Wineries in Idaho's Snake River Valley are finally making a mark

by Paul Gregutt

Although the Idaho wine industry dates back to the mid-1800s, and modern winemaking there began just a decade or so later than in Washington and Oregon, Idaho wines have been largely ignored outside the state. Are the wineries too small, the wines simply unavailable?

Not entirely. Ste. Chapelle, founded in 1976 by the Symms family, was making up to 100,000 cases of wine annually by the mid-1980s, placing it in the top five wineries in the Pacific Northwest. White wines — notably riesling and chardonnay — anchored the brand, which also made some excellent sparkling wine as well.

Another good-sized Idaho winery, Sawtooth, is part of the Corus Estates & Vineyards group, and their wines are widely available here in Washington. Coeur d'Alene Cellars, like a number of other northern Idaho wineries, draws largely on Washington grapes for its wines, which are excellent, particularly its syrahs. These three producers are all worth seeking out.

So why has Idaho remained under the radar? It may have been the lack of a well-defined grape-growing region capable of delivering wines with specific, unique flavors.

But look out world, that region has arrived. Last year Idaho received federal approval for its first designated viticultural area: the Snake River Valley AVA. Though a small piece of it spills into Oregon, virtually all the vineyards and wineries are in southwest Idaho.

The new AVA encompasses more than 5 million acres, roughly half the size of our Columbia Valley. Its boundaries include some of the highest-elevation vineyards in the country (some over 3,000 feet), on the slopes of the surrounding mountains. By one estimate, 90 percent of the state's grapes are grown here on 1,800 acres.

Home to roughly half of Idaho's 38 wineries, the Snake River Valley is a young region just testing itself. Here you'll find northern European white wine grapes, four of the five principal Bordeaux red grapes, and hot-climate varietals such as syrah. If you really want to taste its flavors, be sure the label specifies Snake River Valley on the front. In my tastings, I found that the whites show a piercing, acidic minerality, lower alcohol levels and a crisply defined fruit character — ripe, but leaning to green. The red wines are tougher to pin down. For those accustomed to the muscularity of Washington reds, these may seem a bit thin and tannic. But I applaud them for their moderate alcohol levels, innate balance and, in the best, their European grace.

Wineries to look for: Cinder (www.cinderwines.com) makes a very fine 2007 Viognier ($17), tasting of melon and grapefruit. Their 2006 Syrah ($27) brings smells of blueberry pie and chocolate, finishing with smoke and coffee.

Koenig Distillery & Winery (www.koenigvineyards.com) focuses on single-vineyard offerings. The wines are exceptional, from the $15 Williamson Vineyard Viognier all the way up to the $50 reserve-level wines. An especially fine value is Koenig's 2006 Three Vineyard Cuvée Syrah ($20).

Bitner Vineyards (www.bitnervineyards.com) has a nicely concentrated 2006 Dry Riesling ($12) with tangy flavors of meyer lemon, grapefruit and orange. Snake River Winery's (www.snakeriverwinery.com) 2007 Riesling ($9) is off-dry, lightly honeyed, with a hint of minerality.

3 Horse Ranch Vineyards (www.threehorseranchvineyards.com) offers a full line of organically grown wines. And Hells Canyon Winery (www.hellscanyonwinery.org) has a fine, estate-grown chardonnay ($22) along with nicely structured reds, especially the Zhoo Zhoo Claret.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Washington Wines & Wineries — the Essential Guide." Contact him at paulgwine@me.com.