When you think of Idaho, if you do at all, you probably think of it as the potato state. But believe it or not, it’s also coming on as wine growing region. In fact, Idaho was one of the first states in the Pacific Northwest to have wineries, the first one being established there in 1870. After Prohibition, Idaho would have to wait until the 1970s before another winery would sprout up. Today, 18 wineries grace the landscape—most located in and around Boise in the southwest corner of the state known as the Treasure Valley.
I lived in Boise for about 12 years. Back then, there wasn’t much to the city and I eventually left. Because I promised my Mom I wouldn’t “dis” Idaho too badly, let’s just say that Idaho and I weren’t a good fit and leave it at that. So, with some formidable attitudes about Idaho in general, and its wine in particular, I went back recently to visit my family. One of the planned activities was to do a bit of wine tasting. I have to admit that while my ‘tude about Idaho is still basically intact (sorry Mom), my opinions about the wines is not. I had some very pleasant surprises.
“It’s a wine kind of day” is the motto of the first winery on our little tour. The Winery at Eagle Knoll, is located in the dusty hills near Eagle, Idaho, just outside of Boise. This was a great little place with beautiful landscaping. The woman pouring the wine was friendly and enthusiastic. We got to taste four reds and four whites at the tasting bar and also were able to enjoy a meat and cheese tray. (They smoke their own meats on site and sell both the meats and the cheese.) Although they had an interesting Chianti-style Sangiovese that caught my attention, I was most excited about the whites. My personal favorite was an absolutely perfectly dry Gewürztraminer that tasted of rose petals. They also had a nice Chardonnay and an interesting white/red blend, called Pinot-Pinot — a sweetish blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc. I’m not generally fond of sweet reds but this was really good. I went home with a four pack — a Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer (I bet I’ll wish I’d bought more than one bottle), and two Pinot-Pinots (one for me and one to share with my family—their favorite).
Somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, we landed at the estate vineyard of Sawtooth Winery. Surrounded by the dusty plains and acres of vineyards, I felt as though we were miles away from civilization. For all I could tell, we might as well have been on Mars. It was so bleak and tremendously windy that day, I felt kind of sorry for the gal pouring the wine. It didn’t look as though she was too busy. Most of the whites here were okay, but the reds needed some work, I thought. One white really intrigued me though, the Muscat Blanc, which could easily serve as a dessert wine. Floral, dried fruits, citrus, and unique, this found it’s way into my hands as I left.
Closer to civilization is Ste. Chappelle, perhaps Idaho’s most renowned winery. Located atop a sandy, windblown hill, Ste. Chappelle is picturesque if not a bit commercial. They host weddings, have a huge gift shop, well you get the picture. I skipped the reds entirely in the tasting room and stuck to the whites. Famous for their Rieslings, I was intrigued by their Dry Riesling and their Sparkling Riesling and ended up taking home the Dry Riesling for a very budget friendly $7.
Overall, I was rather surprised by the quality of Idaho wines, the whites in particular. Sonoma or Napa have nothing to worry about, but Idaho made a respectable showing. What was disappointing though is that while Idaho is known for its great late harvest and ice wines, none of the wineries we visited were pouring those. Ah well. I shared two bottles with my family and came home with four more so all was not lost.
0 comments:
Post a Comment