Potato Wine?

Idaho wines can be quite good. I visited a winery about 20 miles west of Boise a couple years ago and tasted the best dry Gewurtz. that I have ever had.

"Dave" wrote in news:1157135856.521377.15490 @h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

St. Chapelle was a leading Caldwell Idaho winery in the 80's with some highly regarded chards and really good rieslings or was it Chenin blanc oh it has been a while. Actually one of my favorite wine storiues was about St Chapelle. I was at a tasting and the guy running it was touting a particular vintage. One of the people at the tasting was going crazy trying to buy it all up so he could sell it in the future. The organizer just looked at him, and said, this wine is good now, it is for drinking not investment.

I like that winery.

A friend of mine works for Peter Michael winery and they sell most of their wines via mail list and there is about a 2 year wait list on that also.

Part of his job is to try to idenify people that are selling the wines that make it to stores. They want the wines they sell to be consumed by the original purchaser not gifted or sold.

Their wines end up on web sites for 3-5x the purchase price and they are trying to stop for same reason you mention.

Dick

They will just have to get past the really bitter winters in that area but grape vines are resilient. I would think they would already be in the AVA of that part of Oregon.

Lawrence Leichtman wrote in news:larry- snipped-for-privacy@news.east.cox.net:

That part of Idaho, Western is actually pretty mild. We in the SE (my former home) regularly referred to it as the Banana Belt with winters that weren't nearly as harsh as ours. It is dry country however, and irrigation is the only way to get a crop of anything save for the sage brush. As deser land it is not even close to Oregon's growing district south of Portland which gets that nice wet cool stuff that is like to Burgundy.

But it is close to the climate of Bend and the desert that extends south of it. Most visitors to Oregon forget that the rainy climate of the Willamette Valley ends abruptly at the Cascades. Culturally, E Oregon bears far more resemblance to Idaho (or Utah) than it does to Portland, Eugene or Ashland ;-)

Mark Lipton (sporting fossils from Fossil, OR in the living room)

Mark Lipton wrote in news:eda6l5$cjm$1 @mailhub227.itcs.purdue.edu:

district

I will never forget the first time I drove from Portland to Idaho via the Dalles. One moment it is rich pine forest, then you turn a bend and are smack dab in the middle of the high chapparel. Culturally, E Oregon

Portland,

Absolutely -- as about 10,000 years ago, a single lava flow covered the entire region from present-day Bend all the way to Boise and beyond. If you take a glance at Google Earth or even Google Maps -- heck, open an atlas based on satellite imagery -- you can see a long, unmistakeable patch of color that runs the entire length from one end to the next.

The soils are intensely volcanic. Very rich soils, high mineral content, etc. Not unlike the soils of the Columbia Gorge and Columbia River Valley (bordering Oregon and Washington). The results are very distinct wines with mineral influence. I have to admit, some of the Gorge wines are far too sulphury -- and that's their nature -- as very little was added in the vinting process.

I will be curious to see how the wines of the upcoming Snake River AVA take shape. Not only for the soils, but also the relatively high altitude of the region.

Thanks,

David

Ah! I have some too from a recent road trip through Fossil in fall

As others have pointed out, the winery you are almost certainly referring to is Ste. Chapelle, not Ste. Michelle. Don't worry, it's a common error. I've seen supermarket flyers that have mixed up the two. Ste. Chapelle is owned by Constellation Brands.

Cole

Thanks for the correction, Cole. It's surprising -- and encouraging -- to see that just 30-odd wineries can forge their own AVA. I'm definitely going to pay more attention to the Snake River as things develop.

David

Potato wine, why not? There's potato vodka, potato ice cream, etc. ;)

Of course being an Idahoan, there's much more to our state than just potatoes, such as world class white water rafting, Micron, and Boise State University (home of the blue football turf).

First and foremost, Ste. Michelle is in Washington, maybe you meant Ste. Chapelle?

Next, for those who are curious, there was recently a Idaho Wine Festival:

Idaho's winning wines DANA OLAND Staff

The secret to Idaho´s wine industry´s success will be in the winemaking, the chemistry, art and heart that goes into each bottle. Each year, the state´s wine reputation deepens as grape growing techniques develop and the beverage´s sophistication increases, as evidenced Saturday at the third Treasure Valley Wine Society´s Idaho Wine Festival, Tasting and Awards at the Doubletree Hotel, Riverside .

A bout 350 people celebrated Idaho wines and winemaking, sampling everything from syrah to chardonnay.

Ted Judd, who helped found the wine society three years ago, has long been an advocate for the state´s wine-growing. This competition has become gratifying, he said, not just because of the enthusiastic turnout of wine drinkers but because the wines are just so good.

Winemakers, restaurateurs and sommeliers from across the region tasted more than 116 wines from 25 Idaho wineries two weeks ago. The results were compiled and announced at Saturday´s event.

