Viento Wines

Viento Wines

Viento wines are created by Rich Cushman. Rich has made wine in Oregon for over twenty years. His family now works together to make these limited production wines in Hood River, Oregon. His family own Columbia Gorge Vineyard, planted by Rich in 1981 after returning from a stint making wine in Germany, and the Riesling produced from the vineyard is some of the best made in Oregon.

All of Viento's wines are crafted to emphasize balance, fruit character and the vineyard site. New oak is used very judiciously. They work closely with several exceptional vineyards in Washington and Hood River that are growing varieties beyond the ordinary - including Viognier, Riesling, Syrah, Grenache and Sangiovese. Some of these vineyards are already well known and the others will be. Interestingly for a winery based in Oregon, many of their wines are made from Washington State fruit.

Production

Viento uses production methods that Rich believes in from many years of winemaking in Oregon. The first quality determinant is of course the vineyard, and Rich visits the sites regularly and works with the growers over the course of the year to get what he believes is exceptional fruit.

In the winery the white wines are made by whole cluster pressing in a modern membrane press and then settled cold prior to fermentation in either barrels or stainless steel. They are bottled young to capture and showcase the essence of fruit.

The red wines are gently destemmed leaving as many whole berries as possible and then given a cold prefermentation maceration before going through a short, warm fermentation. Pressing is gentle with the heavy press fraction being kept separate from the free run wine. Barrel aging is done in a mix of predominately one and two year old barrels so that the character of the vineyard is not subordinated and to be true to the history of the varieties Viento is working with. New French or American oak is used to highlight certain lots of wine. All of the wines are bottled and labeled with care by hand.

Packaging

The label was masterfully designed by Susan Bard of Portland. It reflects the creation and the movement of the wind and the rich color of exceptional wines. The label illustration Viento uses is from Albrecht Durer's "The Holy Trinity", 1511. The wax capsules are all applied and embossed by hand. To remove the cork simply insert your corkscrew directly through the wax cap.

The Vineyards

Alder Ridge Vineyard, Alderdale, WA - Syrah, Grenache Noir
Columbia Gorge Vineyard, Hood River, OR - Riesling
Lonesome Spring Ranch, Benton City, WA - Syrah, Viognier
Pepper Bridge Vineyard, Walla Walla, WA - Sangiovese
Seven Hills Vineyard, Walla Walla, WA - Syrah

The name Viento, Spanish for "wind", was chosen to reflect the constant vibrancy of the wind in the Columbia River Gorge, where Rich was born and raised.

Viento's best Syrah, made from a cuvee of the best Syrah grapes of the vintage available to the winemaker.
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One of the best sweet Rieslings made in Oregon, from Columbia Gorge fruit.
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"This is simply an amaazing Rose -- and completely addictive for its sublime combination of fruit and spice! I have no doubt that this wine would pair well with all kinds of food, since there is plent
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