Tater Tots and Tempranillo: A Tour of Idaho Wine Country

Tired of the daily grind? Looking for some away time with the missus/mister/mis-understood? Plan your next weekend trip to Idaho! The Gem State has it all! In just a couple of short hours, you’ll be out of Davis County and on your way to a wonderland of outdoor activities, good beer on tap, and culinary delights that include an amazing selection of local wines.  

Culinary delights? Why, Salt Lake has some of the best restaurants in the tri-state area! Sure, but have you ever heard of Idaho nachos? It’s when you take tater tots, made from Idaho potatoes (the best potatoes on Earth), and cover them in fixin’s. The result: a cheesy, crunchy delicacy unlike anything served at the Delta Center or even a Megaplex Theater. A true one-of-one.

However, your journey to Idaho isn’t complete without visiting some of the amazing wineries dotted all over the state, from the Magic Valley to the Oregon border. Here you will find charming little wineries churning out vino that tastes good and has the awards to prove it. 

Take Holesinsky Vineyard and Winery in Buhl, which is tucked away between the Snake River and (I am not kidding) an oyster farm, about 11 miles from I-84 and a scant 230 miles from Salt Lake City. Holesinsky offers a bevy of award-winning, estate-grown wines. It is also Idaho’s only organic winery, choosing to fight the good fight when it comes to pest control and weeds. Holesinsky’s grounds are immaculate, with 40 acres of grounds that include a beautiful patio, a treehouse, live music, frisbee golf, and a honeybee hive. 

“We’ve really perfected how to use organic fruit in fermentation and aging,” owner and winemaker Caitlin Holesinsky tells me, as we sit on her patio with an orchestra of buzzing bees and singing birds as accompaniment. “Bees help pollinate the fruit. We have great fruit here in Idaho. Let the fruit shine, and you will be surprised by the ageability of our wines.” 

And shine it does. Holesinsky’s wines are as delicious as they are varied. The estate-grown (wine-speak for saying the fruit was grown at the vineyard) Cabernet Sauvignon is a rich, full-bodied Cab packed with flavors of blackberry, currant and sage that would pair perfectly with a big steak. Not only is this one tasty wine, but it’s got the hardware, with a Best of Class award, a Double Gold, and a Gold Medal. Another standout, the 2020 Oktopus Syrah (also a Double Gold winner) is a deep, dark delight as it pours inky black with purple highlights. Look for baked blackberry pie and a hint of allspice on the nose with big, bold flavors of blueberry, raspberry and black pepper. 

“We have great fruit here in Idaho. Let the fruit shine, and you will be surprised by the ageability of our wines.” 

Not a fan of big red wines? Holesinsky has got you covered with their line of IdaPeach and Unicorn wines. The IdaPeach Seltzer, which comes in cans, and the IdaPeach Sangria are marketed to the wine drinker who may not know they are a wine drinker yet, giving them an approachable wine that won’t break the bank.

“I just realized that, you know, wine is fun!” Holesinsky says. “A lot of people love to try my sweet wines — you get a lot of beer drinkers who love IdaPeach. We have fun packaging. We have pouches. There’s something for everyone.”

When you’re done “slapping the pouch,” safely take I-84 to the Boise metro area, and you will find a slew of urban wineries along Chinden Boulevard in Garden City. One winery that might catch your eye, because of the hot-pink exterior, is Split Rail Winery. Jed Glavin, the owner and winemaker at Split Rail, provides an artistic flair to the local wine community. Glavin doesn’t just showcase his tendencies in his tasting room, which is adorned with beautiful art deco and neo-pop art plus a smattering of mid-century modern furniture, but in his wines as well. 

“A lot of our wines we don’t make in exactly the same way every time,” Glavin tells me in the club room of his winery, sitting on a green couch that could have just as easily been in any ‘80s basement. “We’ll use different grape varieties, we’ll age them or ferment them with different yeasts. A lot of that’s to keep the wines interesting, and then to keep us interested in what we’re doing.”

“We play with concrete here … to bring minerality back; to bring stone and rock and those flavors back to the wine.”

With not one, but two wines named after ‘90s electronica staple Daft Punk — Da Funk Rosé Pét-Nat and Daft Pink Sparkling Rosé — the subtlety of what Glavin is doing is not lost on me. He isn’t just whistling “Around the World” either; the juice is solid. 

The Horned Beast is Glavin’s GSM — Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre blend — and packs all the flavors of the Rhône River Valley into one cool-looking bottle. This wine is loaded with raspberry, blackberry, vanilla, and just a touch of minerality, mostly because after spending time in 50% new oak, it is then transferred to a concrete egg for its last bit of aging. 

“We have concrete,” Glavin says with a nod to the winery. “We play with concrete here. The primary goal of that is to bring minerality back; to bring stone and rock and those flavors back to the wine.” His sparkling wines, made in the “pét-nat” style and crafted by hand, are also quite remarkable. The Da Funk Rosé Pét-Nat features flavors of strawberry, rhubarb and tons of naturally spirited bubbles to funnel those flavors into your face. 

Getting away from the fun wines and vibes of Split Rail, the next stop is wine country! The Sunnyslope Wine Trail is the engine behind 85% of Idaho’s wine operations, featuring 20 wineries and vineyards that grow everything from Albariño to Zinfandel. The trip out from Boise, made easier if you use a service like Snake River Wine Tours, is about an hour long and offers a peek inside the life of real farming. Signs, much like those found in Napa Valley, can be found all over the region, pointing you to your next destination. The pours are generous, the conversation lively and, best of all, the wine is delicious. 

“When my folks started, there were only five wineries in the state. Now there are over 70.”

No trip to The Slope is complete without visiting Hells Canyon Winery. Hells Canyon offers a unique glimpse into what a small, family-run winery looks like in Idaho. The winery sits on a family farm, surrounded by vineyards. Next to the winery is the family home, where Hadley Robertson grew up (she lives in the building behind the winery with her husband and kids). Hadley, the youngest of the four, manages the day-to-day operations — which, unfortunately for her, include showing me around her family estate. Hells Canyon is also one of the first wineries in the region and offers a lot of history as well as fabulous wines. 

“When my folks started, there were only five wineries in the state,” Robertson says as we walk down into the cellar. Old marketing posters and family pictures greet you as you descend the staircase. “Now there are over 70 in the state, so it’s grown. We have a vast library since we have vintages back to the ‘80s. It’s the old bottles and the dust, it really does remind one of an older winery from the turn of the century.”

Much like its namesake, Hells Canyon Winery goes deep in wine lore, and the library, as Robertson said, is quite extensive. Hells Canyon features a tasting room downstairs with racks and racks of dusty bottles just begging to be opened. The labels are also striking, with dazzling depictions of local fish, classical art designs of beautiful women, and old family photos. A trip to Hells Canyon is a trip through the history of Idaho wine. 

A long weekend provides limitless opportunities. The yard work and garage sales can wait until next week; why not take an unforgettable trip to Idaho wine country? There’s a lot more growing in those hills than potatoes, but be sure to get a plate of Idaho nachos — they pair well with a nice Viognier, or so I’m told. 

Read more about excellent wines made in and around Utah:
Au Naturel: Templin Family Wines
Utah Wine Review: Dionysian Cellars