making and serving great wines
to people we like
in a great space
with sustainable ethics
and an occasional party
while not going broke
tasting room hours:
Daily 12-6
13 Railroad Ave (1st & Cascade)
Enter @ Mt Hood Railroad
541.308.0700
whomever@springhousecellar.com
Winemaker Rant
STORM WATCH 2012!!!
by Carey Kienitz, January 21, 2012
It's been super icy out there, and driving has been dangerous, but we are open today from 12-3 if you need to refill your wine rack. Cheers!
TASTING ROOM CLOSED TODAY!
by Angel Green, January 21, 2012
Hi Folks,
Shortly after we posted our last blog about being open today, our power went out at the winery. So we regret to inform you, that we have been forced to be closed oncse again today, Saturday, January 21st.
We plan to re-open tomorrow, but we will keep you updated on our website blog and on our facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/Springhousecellar
Please stay tuned, and be safe out there!
Cheers, Springhouse Crew
Harvest Winding Down...
by Carey Kienitz, November 13, 2011
I actually get tomorrow off. Imagine that. It's been a while.
Contrary to what you might have read, this was not a horrible vintage. Yields were low, and there was a bit of stress involved, but in the end good growers adapted to difficult circumstances and adjusted to the season to produce beautiful fruit. We got Cabernet (Sauvignon & Franc) from Chandler Reach. Len is a great guy and his fruit is amazing. We got Sangiovese from Seven Hills in Walla Walla, and from Gunkel Vineyards out at Peach Beach near Maryhill. The Gorge fruit came in almost a month after Walla Walla, but was just as beautiful as the much esteemed 7H stuff. Of course we got Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc from Garnier in Mosier (historically, the backbone of our winemaking here at Springhouse) as well as a touch of Riesling from Underwood Vineyards. Oh...and Grenache! Can't wait to see how the Grenache develops (also from the Gunkel vineyards). In the end the fruit this year showed good acids and ripe sugars with lots of brown stems,crunchy seeds and well developed flavors.
Having said that, many vineyards in our neck of the woods reported yields at about 40% of normal. There were lots of reasons for this...starting with frost damage from last year, poor fruit set in a cold spring, rains that led to shatter at bloom, and lackluster sun all summer. What this means in real terms is that the wines from 2011 have the potential to be great...there just won't be much of them. We had planned to make about 2000 cases...we'll end up with about 1300.
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This morning the chardonnay barrels are all whistling...the cap has fallen on the cab...the pinots are almost ready to press...the cab franc, grenache, and sangio are all crackling in the midst of ML and settling in tank...with any luck everybody will be tucked in, barreled down and put to bed by Thanksgiving, and at that point someone will take a really long snoring nap with his dog.
Autumn means harvest!
by Carey Kienitz, October 1, 2011
OCTOBER 1 2011
First of all I should mention that we just released four 2009 reds (pinot noir, cab sauv, petite sirah, and a new red blend). We still have a little bit of 2009 merlot and syrah in barrel prepping to get into bottle, hopefully before the 2011 fruit shows up.
Speaking of fruit showing up...wow! Seems like summer never happened. We had one day over 100 in August and just a handful over 90. And now, it's cloudy, cooling off, and rain is in the forecast for the next 5 days, at least. There are vineyards on Underwood across the river from us that are sitting at 15 brix and will never get ripe this year. Some people have stopped farming them for the year - throwing in the towel to save money on labor and spray. Very sad. Vineyards in Mosier, and Wishram are doing much better and will be harvested sometime between now and Halloween. All this is making me furrow my brow, because this is shaping up to be one of those years when everyone picks on the same day and drops 30 tons of fruit on our doorstep in one fell swoop. It will likely be a fast and furious harvest. A bit like ripping off a bandaid.
The last few mornings there's been a crispness to the air that reminds us that fall is here. My dogs do their business quickly and race me back to the warmth of the house. Baseball playoffs started last night. Our favorite food magazines are offering Thanksgiving suggestions. Our CSA is delivering just one more basket. Fall is a time for self reflection, holiday buzz, family & friends and entertaining --coincidentally, things that all call for pouring copious amounts of wine. We hope you'll come down and get your growler filled...maybe try out the new pinot - it's from Mosier fruit - and help us sort some grapes.
Cheers!
Carey
Summer at Springhouse
by Carey Kienitz, July 9, 2011
Finally...Summer is actually here. Grapes are ripening. Birds are singing. And the winery is abuzz as we prepare to bottle our 2009 reds, 2010 reds finish up malolactic, and the 2011 harvest plan comes into focus.
On the events side (Angel has said goodbye to her life for a while), most summer weekend nights are booked with reheasal dinners and wedding receptions. "Ruins Tuesdays" is proving to be a hugely popular, with a regular crowd of friends and families coming every week for Springhouse wine, Solstice Pizza, local craft beer, and great music in what is easily the most unique venue in the Northwest.
Our summer Wineclub Shipment is right around the corner, and we're conspiring to spruce-up the perks of membership... upcoming wineclub events will inlude blending parties, catered winemaker dinners under the stars in the Ruins, and the chance to dig into our distributors' books for some screaming deals on all sorts of treasures from every corner of the world. We'll keep you posted on that.
