending in Hood River, Oregon, the central part of the wine region.  Well known geologist and soil expert Professor Scott Burns will be your guide and will share his expertise and insights into the distinct terroirs of the Gorge as you visit three top-tier wineries and vineyards and speak with their owners, winemakers and growers about the relationships between the land and their finished wines.

Learn how Lonnie Wright of The Pines Estate saved,
rejuvenated and cloned for local propagation the
110-year-old Zinfandel vines left for dead in an orchard
in The Dalles, Oregon.

Tour the high-elevation Volcano Ridge Vineyard with
co-owners Lonnie Wright (The Pines) and Alan Busacca (Heart
Catcher) and enjoy a guided tasting of wines sourced from
the vineyard and influenced by its soils and terroir,
unique to the Columbia Gorge Wine Region.

Join with Syncline Winery’s James Mantone as he talks about
his newest Rhone varietal plantings, about biodynamic
farming and the many Columbia Gorge terroirs from which his
wines are sourced.

Experience the dramatic beauty of Phelps Creek Vineyards
and learn about the unique soils that produce the fine
wines of this cool-climate, west-end winery of the Columbia
Gorge AVA.  Guided tastings will include finished wines and
a barrel tasting.

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE OF YOUR TOUR:

Pre-tour seminar Friday evening, June 12, at 7:00 pm,
“Cataclysms on the Columbia: The Great Missoula Floods”
presented by Professor Scott Burns in the Riverview Room
of the Hood River Inn.  Learn how the Columbia Gorge Wine
Region was impacted by the most recent and dramatic of
geological events… a series of cataclysmic floods that
swept across the Pacific Northwest at the end of the last
ice age. (For more details, go to:
http://cataclysmsonthecolumbia.brownpapertickets.com

Meet and Greet breakfast buffet, 8:00 am, Saturday,
June 13 in the Shoreline Room of The Hoods River Inn,
including a brief pre-tour presentation by Professor Scott
Burns about the terroirs of the Columbia Gorge Wine Region
you will explore throughout the day.

Climate-controlled transportation by a professional driver
in a biodiesel-powered Blue Star min bus.  (Boarding at
9:00 am at The Hood River Inn)

Complimentary parking at the hotel for your personal
vehicle while you are on the tour.

Rich and extensive educational information provided on the
the tour bus and at the vineyards and wineries visited.

Visits and tours of vineyards in three different growing
regions of the Gorge: the Volcano Ridge Vineyard of The
Pines and Heart Catcher wineries in the hot and dry eastern
end of the region south of The Dalles; the vineyard of
Syncline Winery in the transitional central part of the
region near Lyle, Washington; and Phelps Creek Vineyards
in the cool western end of the region southwest of Hood
River.

Tasting fees for all wineries visited are included in the
cost of your tour, with three guided tastings being led by
vineyard/winery owners and winemakers at each destination.
Wines for your tastings will be selected for their ability
to illuminate the influences brought to the wines by their
places of origin.

Lunch by Four & Twenty Blackbirds catering at the estate
vineyard of Syncline Winery will feature sustainably grown
foods from local growers. (A choice of four entrees allow
for dietary considerations.)

Tour participant packets containing: information about the
geology, the soils and the grapes of the two AVAs of the
Columbia Gorge Wine Region… the Columbia Gorge AVA and
the Columbia Valley AVA; information about the artisan
wineries, vineyards and winemakers you will visit; a map
and brochure showing locations and information about all
wineries on both the Oregon and the Washington sides of the
Columbia Gorge Wine Region; and tourism information about
where to go and what to do while you are in the area.

Turn your tour into a weekend adventure in the spectacular Columbia Gorge Wine Region and take advantage of special pricing for Wines Northwest tour participants at the Best Western Plus Hood River Inn.  To guarantee these special prices, call the hotel directly at 800-828-7873 ON OR BEFORE MAY 29, 2015 to make your reservation, and be sure to identify yourself as a member of the WINES NORTHWEST group.  (Prices range from $105.00 to $155.95 per night for double occupancy.)

Geological Wine Tour Pricing:

Early Bird Reservations = $250.00 until 5/29/2015
10% discount on reservation orders of more than one.

After 5/29/2015, Reservation for one = $275.00
10% discount on reservation orders of more than one.

Call us directly if you think you may qualify for an industry discount – 360-604-1205

Other questions?  Call us at 360-604-1205.

ASK TO BE PLACED ON OUR WAITING LIST IF THE TOUR IS SOLD OUT.