Maryhill Winery hit my radar as we planned to head north for WBC18, which was to be held in Walla Walla.  We had looked at the pre and post tour offerings and settled on a post conference tour to the Columbia Gorge area.  Maryhill was to be our first stop.  Amie and Cassie of Maryhill reached out to me in advance and I was able to meet and speak with them briefly at the conference.  I saw the photos and tasted some of the wines, but I was not prepared for the view.

Maryhill winery is in the tiny town of Goldendale, Washington and sits on the north side of the Columbia River Gorge. The views are spectacular. The winery is relatively young having started in 2001.

The name Maryhill

The name “Maryhill” comes from the museum that is on the site.  If you are on the Columbia Gorge and see any of the history, you will hear the name Sam Hill.  This millionaire attourney made the creation of roads in this part of the country his goal.  He is recorded as saying “Good roads are more than my hobby; they are my religion” (from historylink.org)

Sam Hill was a philanthopist and in honor of his wife Mary, created the Maryhill Museum which houses a world-class art collection.  This museum is set overlooking the Gorge about 100 miles from Portland.

When Craig and Vicki Leuthold looked to create their winery, this site spoke to them. They approached the Museum about building a winery on the property. While that didn’t go through, they met the Gunkel family who had  a vineyard a permit to build a winery just 1 mile west of the museum, and were able to build their winery there.  (Wine Press Northwest Spring 2015)

This is a winery.  While you will find vineyards surrounding it, these vineyards are not owned by the winery. This is the Gunkel Family Vineyards which have been farmed by the Gunkel family for three generations.  As the vineyard is on site, and they work very closely with the Gunkel family, they refer to it as their “estate” vineyard.

The Wines of Maryhill

The goal here is to showcase all the different regions within Washington and the wide variety of grapes.  They source from multiple AVAs and areas including Horse Heaven Hills AVA, lower Yakima Valley, Columbia Gorge AVA, Elephant Mountain in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA, Red Mountain AVA and the Walla Walla Valley.   They strive to create affordable and approachable wines.  We were visiting on a wine club pickup day and watched people exiting with hand trucks stacked with cases.

Maryhill Winery is one of Washington state’s largest wineries producing 80,000 cases annually. We partner with 12 growers and 23 unique vineyard locations in eight of Washington State’s 14 major American Viticultural Areas, making our family-owned winery a true representation of Washington’s winemaking prowess.

We invite you to visit one or both of our Washington state tasting rooms to sample additional varieties, enjoy stunning views and meet the people behind our award-winning wines. Maryhill’s winery and premier tasting room in Goldendale, Washington is located at the edge of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area just 90 minutes east of Portland. A true destination winery, we offer an outdoor terrace with panoramic views of Mt. Hood and the Columbia River, outdoor seating and live music (Memorial Day through September).

Source Maryhill Winery

It is worth the drive for the spectacular views that can be enjoyed with a glass of wine in hand.  Make a day of it and see some of the art at the Maryhill Museum just down the road.

MARYHILL WINERY &
AMPHITHEATER
9774 HWY 14
GOLDENDALE, WA 98620
509.773.1976
info@maryhillwinery.com

Check back with us here.  We will have more on our visit to Maryhill which took place during the end of harvest.  We were lucky enough to taste tank samples and see the entire facility.