Unique US Wineries and Regions

The next day we drove in a caravan of 4 vehicles to Stanley, Idaho – taking the scenic route over Highway 12 through some amazingly steep mountain passes, but breath-taking scenery. Though Google Map told us it would take 3.5 hours, we managed to make it in 2 hours and 50 minutes. The family reunion was scheduled to take place in Stanley because my uncle owns the Sawtooth Luce restaurant there. When we arrived, they had prepared large pizzas to welcome us for lunch. Next we headed out to Smiley Creek Ranch where we had rented out the place for [...]

After asking around during the day for a restaurant recommendation – a place where we could get fresh Idaho trout and a good wine list – the name Red Feather came up so often that we called there to book a table. It is located in the charming downtown area of Boise near the river and all of the shops. When we arrived a farmer’s market was in progress selling fresh produce and other goodies. Red Feather, like most of the restaurants along the street, had outdoor seating, and as the night was a balmy 80F, we hoped to sit [...]

One thing we didn’t realize is that many Idaho wineries are only open on the weekend, and since we had scheduled our appointment with St. Chapelle for Thursday (they are actually open every day), we were disappointed to find that several other wineries we wanted to visit were not accessible. Fortunately Bitner Vineyards was willing to make an exception and the owner, Ron Bitner, greeted us with warm Idaho hospitality. Bitner is a very small winery located in a cute adobe building with a large wooden deck overlooking the hillside vineyards. Fabulous view! They have been farming grapes for over [...]

When I received the invitation for the family reunion to be held in Stanley, Idaho, I immediately began planning a side-trip to Idaho wine country. When my wine-loving Seattle sister and cousins from Oregon heard about the outing, they asked to join, and we had several fun-filled days tasting Idaho wine from 8 different wineries. You may be amazed to learn that Idaho now has 29 wineries and one AVA (American Viticulture Area) called the Snake River AVA. The majority of these wineries are located close Boise, though there are a few in Northern Idaho. See http://www.idahowines.org/ for a list [...]

I must admit that Thomas Jefferson is my favorite president, and not just because of his love for wine and dream of Americans growing winegrapes -- but also because he was a world-traveler, well read, and the author of the Declaration of Independence. When we discovered that his home, Monticello, was only a 1-hour drive from our resort, we immediately decided that a trip was in order. The day greeted us with a perfect blue sky and a balmy 85 F degrees, and when we arrived at Monticello, it was even warmer. The $20 admission fee seemed rather steep at [...]

After lunch we drove to the nearest winery, CrossKeys Vineyards (http://www.crosskeysvineyards.com/) in Harrisonburg, and had a delightful tasting. The winery is very impressive with a large stone courtyard and beautiful cream stucco buildings. It is surrounded by vineyards – all with vertical shoot positioning (VSP) and 8 by 4 feet spacing. They have 29 acres, and produce 5500 cases of estate wine. It was a rather crowded tasting room for a Monday afternoon, and while there we couldn’t help but overhear how many people came in asking for their sweet wines. It appears that Virginia wine drinkers have a sweet [...]

It’s hard to believe that Virginia is now 5th in the nation in terms of wine production, but it is true according to several Virginia wineries I have visited this past week. What’s more – Virginia has over 140 different wineries and 7 AVA’s (American Viticulture Areas). The most prolific AVA in terms of total number of wineries and highest production rate is the Monticello AVA – where Thomas Jefferson’s famous house and estate are located. At the same time, there are also many wineries about one hour’s drive outside of Washington DC in what is called “Mid-Northern Virginia, but [...]

Since I am fortunate enough to live in Sonoma County, I have had the opportunity to visit hundreds of wineries in Sonoma and Napa over the past 8 years. However, it wasn’t until yesterday that I visited the very charming and friendly Suisun Valley. Situated only 20 minutes south of Napa and only a short 1 hour drive from San Francisco, it is the perfect one-day get-away. It seems amazing that after exiting I-80 onto Suisun Valley Road that within 5 minutes you are transported back in time to a gentle sleepy valley of vineyards, quaint wineries, friendly restaurants and [...]