On a crisp and sunny fall morning, I participated in a rigorous boot camp lead by Idaho Preferred and the Idaho Wine Commission. Described as “a crash course in the Idaho wine industry”, the day was designed to take area influencers through our paces as we toured both the Snake River wine country and the urban area of Garden City.
What a workout we got! There was the traditional warm up, followed by exercises such as strength training, cardio, and cross-training. And, of course, it was important to stay hydrated throughout the day.
It was challenging, but at the end of the day everyone felt invigorated!
The Warm Up
After boarding the tour bus, we received a warm welcome from Moya Shatz Dolsby and Shelley Bennett from the Idaho Wine Commission and Leah Clark from Idaho Preferred. They let us know what we were in for as we began the 30 minute ride to the Snake River Valley in Caldwell, Idaho.
During the jaunt, all of us wine lovers introduced ourselves and relayed an interesting fact about ourselves to break the ice and ease us into the day.
Mine was that I have an almost four-year-old who is about 190 pounds. After some strange looks I revealed that it was my dog Lindsay, who is a Newfoundland (though admittedly he is big even for his breed).
Stretching
We disembarked at our first stop of the day, Bitner Vineyards, which includes a tasting room and panoramic views of the Snake River Valley.
Upon arrival we were immediately encouraged to hydrate.
We then stretched our legs and moved onto the vineyard. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were still on the vine and they looked delicious.
Owner Ron Bitner planted Chardonnay 35 years ago and he has been a pioneer for the Idaho wine industry. He’s even affectionately known as “The Godfather.” He has a Ph.D. in entomology and is a bee biologist as well as a viticulturist. The vineyards at Bitner are now home to 15 acres of wine grapes.
We learned about the importance of vine placement, leaf growth, pruning and the overall care of a vineyard. We sipped and listened, enjoying the beautiful views. We even ate grapes plucked straight from the vine!
Bitner Vineyards’ two taglines came up during the discussion, and they stuck with me:
Sustainably Grown.
Patiently Crafted.
Their wines are made by winemaker Greg Koenig and can be tasted on site Friday through Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m.
Strength Training
We were then shuttled to Ste. Chapelle, established 1976, Idaho’s largest and oldest winery.
There we were greeted with our next tasting by Meredith Smith (winemaker to both Ste. Chapelle and Sawtooth Winery), who was pouring a 2014 Tempranillo, which will not be ready for release until next year at the earliest.
Another Tempranillo was brought out that had just finished undergoing malolactic fermentation, which is the conversion of malic acid to lactic acid – a practice that softens acidity. Malolactic fermentation is done before clarifying so the wine was quite cloudy.
Our palates were then really put to the test! We were challenged to taste three white wines, all of which had just finished undergoing primary fermentation, and guess the grape varietal for each.
I correctly guessed two out of three! The first was a Chardonnay destined to become sparkling wine (correct!), the second a Pinot Gris (correct! which I will concede was a group effort), and then Chenin Blanc (incorrect! I guessed Riesling).
Some exciting things are going on at Ste. Chapelle, visit them Mon.-Wed. 10am to 5pm, Thurs.-Sat. 10 am to 6pm, or Sun. 12pm to 5pm.
Cardio
Next up it was time for some action!
We found ourselves at the door of Koenig Vineyards, which surround a newly built Tuscan style winery designed by owner and winemaker Greg Koenig, who has a background in architecture.
Koenig is a busy man and winemaker, not only for his own label and Bitner, but also 3 Horse Ranch, Williamson Vineyards, and Scoria Vineyards. Whew!
We were welcomed to the winery by Koenig and introduced to the winemaker of Fujishin Family Cellars, Martin Fujishin and his wife Teresa, as well as siblings Beverly and Mike Williamson of Williamson Vineyards.
It was clear we were going to be tasting a lot of wines and we readied ourselves for a test of endurance!
To prepare, we were whisked to the production part of the winery where a fresh batch of Malbec had been harvested and was being processed.
We watched as the grapes made their way onto the shaking table, where grapes are sorted, and go through the destemmer machine.
From there we were taken into the building where the grape juice or must was beginning to ferment. In the vats the grape solids rise to the top and this cap must be reintroduced into the liquid in order to extract phenolics (the compounds in grapes that create color, flavor, etc). This is called cap management and was demonstrated in a method known as punching down, during which the cap is pushed back down into the juice.
We toured the barrel room where it smelled absolutely amazing! This is where the wine ages after fermentation. The oak barrels allow a slow infusion of oxygen into the wine, which softens tannins and helps create significant complexity.
Finally it was time to taste!
We then refueled with a delicious lunch from a local restaurant, from which our meal was created by sourcing most of the food within a 25 mile footprint of where we standing.
See the gorgeous new Koenig winery for yourself open daily from noon to 5:00 p.m. Make a day of it by stopping at Fujishin and Williamson on your way!
Cross Training
With full bellies we journeyed back toward Boise and promptly dozed off. Okay, maybe that was just me, but it seemed in no time we were at Meriwether Cidery in Garden City, a town within Boise’s city limits that has become an urban mecca for adult beverage production in southern Idaho.
As we toured the facility we got a crash course in apple cider (which is considered to be “wine of other fruits by the U.S. Government) and soon were tasting different types of cider from traditional to blackberry.
I appreciated this look into another fermenting fruit beverage and loved hearing the story of how a family of four found themselves at a crossroads and went into the business together.
Learn more by visiting the Cidery Thursday through Sunday at select times.
The Cool Down
We continued by traveling down the street to Telaya Wine Co. which houses not only Telaya Wines, but also Coiled Wines.
There was a flurry of activity as we arrived! Coiled winemaker Leslie Preston excitedly thanked us for coming then hurried away to process newly harvested Petite Sirah that had just come in.
Telaya winemaker Earl Sullivan was also busy at work. We were taken into the production area of the winery where we saw fermenting Merlot as well as grape pomace (discarded skins and seeds pressed free of juice), and went into the Cold Room where Syrah was chilling in covered vats.
After the tour and tasting, it was time to relax on the patio and take in the day.
Stop in at Telaya and Coiled Wines daily from noon to 6:00 p.m. and, bonus, the patio is dog friendly!
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After a full day of boot camp I certainly feel that I learned a lot about the Idaho wine industry. I enjoyed each aspect of the boot camp – especially the constant hydration throughout the day! I look forward to visiting all the wineries we stopped at again soon!
Thank you to the Idaho Wine Commission and Idaho Preferred.
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