Idaho wines will see their day in the sun, many say

It´s not Napa Valley, but it could be someday.

As the October harvest of Idaho´s wine grape crop winds down, winery owners say Idaho is on the cusp of becoming more recognized for its wines.

Ken Dey
The Idaho Statesman

“Idaho has always produced good wine; the problem is it hasn´t been promoted,” said Mike Kauffman, who owns the Winery at Eagle Knoll, Idaho´s newest winery in Eagle.

But that is changing.

Kauffman and other owners are actively talking up the Idaho wine industry, and wine aficionados are starting to listen.

“We´re probably where Washington (state) was 30 years ago,” says Bob Corbell, executive director of the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission.

Putting Idaho in that position leaves plenty of room for growth in the state.

Washington´s wine industry now includes more than 250 wineries.

Idaho´s wine industry is still small by comparison, but it´s flourishing in a place where many thought growing grapes would have been impossible.

Idaho´s winemaking roots go back to the 1800s. But production was derailed in the 1930s during prohibition.

It has been only in the past 25 years or so that Idaho wineries have started gaining a foothold in the highly competitive wine industry.

Ste. Chapelle, built in 1976 on the slopes overlooking the Snake River in Canyon County, was the state´s first winery and is still the largest. But today 18 wineries dot Idaho´s landscape from its Panhandle to the southern area.

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Idaho has 18 wineries and is expected to bottle more than 200,000 cases of wine this year. Mike Kauffman, along with his wife, Joy, are owners of one of the newest winery, The Winery at Eagle Knoll, near the Emmett Speedway. The 2002 vintage wine is their first bottling, and this year is their first crush. “All of our reds are doing really well,” he says. “This (the Merlot/Cabernet blend he is holding) is the best moving, along with our Merlot and Syrah.” The first wine off their first crush will debut around February 2004.

Idaho is known for its potatoes, not its wines. But Idaho winemakers say the quality and price of their wines make them great bargains for connoisseurs.

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Winery at Eagle Knoll plans grand opening

The Winery at Eagle Knoll, Idaho´s newest winery, is planning its grand opening on Saturday and Sunday.

The event will feature wine tasting and live entertainment.

The grand opening will take place from noon to 7 p.m. both days at 3705 Highway 16 in Eagle, 2 1/2 miles north of Idaho 44 (State Street) on the way to Emmett.

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In the last year, wines from Idaho wineries have won more than 50 awards for quality.

Included in that count are seven gold medals for Idaho wines, and industry magazines such as the Wine Spectator are starting to write about Idaho wines. This added recognition has helped sell more wine from the state.

An economic study released in summer 2002 by the University of Idaho found that Idaho´s then 11 wineries produced more than 165,000 cases of wine each year.

The 18 wineries now in Idaho are expected to produce some 200,000 cases of wine this year.

Two more wineries are set to open next year, and Corbell said he expects wine production to double within 10 years.

Most of the wine produced comes from Ste. Chappelle, which produces more than 150,000 cases per year. The state´s remaining smaller wineries provide the rest.

Wine sections in stores that once boasted a myriad of bottles from California wineries now feature wines from vineyards including Ste. Chapelle, Hells Canyon, Sawtooth, Carmela and Snake River.

According to the U of I study, Idaho wine sales hit $15 million in 2001. The industry employs more than 100 people and taxes from sales generate $2.3 million in state revenue.

Corbell said those sales resulted in $40 million impact on the state´s economy, including $30 million in Canyon County, where most of the state´s wineries are located.

Since 2001, Corbell said, Idaho wine sales have been increasing each year between 5 percent and 7 percent.

Idaho also has been able to steer clear of the glut of wines on the global market since most of Idaho´s wines, apart from some of Ste. Chapelle´s, are sold in Idaho or in the Northwest.

“It´s an industry that´s returning a profit when a lot of them aren´t,” Corbell said.

Sticking together

Three years ago, when Kauffman and his wife, Joy, bought 32 acres in Eagle just off Highway 16 and planted their first grape vines, the couple was on the way toward fulfilling a lifelong dream.

The Kauffmans have been avid wine enthusiasts for years, spending vacations travelling through California and the Northwest sampling wines.

Before coming to Idaho, the couple owned a smoked meats and cheese operation in Northern California that supplied products to wineries. They´ve since added that business to their Idaho winery.

