Traditional Winemaking Techniques Flourish at Oregon’s Delightful Vineyard with Stunning Hood River Scenery

It might not be as glamorous or as famous as California’s iconic Napa Valley, but Oregon wine country is one of the country’s most impressive and exciting wine regions. Boasting pinot noir that has been favorably compared to the vintages of Burgundy, Oregon has the 2nd-most wineries in the U.S., behind California.

Wine has been grown in Oregon since it was first incorporated as a U.S. territory in the 1840s, but it only really began to make waves in wine circles in the 1960s and 1970s. Winemakers from California came north and established several wineries, planting pinot noir grapes in the Willamette Valley, now Oregon’s premier wine region, which had previously been thought to be far too cold to successfully support grape vines. Oregon pinot noir began winning international awards in the ’70s and ’80s and has never really looked back. 

There are plenty of fantastic and innovative winemakers all over the Beaver State, but few are as charming and unusual as the Hiyu Wine Farm. This magical spot in the shadow of Mount Hood, with glorious rolling vine-covered hills gazing out over the Hood River, is one of the leading natural wine producers in the state, and takes immense pride in working with traditional, Old World methods and practices. Located around 22 miles from Mount Hood and just over 67 miles from the center of Portland, it takes just over an hour to reach by car from the city. It is a delightful drive that winds its way along the route of the Columbia River and is a great escape from the crowds of Portland.

Natural wine has become incredibly popular in the last few years. There’s no standard definition for what constitutes natural wine, but broadly speaking, it means grapes grown using traditional methods, without the use of pesticides, and with limited additives. At Hiyu, this means breaking down the traditional differences between winemaking and farming, and incorporating the principles of organic farming into everything they do across the land, from livestock to orchards, crops, and vines. The animals on the farm are a huge part of what makes their methods special, as they let them do plenty of the work! Ducks, chickens, pigs, and cows roam freely through the vines, fertilizing the grapes and taking care of the grass and weeds. There’s a sense of joyful chaos all around the winery, an understanding that nature knows the best way to get things done.

In terms of the wine itself, Hiyu has a pretty avant-garde way of doing things. You probably won’t find many recognizable or classic wines coming out of this winery. While plenty of vineyards confine themselves to a few select grape varietals, Hiyu has over 100. They adhere to an unusual, somewhat archaic Old World-style tradition of growing a bunch of grapes together in the same field, and then fermenting them together to create a “field blend.” They also play fairly fast and loose with the concept of “wine” itself, and they aren’t afraid to throw berries that grow in the fields and fruit from the orchards into the fermentation tank.