Phelps Creek Vineyards turns former Viento Wines location into new tasting room

His dream morphed tenfold when he found himself as the proprietor of 34 acres of vineyards in the heart of the Hood River Valley growing mostly Pinot Noir grapes. Morus says the colder climate in Hood River and on the backside of the Cascade Mountain Range is the perfect home for the specific vines they are growing.

“There’s some natural advantages,” said Morus on growing in the valley. “Here in the Hood River Valley and the White Salmon Valley, very much cool weather grapes like Pinot, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling.”

He added that just 25-miles east in The Dalles, warmer weather grapes thrive much better. The dramatic change in landscape leads to more heat, less rain and a diverse selection of wine throughout the Gorge.

“And that doesn’t happen so often in the world,” added Barrs-Morus.

Right now, Phelps Creek Vineyards grows predominantly Pinot Noir, but their fields are also home to five acres of Chardonnay and a half acre patch of Pinot Gris. In the hills of Underwood Mountain, the winery is playing around with growing “alternative whites.”

Morus had come to Hood River from Chicago, Ill., and was looking for property to grow his favorite, Oregon Pinot. One of the first Gorge winemakers Morus met was Bill Swain. At the time Swain owned Three Rivers Winery. Morus and Swain’s relationship started out as neighbors, but they soon became co-workers when Swain joined the Phelps Creek team as the senior enologist. Swain attended University of California, Davis’ Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, which is widely known for their Department of Viticulture & Enology. Like most of the Phelps Creek staff, Swain has extensive international experience with viticulture — the study of growing grapes and producing wine. Winemaking consultant Alexandrine Roy lives in from Burgundy, France, and visits when she came make it. She lives in Gevrey-Chambertin where she runs her family estate Domaine Marc Roy, a highly regarded wine producer. Director of Winemaking Operations Catarina Simões is a native of Portugal. Simões holds a winemaking degree from University of Trás-os-Montes & Alto Douro in Vila Real, Portugal. She is responsible for coordinating facilities and staff in the production of their wines.

“We have lots of international experience. Which is great,” said Morus. “It just flavors our whole perspective of the business.”

With 34 acres of fruit, Morus credits cellar and vineyard manager Irineo Magaña for his dedication to consistency and quality. Magaña has been working with Phelps Creek for 30 years and works year-round to produce and care for some of the finest vineyards in the Hood River Valley. His niece, Fatima, is also a chef in the Phelps Creek Vineyard tasting room’s commercial kitchen.

Morus and Phelps Creek Vineyards moved into the red tin roof A-frame building right off of Interstate-84 and the exit to Hood River that was Viento Wines owned by Rich Cushman until Cushman sold the building earlier this year. Today, Viento continues to sell wine.

In addition to a new tasting room, Barrs-Morus is still getting used to her new position as president of the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers Association, a bi-state group between Oregon and Washington that work together to celebrate and promote the growth of Columbia Gorge wine growing region.

“We really are supporting each other. And it just makes for a really tight community,” said Barrs-Morus.

Sustainable practices are also a focus for the AVA and Phelps Creek. For the past two seasons, Phelps Creek Vineyards have been LIVE certified. LIVE (pronounced “lighv”) supports environmentally and socially responsible practices through third party certification and education.

“It’s not just minimizing the sprays that you use, but making sure that when you use sprays, you’re not using something that has adverse impact on salmon or the fish,” said Morus.

He said that farmers must not only consider the well-being of nearby ecosystems but also how they treat their employees.

“It’s a generational thing even more. People look at what you’re doing in terms of stewardship of the land,” said Morus.

Morus said they prepared for three years before applying. Once Phelps Creek was accepted — and they pass annual inspections — they were allowed to print a sticker on their wine bottles that reads “LIVE Certified Sustainable Grapes.”

To accompany their sustainable grapes, the Phelps Creek tasting room prepares meals with suggested wine pairings. The menu is always being updated to fit the current conditions. For example, during the recent ice and snowstorm they made bacon grilled cheese to anyone who chose to brave the elements.

To find the most recent menu visit the Phelps Creek Vineyard tasting room at 301 Country Club Road in Hood River just off I-84. The tasting room is open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.