On our way home from our daughter Noel's graduation last weekend we decided to stop at the Maryhill Winery. This was such a good choice on so many levels. First of all the views from the Washington side of the drive are so much more beautiful than from the Oregon side. You begin to see the river right away, whereas on the Oregon side you get to see a lot of sagebrush and receptacles for weapons of mass destruction (turns out there in Umatilla, Oregon, not in Iraq as we had be led to believe.) True, the Washington side is only two lanes and a bit more curvy, but it's beautiful. Our server at Deborah, and she was delightful. She was passionate about the wine she was serving, and very well versed on the history of the place. The entire tasting room was built around a twenty foot long, beautiful, quarter-sawn oak bar. The bar is well traveled. It was ordered from a Sears catalogue by the Brunswick Corporation and installed in a bar in Alaska during the gold rush years. (There are still bullet hole marks in parts of the bar from the unruly customers who saddled up to it up north.) Eventually it made it's way down south to a bar in Spokane, Washington where it suffered at the hands of an idiot who painted it black! Apparently purchasing the bar was a bargain, it was the restoration that cost a fortune. But what a beautiful piece of history to lean against and enjoy a taste of wine.
Maryhill will pour you a generous tasting of their entry level wines for free. Very nice. But I would recommend that you spring for the $5 tasting fee and go straight to the premium wines. They will refund the fee if you purchase more than $20 of wine, which you should be happy to do once you've tasted them. Five tastes of beautiful reds for only five bucks. What a deal. Three of the wines tasted sell for over a hundred dollars, and they are amazing. Our host, Deborah was unabashedly biased toward their Reserve Barbera. It sits slightly down the tasting and price list at $24 a bottle. The '04 Reserve Barbara is a beauty. Dark, sumptuous fruit with a leathery, black pepper aroma. The Reserve Zinfandel ($35 a bottle) was excellent as well. We purchased 
several of the Barberas which I felt were the best bargain on the list, and a wine that will get better and better for another couple of decades.
several of the Barberas which I felt were the best bargain on the list, and a wine that will get better and better for another couple of decades. Turn around at the bar and enjoy an amazing view of the Columbia Gorge. Marhill has a concert series with some big name performers. They are also doing a series of weekend performances each weekend on the upper terrace. So, on some beautiful Friday this summer, cut out work early and head over. Or, if you are traveling to see family east of the mountains, give yourself enough time to stop either coming or going. Head for Maryhill with a picnic dinner, purchase a bottle of wine to share, and enjoy. Have a seat on their patio and enjoy an amazing view of the Columbia Gorge, while also taking in some free music. And, of course, make sure you purchase a beautiful bottle of wine to go with that food. It could be the perfect outing. The patio and winery close at 6 p.m., so plan accordingly.