About Making Wine

Our vision

It all starts in the vineyard. We own and manage nearly 30 acres of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay vines. Being able to manage our own vineyards really makes a difference in our wines. Hand picking and sorting grapes begins the wine making process just outside our tasting room doors. Oak barrel aging and wine making occur on-site just 100 yards south of the tasting room.

As a small, family-run boutique winery, our goal is to produce high quality wines, manage a sustainable business, and contribute to the economic vitality of the Columbia Gorge, all while having some fun! We take great pride in our vineyard management and believe that quality will always prevail over quantity! We look forward to seeing familiar faces in the tasting room and always enjoy making new friends.

Our winemaker

Wy'East winemaker, Peter Cushman has been with the winery since 2012. The third-generation Oregon winemaker grew up in McMinnville- heart of the Willamette Valley, and has been in wineries before he was able to walk. Peter studied biology and chemistry at University of Oregon, graduating in 2009 and moving to Hood River to work for his family's winery- Viento, as they moved to the promising Columbia Gorge wine region. Working with multiple wineries in the Gorge, as well as Framingham Wines in Marlborough NZ, has helped Peter shape his winemaking style to show the exceptional quality of vines at Wy'East.

The Reeds recognize that most of the quality in the glass happens in the vineyard. Management of the vineyard is meticulous, with extra time spent to adjust to challenging growing condition when they occur. We do not cut corners and will pick quality over quantity every time.

Harvest is all done by hand, and each bin of grapes is hand inspected and sorted. Likewise, in the winery, we maintain a soft touch, allowing the fruit to shine. French and American oak barrels are used, not oak additives.