Pheasant Valley Vineyard began as a dream
of owners Scott & Gail Hagee, whose 40 acre farm on the south side of
the Columbia Gorge in Hood River,
Oregon is now a vineyard, winery, and bed & breakfast. Winemaker Rich
Cushman crafts their wines, with occasional help from Peter Rosback of
Sineann. Most of the wines are made from fruit sourced from Oregon and
Washington vineyards in the Columbia Gorge Appellation.
The Winemaker - Rich Cushman
Rich Cushman was born and raised in Hood
River, Oregon, and is in the process of moving back to Hood River from
McMinnville, Oregon, where he has lived with his family and has made
wines under his own Viento label. Rich's own family
vineyard in Hood River,
which
he
planted
in 1981, is planted to Riesling, from which he makes excellent wine.
The focus of Viento is to make delicious wines from
some of the more exotic grapes from the Northwest, especially Rhone varietals
and Sangiovese.
Rich's many years of experience with Oregon and Washington vineyards
shows in his unique and highly regarded Viento wines.
RIch has been a consulting winemaker since
1987 and has been a winemaker since 1982 - a total of 22 vintages under
his direct control plus another three vintages while getting his education
in wine making. Rich studied in the Masters program in Enology at UC
Davis for two years (from 1978-1980). He was a classmate of Rollin Soles
(Argyle) and Rick Mafit (Mystic WInes). Following his studies at Davis,
he worked an apprenticeship in Germany at Weingut Dr. Burkin-Wolf.
As a winemaker and consultant, Rich has
been deeply involved in the planning and establishment of four successful
Oregon wineries- Laurel Ridge, Cooper Mountain, Flynn, and Edgefield.
He is currently a consulting winemaker to Edgefield Winery and Cooper
Mountain Vineyards.
Rich Cushman is winemaker for Pheasant
Valley Vineyard and is also making his Viento wines at the Pheasant Valley
facility. His wine making philosophy is to make wines that are balanced
and consistently good to drink, and that bring out the best in the grapes
that he is using without over-processing. Rich has made a wide range
of wines from ultra-premium limited production wines to value priced
wines that appeal to a broad range of wine drinkers.
The Labels
The bright and distinctive labels of Pheasant
Valley depict the art of Dennis Wentworth Porter, a friend of the owners.
Dennis was based in the Northwest for many years, and now splits his
time between Oregon and Baja, Mexico. The label art reflects those two
regions.
From the winery: "Beautiful bouquet of rose petals and spice, together with citrus and fruit. Classically dry in European style, full bodied with crisp flavors of rose and herbs, soft and very long. G ...read more
Made by Peter Rosback of Sineann, from fruit sourced from the same vineyards as Peter's wines. Pear and melon flavors balanced by crisp, fresh citrusy acidity, very well balanced with a delicate live ...read more
Peter Rosback of Sineann made this wine from Wyeast Vineyard fruit and it's lovely. Scents of smoke and toast combine with hints of blackberry and raspberry in the nowe, and the flavors follow throug ...read more
From the winery: "Beautifully elegant apple blossom aromatics lead to a slightly sweet entry with great balance of fruit and structure in this medium bodied wine. A classic, flavorful Riesling from on ...read more
From the winery: "Exotic, ripe fruit flavors are the highlight of this wine from fruit from vineyards overlooking the Columbia River. Nicely balanced flavors of oak and spice support the ripe blackber ...read more
