Great Beer, Wine List Forgot to Show Up
Waterfront · Hood River · Brewpub / Pacific Northwest · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed July 27, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed Ferment Brewing Company’s wine list and gave it The Lazy List — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
You walk into one of the most scenic taprooms in the Columbia River Gorge — water views, clean design, good energy — and then you glance at the wine list. Five options. That's it. This is a beer operation through and through, and the wine program exists mainly so nobody's date feels left out.
The entire list is five wines, all Pacific Northwest, all inoffensive. Upper Left Vintners and Wild Hills represent Oregon, and COR Cellars brings a Washington red blend into the mix — so the regional instinct is sound, if minimal. There's zero depth here: no Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, no skin-contact options, no sparkling, nothing that reflects how serious the wine country literally surrounding Hood River actually is. It reads like someone asked a distributor rep to drop off five bottles and called it done.
Everything is by the glass, which at least means you're not committed. All pours run $12–$13, and a carafe of sangria clocks in at $22 if you want to commit to the summer-drink energy. Rotation appears nonexistent — this list seems to sit unchanged for long stretches.
COR Cellars Momentum Red Blend — $13
COR Cellars is a solid Lyle, WA producer and the Momentum is their approachable everyday red. At $13 a glass in a taproom with river views, it's the one wine here that actually earns its spot — and it stands up to a burger better than anything else on the list.
Upper Left Vintners Pinot Gris
Upper Left is a Portland-based label doing honest, food-friendly Oregon whites. Most people here will reach for a beer, but the Pinot Gris is clean, slightly textural, and genuinely good — if you're sitting on the patio on a hot Gorge afternoon, this is the move.
Wild Hills Pinot Gris
With the Upper Left Pinot Gris already on the list at the same price, there's no reason to order a second Pinot Gris from a less distinguished producer. This slot could have been a Pinot Noir, a Gewürztraminer, anything — but here we are.
COR Cellars Momentum Red Blend + Burger
A Washington red blend built for drinking, not contemplating — it has enough fruit and structure to cut through a beef patty without demanding your full attention. Exactly what you want when the main event is the view and the company.
The Bottom Line
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.
· Hood River · Winery and Farm Cafe
The Gorge White House isn't trying to compete with a big city wine bar — it's a farm property pouring its own wines at prices that feel almost apologetically fair. If you're driving through Hood River and want a cold glass of something local without being gouged, this is an easy yes. Just don't arrive expecting deep-cellar surprises.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Hood River · Hotel restaurant
Hood River Inn's wine list is a catering checklist dressed up as a restaurant program. With no producers named, no bottles available, and a selection that ignores the incredible wine region right outside the door, there's no reason to drink wine here specifically. If you're staying at the hotel and need something with dinner, the $11 pours are fair enough — but if wine matters to you at all, Hood River has actual wine bars and tasting rooms worth your time and money.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Hood River · Cafe
KickStand punches above its weight class for a cafe wine program — six bottles, almost all of them local, with real producers worth knowing. We can't speak to pricing or service confidence without more data, but if you're already in Hood River and want a glass of something made within shouting distance of where you're sitting, this list is doing the right thing in a small package.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Hood River · Winery tasting room
Wy'East Vineyards is a short list with a long point of view — estate wines from varieties that have no business growing in Oregon, priced like the winery actually wants you to buy them. If you're anywhere near Hood River and you care even a little about what's possible outside the Pinot Noir monoculture, this stop is worth your afternoon.
Small but Thoughtful
Steal
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Hood River · Winery and Tasting Room
Stave & Stone earns its Wild Card badge not through volume or imported names, but through genuine varietal curiosity — a Gorge winery willing to make Gruner Veltliner and Petit Verdot and price the whole card fairly. If you're passing through Hood River and want to drink local without drinking predictable, this list is worth your time.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Hood River · Winery tasting room
Analemma earns its Wild Card badge by doing something most Oregon producers won't: planting Mencía and Grenache in the Gorge and committing to it fully. The list is short, but every bottle has a reason to exist. If you're driving through Hood River and want to taste something that doesn't feel like every other Pacific Northwest tasting room, this is your stop.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Proper
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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