Mike Kauffman said they were able to make their dream a reality thanks to the help of other Idaho wineries that were quick to offer advice and support.

Unlike some industries that are highly competitive, Idaho vintners know they have to band together and encourage new wineries if they are to succeed.

Chuck Devlin, winemaker at Ste. Chapelle, says having a small number of wineries does not create the level of excitement and awareness needed for the industry to grow.

With more wineries also comes more tourism.

“They (wineries) have an almost unlimited potential as a tourist industry, and that´s where the impact to the state´s economy comes in,” said Garth Taylor,an agriculture economist with the University of Idaho.

Taylor said Idaho doesn´t yet have enough wineries to make it a destination location, but the number of wineries clustered in Canyon County does serve as a great day trip for residents in the Treasure Valley and as a terrific destination to bring visitors.

Last year´s study found that travelers spent an average of $139 during a trip to the Canyon County wineries, and about $42 of that was spent in other businesses such as restaurants and local stores.

“The draw for tourists is far beyond what you could expect in another agribusiness industry,” Taylor said, adding that one only need to look at Washington and Oregon´s wine industry and California´s Napa Valley to see the potential for Idaho.

Good wine

Because Idaho´s wines aren´t as well known as its potatoes, they must rely on quality rather than reputation.

“Our wines have to stand on their own because they´re competing against the whole world,” Devlin said.

Devlin said the wines are not only holding their own but in many instances are standing above other wines.

Much of the skepticism about the wines has come from critics who did not believe that Idaho´s climate was suitable for wine growing.

“The real secret (to winemaking) is having ripe grapes,” Devlin said. “The fundamental question is: Can we get the grapes ripe? Yes, we can.”

In fact Devlin and other winemakers say the cool nights and warm days provide an optimum climate to achieve the best flavor from the grapes.

The only major drawback to the climate is the danger of a hard freeze. In 1991, such a freeze destroyed most of the vines, setting the industry back a few years.

The industry has benefitted from years of study from the University of Idaho´s Parma Research Station, which has been developing wine grape varieties ideally suited to Idaho.

Corbell said white grapes such as Riesling are the most prominent and largest sellers, but he said some of the red grape varieties used in wines like Syrah and Merlot also have been well received.

“The quality of wines is getting incrementally better all the time,” said Peter Johns, wine department manager at Boise´s Crane Creek Market. “It has really been a pleasant surprise.”

Johns said the biggest challenge facing Idaho vintners is making sure their wines get noticed.

“People don´t know how good the wine is,” he said. “It´s not something that comes on the radar as a leading ag product, but when they do try the wines, they´re impressed.”

Jared Couch, the owner and chef of The Dish in Boise, carries a variety of Idaho wines on his restaurant´s wine list. He says wines from Vickers Vineyards and Hells Canyon Winery in Caldwell have been well received by customers, as have wines from Parma´s Snake River Winery.

Couch credits Idaho´s wines for their quality. They also have been a big draw for out-of-town customers who want to sample what the local wineries offer.

“I think the wines we have in Idaho do a pretty good job,” Couch said. “But it´s not nearly as developed as Oregon, Washington or California.”

However, based on the quality of Idaho wines, Couch believes there´s potential for the industry to grow.

Because the state´s wine industry does not have the name recognition or stature of other states, wine enthusiasts get a bargain since most of the wines are sold for lower prices than their California competitors.

Most Idaho wines are already distributed in the major grocery stores such as Albertsons, WinCo, Fred Meyer and Wal-Mart, and they´ll likely get even greater play with last month´s introduction of the Idaho Preferred Program with Wal-Mart, which will feature special displays to promote Idaho products, including wine.

The wines are also the only ones being sold in the state´s liquor stores.

The wineries in Canyon County are seeking to obtain approval from the bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms to form the Snake River Appellation — a designation that lets consumers know that all the grapes in their wines come from a specific growing area to assure them of consistent quality.

Johns said that maintaining the quality of the wines will be key to the industry´s growth.

“Things are looking good for Idaho,” he said. “The wine is well made and the fruit source is good. And once people get the wine in their mouths, that´s half the battle.”

To offer story ideas or comments, contact Ken Dey
[email protected] or 377-6428

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