Pioneering Oregon Wineries

 

MT Hood Winery
(1974-1988)

Lester Martin opened Mt Hood Winery in 1974 to make wine from the fruit and berries grown on his property.  No grapes were used.

Martin spent 24 years working in California as a chemical engineer.  He found an old orchard near the small town of Mt Hood, replanted it, and soon started making fruit wines.  He also got in on the “wine cooler” craze of the 1980’s by making coolers under the Martin & Johnson Premium Oregon Cooler label. 

Martin had some interesting names for his wines - Ganzapfelwein (made from whole apples) and Buerre d’Anjou (made from pears).

The winery was located at 4655 Woodworth Drive, P.O. Box 65, Mount Hood, OR 97041.


 

Fun Facts

Martin moved to Oregon in 1969 looking for river frontage so he could spend his retirement fishing.

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In 1988 Martin sold his winery to Doug Whitlock and Gary Hood who planned to move it to Government Camp.