"We told our judges to measure against the best wines in the world, not just against Idaho wines," Judd said. "And we´re proud of the results. The winning wines are truly world-class."

The top wines are a mix of Idaho-grown and Idaho-made wines that used grapes from other regions, including Washington.

Best of Show went to such a wine, Coeur d´Alene Cellars´ 2003 Syrah, a smooth, round, not-so-chewy red. It´s not available in the Treasure Valley, but they´re working on it, said Kimber Gates, who represented the winery.

Holesinsky Winery in Buhl is the only certified organic winery in Idaho. It won the people´s choice award for its elegant, spicy 2005 Riesling. You can look for it in area stores starting in September.

Best of Show: Coeur d´Alene Cellars Syrah 2003

Best White: Ste. Chapelle Winery Sauvignon Blanc Ice Wine Reserve Series

Best Red: Pend d´Oreille Winery Malbec 2003

Albertsons People´s Choice: Holesinsky Winery 2005 Rielsing

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

Coeur d´Alene Cellars Viognier 2004

Coeur d´Alene Cellars Syrah 2003

Hells Canyon Winery Retriever Red NV

Parma Ridge Vineyards Viognier 2004

Pend d´Oreille Winery Malbec 2003

Snake River Winery Malbec 2004

Ste. Chapelle Winery Sauvignon Blanc Ice Wine Reserve Series 2004

TimberRock Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

SILVER MEDAL WINNERS

Bitner Vineyards Red Blend 2003

Camas Prairie Winery Lemberger Champoux Vineyard NV

Coeur d´Alene Cellars No. 6 Red NV

Frenchman´s Gulch Winery Syrah 2003

Hells Canyon Winery Merlot Idaho Reserve 2004

Holesinsky Winery Riesling 2005

Indian Creek Winery White Riesling 2005

Koenig Distillery & Winery Riesling Ice Wine Windridge Vineyard 2004

Miceli Vineyards & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Sawtooth Winery Merlot 2003

Sawtooth Winery White Table Wine Late Harvest Reserve 2003

Sawtooth Winery Muscat Blanc 2005

Ste. Chapelle Winery Riesling Special Harvest Winemaker´s Series 2005

Ste. Chapelle Winery Sauvignon Blanc Winemaker´s Series 2005

Ste. Chapelle Winery Riesling Ice Wine Reserve Series 2004

Ste. Chapelle Winery Merlot Winemaker´s Series 2004

Silver Medal Winners (Continued)

Terra Nativa Merlot 2003

The Winery at Eagle Knoll Eagle Head Red NV

TimberRock Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Williamson Winery Syrah 2003

Williamson Winery Syrah 2004

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Also, more info about the AVA:

Idaho wine industry seeks its place in the sun JOE ESTRELLA Staff

Federal AVA designation would recognize Snake River Valley's unique conditions

JOE ESTRELLA

Staff

Idaho wine makers want to make the Snake River Valley as recognizable to wine aficionados as the Napa and Sonoma valleys in California.

For the last year, the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission has been waiting for a decision from the U.S. Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau on whether a portion of Southwest Idaho -- defined as the prehistoric Lake Idaho area -- will be designated as Idaho´s first-ever American Viticultural Area, or AVA.

An AVA designation, also called an appellation , would declare 8,263 square miles beginning outside of Twin Falls and ending just over the Oregon border as a region where geological, topographical and climate conditions produce grapes for wines with distinctive flavors that cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the United States.

"It (the AVA) would mean that the Snake River Valley would be known for grapes would have a unique characteristic, leading to wine that would have a unique personality," said Lloyd Mahaffey , owner of the five-acre Casa D´Aguila vineyard near Eagle, which expects to have its first production harvest next year. "And that would prove that Idaho is an up-and-coming wine-growing region."

Over the years, the government has issued 172 AVAs, including 93 in California. They range from the 62-acre Cole Ranch AVA in Mendocino , Calif., to the 26,000-square-mile Ohio River Valley AVA.

The Snake River Valley appellation request encompasses 10 Idaho counties, including the cities of Hagerman, Glenns Ferry, Boise, Eagle, Caldwell, Nampa and Weiser. It reaches into two Oregon counties.

Wine production is relatively new to the Treasure Valley. Commission Chairman Brad Pitler said Ste. Chapelle opened the area´s first winery in Emmett in 1982. Before that, the industry was centered around the Lewiston area, until Prohibition and the difficulty of growing grapes in a cold- winter climate put most operations out of business.

The commission filed its request a year ago. Approval can take 18 months to two years. That means the green light on Idaho´s first AVA could come in early 2007, says Ron Bitner , former chairman of the wine commission.

Mahaffey said an AVA designation would also be a powerful marketing tool. The serious wine drinker is often drawn to a label indicating that a bottle of wine comes from an AVA, he said.

