Big-League Cellar in a River Town
Downtown Hood River · Hood River · Seafood · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed by the RagingWine Tasting Desk · July 27, 2026
RagingWine reviewed Votum Restaurant’s wine list and gave it The Rager — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
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Wingman Metrics
You open the wine list at a seafood spot in Hood River expecting a handful of Willamette Pinots and a token Chablis. What you get instead is a 280-label document that includes a 1971 Maison Leroy and a 1987 La Tâche. It's a genuine gut-check moment — this list did not come from a casual effort.
Burgundy is clearly where the heart is: Domaine G Roumier Clos-Vougeot 1990, Méo-Camuzet Clos de Vougeot 2022, and Maison Leroy Nuits-St-Georges Les Boudots 1971 give the list real vertical depth and collector credibility. Bordeaux holds its own with Mouton Rothschild 1982 and Lynch Bages 2010, while the Champagne section punches hard with Krug Grand Cuvée, Dom Pérignon 1982, and Pierre Gimonnet Special Club 2015. The local angle isn't forgotten — Cristom and Bergström represent Oregon well — and Auguste Clape Cornas 2022 shows someone here actually loves the Northern Rhône. The gap is Italy and Spain, which feel like afterthoughts on an otherwise obsessive list.
Nineteen pours by the glass is a serious commitment for a restaurant this size, ranging from $17 to $35. The Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco by the glass at $33 is a genuine flex — that's a wine most restaurants don't even carry by the bottle. The range appears to span sparkling through reds, though the full rotation isn't publicly documented; a sommelier conversation at the table is worth having.
Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2023 — $75
On a list where bottles regularly break $200, $75 for Cristom's Mt. Jefferson Cuvée — one of the most consistent expressions of Willamette Pinot made — is the move for anyone who wants a great local bottle without a mortgage payment.
Auguste Clape Cornas 2022
Most tables at a seafood restaurant will default to white or light Pinot. The Clape Cornas is for the person who knows that a young, granite-driven Syrah from the Northern Rhône can absolutely handle a meaty fish preparation — and who wants to drink one of the benchmark producers in the appellation while they do it.
Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 2020
Leflaive is unimpeachable, but at $590 a bottle the markup lands in uncomfortable territory for a village-level Puligny. The wine is great; the price-to-retail spread almost certainly is not. Unless someone else is paying, this is where the list tips from ambitious into expensive.
Didier Dagueneau Buisson Renard 2018 + Fresh Pacific oysters
Dagueneau's Buisson Renard is pure Loire Sauvignon Blanc at its most mineral and electric — saline, taut, and cut with citrus. Against fresh Pacific oysters, that combination of ocean salinity and bright acidity doesn't just work, it's almost too obvious. In the best possible way.
The Bottom Line
Votum is operating a world-class wine program in a town most people only stop through on the way to a hike — the depth of this cellar belongs in a major city restaurant, and the sommelier presence means you're not navigating it alone. The markups on the prestige bottles will sting, but find your entry point and this list rewards serious attention.
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
· Plano · Seafood
Half Shells isn't trying to be a wine destination, and the list knows it — but the seafood-friendly whites, honest pricing, and full by-the-glass program make it a perfectly decent place to drink if you're eating there anyway. Order the Albariño or the Vouvray, skip the Cakebread, and you'll be fine.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Boca Raton · Seafood
Send a friend here for the fish, not the wine. If you care at all about what's in your glass, pre-game at a wine bar down the street and just order water with dinner.
Grocery Store
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Tacoma · Seafood
The Lobster Shop's wine list is doing more than it has to, and doing it at prices that won't make you wince. If you're eating seafood in Tacoma, this is a better glass situation than you'd find at most spots with ten times the ambition.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Willing but Green
Set & Forget
Acceptable
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