So, get out there and enjoy this summer while you can. Give your garden some love...head down to the farmers' market...get on your board...hike Dog Mountain...bomb down the syncline...and then, when you're all tuckered out, be sure to come visit us for a glass of wine.
And don't forget the sunscreen.
Independence Day
by Carey Kienitz, July 2, 2011
What better way to celebrate Independence Weekend than to come out to our small independent, American winery. Consider the facts...1) our third president,Thomas Jeffereson, was a huge oenophile who bought so much wine he nearly went backrupt. 2) Springhouse Cherry Ort is made from the fruit of a tree genetically similar to the one George Washington famously cut down. 3) Springhouse started in a homestead that was built the 1850's - when Abe Lincoln was president. 4) The Columbia River is named after Christopher Columbus, who has a national holiday named after him in September. 5) From our tasting room you can see the state of Washington, which is named after, you guessed it, George Washington. 6) The American flag has both red and white in it, and we make both red and white wines!
I mean, now that I lay it all out like this, it's kind of freaky how patriotic we are. C'mon down and enjoy the holiday with us. Drink, rine, repeat!
MAY DAY!! MAY DAY!!!
by Carey Kienitz, May 1, 2011
It's the first day of May and it feels like spring has sprung. Vines around the Gorge are pushing bud -- or are at least on the brink -- and folks in the tasting room are starting to ask for chairs to sit outside.
What's the news?
First the sad news...we've sold out of 2008 Gewurztraminer. It's gone. Kaputz. Kabloohey. You loved it to death!
Good news...we're now selling reserves of our 2008 red wines. Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon currently on tap. Merlot and Sangiovese coming in the next few weeks. For us "reserve" simply means that these were selected for extended elevage and saw 2 years in barrel. 2008 was a transition year in this regard. From here on out all our red wines - with a few exceptions - will spend 2 years in the cellar. So when we release the '09 reds we'll have a choice...either drop the reserve classification altogether, or just call everything reserve. Or maybe "Vintner's Reserve" or "Barrel Select Reserve" or just "Super Frajalistic". We'll see.
Better news...warmer weather an longer days means we can all spend more time outside. This summer we're happy to have Aaron from Solstice Pizza setting up his new toy -- a mobile pizza oven -- in the Ruins every Tuesday evening for pizza, local beer, Springhouse wine and live music. Kerry Williams (the Gorge's answer to Duke Ellington, that is, if the Duke played guitar instead of piano and wore Hawaiian shirts instead of tuxedos) will be curating the music scene. Come off the river and treat yourself. The acoustics out there are amazing. Aaron's pizza is incredible. Beer is good. Wine is even better. It will be a blast.
And the best news yet...help is on the way! We've got an amazing new person coming on board this month to oversee the tasting room, outside sales and wine club (amongst other duties). This place will be whipped into shape in no time. I'll write more on this and make a formal announcement when she actually gets her feet on the ground...but suffice to say, we can hardly wait.
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Enjoy the sun while it lasts. Cheers!
drink rinse repeat
So Much Going On!!!
by Carey Kienitz, March 12, 2011
Holy cow...Where to start?
1) We're on the verge of releasing a revamped look for our packaging. We've been toying with it for a while now, and as a wise man once said, it's the last 20 yards of a 20 mile race that are the hardest. But we're so close...hopefully we'll be able to roll it out in a few weeks.
2) We've released the 2009 Viognier! Just like the past the fruit is still from Chukar Ridge, but this one is a little leaner & cleaner than the 2008 version. I've been telling people that if Chenin Blanc managed to seduce Chardonnay...this would be their love-child.
3) We've changed our tasting room experience a little bit. You know we have ten wines on tap all the time. That's a lot of wine -- and most people aren't keen to spit. So we've gone to "Pick-6" concept. Select any six of our wines to taste...create your own unique flight, however you want to do it. We think it will improve the entire tasting environment.
4) And we're excited to be getting ready for Passport Weekend April 1st -3rd. Every winery has a special deal that weekend...well, we're offering 3-for-33. That means Passport holders qualify for any three Springhouse white wines for $33. Depending on what you pick that means somewhere between 30-40% off. Imagine that. We'll also be serving complimentary tapas and hosting live music all weekend.
I'm sure there's a lot more, but I'll save it for later. Hope to see you soon at the winery.
Cheers!
Last update of 2010
by Carey Kienitz, December 26, 2010
Harvest was really challenging, lots of cold and mold, but it looks like 2010 will yield deliciously high acid, food friendly wines that you will love. At this point everyone has been put to bed downstairs and we might actually take a few days off to hang with the dogs and watch the snow fall. In the meantime, we've released our 2008 Reserve Cab (tasting room only) and 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. Houpla!
BRIEANNA AND DAVE....MARRIED!!
by Carey Kienitz, July 24, 2010
Springhouse was proud to host the nuptials for Dave and Brieanna. They are good friends of the winery, and we like them. And now, they're man and wife.
From what I hear, they're already in Mexico drinking margaritas on the beach.
Congratulations!