Wine industry officials in Washington, which has nine AVAs, including three added in the last year, say it´s impossible to determine whether the appellations have been responsible for the industry´s runaway growth in that state. But Robin Pollard , executive director of the Washington Wine Commission, said that since 1983, when the Yakima Valley became the state´s first AVA, the industry has grown from 19 wineries to 400.

"An AVA clearly denotes a distinctive style and taste for your wines," Pollard said.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT

Idaho officials have already taken note of the Idaho wine industry´s impact on the economy.

Tourism officials say wine-makers will play a big role in a promotional campaign the state is planning around the food and beverage industries, with an eye toward increasing Idaho´s reputation as a destination stop for wine enthusiasts.

"We want to emphasize what the wine industry can add to the tourism experience," said Carl Wilgus , administrator of the Tourism Division at Idaho Commerce and Labor.

A 2002 study by the University of Idaho said the industry injected $40 million into the Idaho economy that year, including $20 million in the Treasure Valley.

"And there has been a lot of growth since then," said Pitler, who is general manager of the Sawtooth Winery south of Nampa.

The U of I study also found that 14 wineries and 900 acres of land devoted to growing grapes produced 165,000 cases of wine. By 2006, unofficial industry statistics indicate, the number of Idaho wineries has grown to 25 and acreage to 1,600. Production is estimated at 250,000 cases at 2.4 gallons per case.

THE SECOND TIME AROUND

Bitner , who owns Bitner Vineyard in Eagle, said Idaho wine makers have been trying for an AVA for the Snake River Valley for five years.

An earlier application was sitting in Idaho Sen. Larry Craig´s office when it had to be destroyed along with other potentially contaminated documents during the 2001 anthrax scare in Washington D.C., he said.

The delay in filing a second application was partially caused by the fact that it took a year for the government to inform the commission that its application had been destroyed, Pitler said. It took another two years for geoscientists at Boise State University to complete a study by designed to establish the Snake River Valley´s grape-growing credentials once and for all.

"You have to show the feds why your region is distinct from other regions," Bitner said.

BSU professor David Wilkins said the study found that Idaho´s grape-growing season is shorter than California´s, but that brevity is offset by the state´s longer and warmer summer days. The extended heat produces optimum sugar levels that account for the unique quality of Idaho wines and can´t be duplicated elsewhere, he said.

He said the quality of Idaho grapes is also the direct result of the south-facing slopes in the Snake River Valley, where the grapes are planted. The southern exposure provides more direct sunlight, while the slopping ground allows cold air to drain away from the grapes, thereby preventing frost damage.

At times, Wilkins said, Idaho´s cold winters can work to the industry´s advantage.

"Because we have cold winters, we can produce what´s called ´ice wine,´" he said. "You simply let the grapes stay on vine until later in the season, which produces high-sugar grapes that are then picked and processed while frozen. You couldn´t do that in California. It´s another way we benefit from our more variable climate."

The Snake River Valley´s elevation of about 2,800 feet is better suited for operating a vineyard than drier, colder and windier areas of eastern Idaho, Wilkins said.

Meanwhile, Bitner said a recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research speculates that the global warming problem could ultimately elevate wineries located in the northernmost part of the nation to a greater prominence. He said the study´s conclusion that rising temperatures could scorch grapes in hotter climates means Idaho´s grape crop would be even more valuable.

Idaho wine grapes

The grape varieties that are most widely planted in Idaho:

White: White Riesling, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer

Reds: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

New varieties that have been planted in the last 6 years, primarily Rhone varietals

Whites: Viognier

Reds: Syrah

Did you know?

One ton of wine grapes can produce 178 gallons of juice.

A case of wine is 2.4 gallons or 9 liters.

The U.S. adult consumes 2.53 gallons of wine per year, which is up from 2 gallons in 1990.

On average, Canadians consume 2.4 gallons of wine per year, the British 4 gallons, Italians 14 gallons and the French 15 gallons.

Treasure Valley wineries

1. Snake River Winery, Parma

1. Parma Ridge Winery, Parma

2. Bitner Vineyards, Caldwell

1. Williamson Vineyard, Caldwell

2. Koenig Winery, Caldwell

1. Ste. Chapelle Winery, Caldwell

2. Hells Canyon Winery, Caldwell

1. Weston Winery, Caldwell

2. Vickers Vineyard, Houston

1. Sawtooth Winery, Nampa

2. Indian Creek Winery, Kuna

1. Silver Trail Winery, Kuna

2. The Winery at Eagle Knoll, Eagle

1. Fraser Vineyards, Boise

2. Miceli Vineyard and Winery, Givens Hot Springs

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Both articles from the Idaho Statesman

Finally, I do have to mention that one of my all time favorite chards does come from Vickers.

Ryan