A Visit to The Gorge White House in Hood River

The Gorge White House is a historic fourth-generation farm operating in the heart of the Hood River Valley since 1908. The farm includes 30 acres of orchards and gardens where guests can pick to their hearts content. I’ve been looking for an excuse to Visit The Gorge White House for a long time. We tried just popping by one year for Mother’s Day and that turned out to be a huge miscalculation as it seemed all of Hood River and the surrounding towns had the same idea! This time the Sipsters visited during the week and there were much fewer people!

There is plenty of seating, so pull up a seat on the patio if the sun is out.

You will find more seating inside along the bar or grab a stool and sit at a pub table.

There are also several covered areas for eating, sipping and relaxing.

Speaking of Sipping…Let’s Order a Wine Flight and Stay Awhile

Most wine tastings include an average of five different wine selections, so I was pleasantly surprised to have eight! The pours at The Gorge White House are very generous when compared with a lot of other wineries I’ve been to recently.

The Gorge White House Score Card

I enjoyed all of the wines we tried. None of them were very dry or oaky wines except maybe the Cabernet Sauvignon.

As you might expect, the pear wine was sweet, but it was also light and refreshing. Perhaps tied for the sweetest would be the Suvignon Blanc. It was very fruity with hints of apple. I don’t dislike sweet wine, but of the four whites, the Sauvignon Blanc was my least favorite. My top overall pick was the Pino Gris. Normally I like the Chardonnay the best, so this was a pleasant surprise for me! The Rosé had a nice crisp flavor and the Pino Noir was nice and fruity as well. It had a smooth, yet strong flavor and was very easy to drink. I enjoyed it a lot! The Red Blend had a slightly stronger flavor (than the Pino Noir) that I really appreciated as most of the others were on the lighter side. As mentioned before, the Cabernet was fairly dry and as a result, it was my least favorite. If you like a bold red, this one would suit you perfectly.

The Gorge White House is located at: 2265 OR-35, Hood River, OR

Grab Lunch at the Food Cart

I’ve stopped by this food cart several times in the past, but there has always been a long line when I visit on the weekend. Luckily, this visit to the Gorge White House was on a Monday. The line was minimal, but there was a constant flow of people ordering, so our food took around 35-40 minutes. Here’s a link to their menu.

I ordered the White House Burger without a bun. It was seriously a good, well seasoned burger! Sharp white cheddar, lettuce, caramelized onion, tomato and garlic mayo.

What Else Can You Do on Your Visit to The Gorge White House?

One of the most popular things to do in Hood River is to visit the Fruit Loop, a group of farms who offer U-Pick and harvested fruits and vegetables. I’ve been coming to Hood River (and Parkdale) for apples, pears, cherries and pumpkins for over 20 years. Here is a list of the harvest and U-pick schedule. We were sad that the strawberry season had just wrapped up, but we did see blueberries, pears and apples growing in the orchard.

In June we saw Rows of blueberry bushes loaded with fruit just waiting to ripen up. The middle of summer just might be the best time to visit the fields at The Gorge White House for berries and flowers, then come back in the fall for apples and pears.

August is a great time to visit to see all the flowers in bloom!

Don’t Miss the Hard Cider

The honey lavender hard cider caught my eye. I liked it so much after sampling it I decided to get a growlette to take home. If you like lavender infused drinks, this is a good one, best served chilled. They offer cider flights too, so you can try them all! The following is a list of the other cider choices:

Apple • Pear • Cherry • White Peach • Blueberry • Honey Lavender • Lemon Pear • Mixed Berry