Columbia Gorge's Best Kept Wine Secret
Downtown Hood River · Hood River · New American, seasonal farm-to-table · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Celilo Restaurant & Bar’s wine list and gave it The Wild Card — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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You're in Hood River to windsurf or eat fruit off the roadside, and then you sit down at Celilo and the wine list makes you do a double-take. There's a Jura Ploussard, a Pet Nat from the Columbia Gorge, and a Xarel-lo from Catalonia — all in the same document. This is not the list of a restaurant that phoned it in.
Celilo leans hard into the Columbia Gorge's identity as a legitimate wine region, with producers like Analemma, Savage Grace, and Sineann anchoring the local side of things. But the list doesn't stop at the state line — Morgon Gamay from Vignobles Bulliat, a Mosel Riesling from Ludas, and a Greco di Tufo from Bambinuto give it genuine range and personality. The Jura representation alone (a Dugois Ploussard from Arbois) signals that whoever built this list is paying attention to things most Oregon restaurants are still ignoring. The one odd duck is the Rombauer Chardonnay at $70 — it sticks out like a tourist at a natural wine bar, probably there to keep the Napa crowd happy.
Thirteen options by the glass is a strong number, and the range is legitimately impressive — from a Pet Nat of Pinot Noir to a Barbera from Columbia Valley to Cava for bubbles lovers on a budget. Glass prices run $9–$17, which is honest for a restaurant at this level in a tourist-adjacent town. We'd love to see more rotation and some half-glass options, but what's here beats the vast majority of Oregon wine lists we've encountered.
2023 Vignobles Bulliat 'Nature' Gamay Noir, Morgon — $14/glass (est.)
A Beaujolais Cru Gamay from a solid Morgon producer by the glass at a seasonal spot in Hood River? That's punching well above its weight class. Juicy, low-intervention, and exactly what you want with a plate of house-made pasta.
2020 Domaine Dugois 'La Sombarde' Ploussard, Arbois Rouge, Jura
Most tables at Celilo are going to walk right past this and order another Pinot Noir. Don't. Ploussard is one of the Jura's most food-flexible grapes — light, earthy, and slightly wild — and Dugois makes a textbook version. It's the kind of wine you'd order at a dedicated natural wine bar, not a farm-to-table spot in the Gorge.
Rombauer Chardonnay, Napa Valley
At $70 a bottle, you're paying a premium for a wine that's widely available at retail and stylistically out of place on an otherwise thoughtful list. If you want a white, the Bambinuto Greco di Tufo or the Ludas Riesling will give you more interest for less money.
2022 Ludas Riesling, Mosel, Germany + Fresh seafood special featuring regional fish
Mosel Riesling and Pacific Northwest fish is one of those combinations that just works — the high acidity and mineral lift cut through any richness in the preparation while leaving the delicate fish flavor intact. At Celilo's price point, this is the kind of pairing you'd pay twice as much for at a dedicated wine restaurant.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Celilo is quietly running one of the most interesting wine programs in the Columbia Gorge, and most people driving through Hood River have no idea. If you care about wine, this is absolutely worth a seat — just skip the Rombauer.
Downtown Hood River · Hood River · American grill with steak, seafood and Northwest influences
3 Rivers Grill is a genuinely solid wine destination for a mid-sized grill in Hood River — the Pacific Northwest selections are legit, the view earns its own tip, and a few bottles here are worth making a reservation for specifically. The markups on trophy bottles will make you wince, but stick to the regional lineup and you'll leave happy.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Hood River outskirts · Hood River · Farm-based lodge
Sakura Ridge isn't a wine destination — it's a lodge that happens to have a small, surprisingly honest wine list for guests who want something worth drinking with their orchard views. If you're staying here, lean into it; if you're driving out just for wine, the Columbia Gorge has better options nearby.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
White Salmon / Gorge Area · Hood River · Bistro with Global Fare and Seasonal Small Plates
Henni's is a genuine surprise — a chef-driven neighborhood spot in a small Washington town that built a wine list with actual intention. If you're passing through the Gorge and think wine stops at Hood River, White Salmon has an argument to make.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
13th Street area · Hood River · Mexican
Hood River Taqueria is here for the tacos and the margaritas, and that's completely fine — but the wine list is an afterthought and everyone involved knows it. Order the cocktails, leave the wine to restaurants that care.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waterfront · Hood River · Brewpub / Pacific Northwest
Ferment is a genuinely great brewery, and we'd send anyone to Hood River for their beer and their patio. But the wine list is an afterthought in the middle of one of America's best wine regions, and that's hard to forgive — order a pint and save the wine for a spot that's trying.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
Waterfront · Hood River · Steakhouse
Riverside Grill is a perfectly decent place to drink wine if you're also there for the ribeye and the river view — just don't come expecting the list to match the scenery. Order the Pinot Gris, watch the kiteboarders, and save your wine curiosity for somewhere else in Hood River.
Plays It Safe
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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