syncline wine cellars

The grounds were great. We were greeted by a very friendly hostess who poured our first wine and was very informative. Once we went inside though, for the remainder of the pours, the person doing the pours was not friendly at all. All her attention was given to a better-dressed couple seated next to us. We had just come from a hike and looked the part in jeans and teeshirts, but that should not have made a difference on the server being cordial. We bought 2 bottles to waive the tasting fee, but I will not be returning. Cute outdoor area with benches and hammocks. Bring a snack if you do visit.

Syncline is one of those wineries that when you find it, you are sorry you missed it on previous trips. They are a small winery on Old Highway 8 located off of highway 14 on the Washington side. They are near Catherine Creek so you should plan on a nice walk to view wild flowers and the Columbia Gorge views as well.The winery is unpretentious. They have adirondack chairs, a hammock, and a very friendly dog. Don't forget to pet the dog. The tasting includes a surprisingly wide variety of wines for a small winery. The jewel is the Scintillation sparkling wine. Northwest sparkling wines are rare. This is not only rare, but is very good. They have bottled white and rose. Both are very good. They only make small batches, so if you like it, buy it. It may not be available when you return.There are several other little wineries along Old Highway 8, so visiting Syncline is worth the visit.

Syncline wines are excellent. The Subduction Red was one of our favorites at the tasting. This place is a very pleasant place to visit out in the WA countryside a short drive from Hood River OR.

What a treasure! Plenty of room for picnicking, a wonderful wine pouring hostess who was knowledgeable and had a deep love of the community and culture of the area, PLUS...how can you not lovely a winery with great wines (loved the rose and their signature Subduction Red), but a friendly dog and hammocks! Very enjoyable.

Cool climate wines are about mastering transitions. Syncline rides the tongue of the desert that thrusts through the mountains right to the coast in the stunning Columbia Gorge, and the wines that come out of it are the benchmark for the future of North West Winemaking. Throughout Washington and Oregon, in places like the Umpqua and Chelan and British Columbia's Similkameen and Shuswap, winemakers are looking past the hot desert into its edges, where winemaking carries greater risk and greater reward. For complex, rich wines extending the traditions and terrors of the Romans of the Valais and the Lower Rhone in France, those vineyards harvesting the cool of the mountains and the heat of deep river valleys, I really recommend Syncline. Do try the Veltliner and the Riesling, to see how complex mountain whites can be. Then let the reds blow you away. If you're serious about your wine, even if you're a winemaker looking to build a unique terroir in the North West, come and see what they've done with the magic of the Cascade Mountains, that create depressurized landscapes, heated by the sun and cooled by water that often never falls at all, among transition-zone hardwoods just a mile away from the cedars and the rain. This place is worth a journey of days. Bring a good map. There are few signs.