Great NW Wine: Buzz for Idaho wine grows with Boise

Published: Mon, 06/18/18

Wine of the Week

Coeur de Terre Vineyard 2015 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley

Scott Neal and his GM/wife Lisa Neal, who are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their Willamette Valley dream west of McMinnville, have produced another stunning example of Oregon Pinot Noir that’s approachable for its structure as well as its price point.

Its nose displays cherries, spice and a bit of cedar, which transition to lush cherries, spice and spot-on acidity amid an elegant mouth feel that reaches under the tongue for a finale of cherries and violets.

This marks the third time in four years that the flagship estate wine for Coeur de Terre Vineyard earned a double gold medal at the Cascadia International Wine Competition, a remarkable achievement that helps identify the Neals as one of the region’s most underrated Pinot Noir houses. And not only have they increased production of this bottling by nearly 75 percent since the 2013 vintage, but they also have held steady on their price.

Price: $22

Production: 2,588 cases

Alcohol: 13.8%

Winery website

Value wine
of the Week

Eleven Winery 2016 Ratio:Blanco White Wine, Washington

Fans of the hit show Stranger Things might be quick to pick a bottle by Eleven Winery off the shelf, and rest assured if you’re buying this blend of Viognier (55%) and Sauvignon Blanc before you try it, you are in for a treat. The aromas and flavors start off strong with zest of both lemon and lime, then develop into a sensation of a full mouth feel, showcasing nectarine, ripe peach and apricot. There is a hint of spice working in the background to keep things mysterious… just like Stranger Things. This won a gold medal and best of class at the 2018 Cascadia International Wine Competition.

Price: $12

Production: 163 cases

Alcohol: 13.5%

Winery website

Chef Meets BC Grape: Taste of the Okanagan

OKANAGAN FALLS, British Columbia – The British Columbia Wine Institute stages its annual Chef Meets BC Grape – Taste of the Okanagan – on Saturday, June 23 at the stunning See Ya Later Ranch in Okanagan Falls.

Festivities will include tastings from more than 45 BC wineries, as well as master class wine education seminars, chef demonstrations, wine and food pairings, BC wine contests, and a variety of food stations prepared by some of Canada’s top chefs.

Stroll through enchanting winery grounds and vineyards, tasting and sipping your way through the afternoon with your choice of 150 wines and cuisine from a dozen chefs.

Cost is $110, and proceeds benefit the British Columbia Hospitality Foundation, a charity that raises funds to support those in the hospitality industry facing financial crisis because of a health issue.

Events calendar

Check out our revamped events calendar, which shows what is happening in the wine countries of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho.

Have an event? Please visit this link to add it.

Savor Idaho toasts Gem State's emerging wine scene in Boise

Savor Idaho, which has been a sellout for the past nine years, is the centerpiece event for Idaho Wine Month, an official proclamation by Gov. Butch Otter in 2009.

These days, there’s a growing year-round buzz swirling around the Idaho wine industry for a variety of reasons. Forbes magazine recently ranked Boise and its suburbs as the fastest growing metropolitan area in the U.S. Seattle is No. 2, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth.

Tuesday judging in Walla Walla

helps College Cellars students

WALLA WALLA, Wash. – The sixth annual Walla Walla Valley Wine Competition, a scholarship fundraiser for College Cellars, will be staged Tuesday morning at the Walla Walla Community College Center for Enology and Viticulture.

This blind judging of wines made by Walla Walla Valley wineries has raised more than $7,000 in scholarships for viticulture and enology students at WWCC. Supporting producers that have won best of show include Balboa Winery, Dunham Cellars, Palencia Wine Co., and Walla Walla Vintners.

Yakima Valley College to host Wash. State Wine Competition

The 35th Washington State Wine Competition, a scholarship fundraiser for Yakima Valley Vintners, takes place Friday on Yakima Valley College’s Grandview campus.

From 1980 through 2015, the judging was operated by the Central Washington State Fair in Yakima. The judging now is being operated by Great Northwest Wine in an agreement with fair officials, and it now funds a scholarship for Yakima Valley Vintners - the teaching winery program led by Trent Ball and Brad Smith.

Spring heat units in NW track ahead of record-hot '15 vintage

The hot and early 2015 vintage set records throughout the Pacific Northwest in terms of growing degree days, but spring 2018 is on pace to surpass that year, according to recent climate data.

Temperatures in Oregon, Washington and Idaho during May were as much as 6 degrees above normal, and nearly every wine growing region was ahead of 2015 on June 1.

Owner of NW Wine Summit, Parks Redwine, dies in Atlanta

Hill Parks Redwine II, longtime ambassador for the Pacific Northwest wine industry as owner of the NorthWest Wine Summit Wine Competition, died of cancer June 3 in Atlanta, Ga., at the age of 70.

Redwine, who routinely carried a copy of his birth certificate in his wallet to prove the origin of his name, founded the NorthWest Wine Summit in 1996, an event he staged for most of its history at Timberline Lodge on Oregon’s Mount Hood.

Washington's 2017 white wines stay crisp despite snow, smoke

Weather conditions during a vintage’s growing season are not always the indicator of quality. White wines from the 2017 vintage in Washington — wines that are just now showing up in tasting rooms and on wine merchants’ shelves — are a case in point.

In typical Columbia Valley fashion, September and October were warm with perpetually sunny skies, leading to a harvest that started on time and provided little drama to growers or winemakers.

Oregon professor Jones sees bright side of climate change

Linfield College professor Greg Jones, one of the wine world's leading climate researchers, prefers to look on the bright side of our weather while encouraging conservation.

He shared some of his insight on how regions around the globe are adapting and explained how wildfires can affect wine during Episode 45 of The Four Top, the Oregon Public Broadcasting podcast series by Portland-based journalist Katherine Cole. Last year, the acclaimed author and Ivy League grad earned a James Beard Award for her young series.

New wine reviews posted

We have posted several new reviews, including:

JM Cellars 2017 The Benches Cinsaut Rosé, Horse Heaven Hills
Joleté Wines 2016 Le Verre Cuvée
Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Tunnel Hill Winery 2015 Estate Pinot Noir, Lake Chelan
Tapteil Vineyard Winery 2015 Estate GSM, Red Mountain
Saviah Cellars 2016 The Jack Syrah, Columbia Valley
Idilico Wine 2014 Garnacha, Yakima Valley
Eye of the Needle Winery 2014 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
Adega Northwest 2014 Weinbau Vineyard Block 10 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
Browne Family Vineyards 2016 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley
Beaumont Cellars 2015 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
2Hawk Vineyard & Winery 2016 Darow Series Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley
Tucannon Cellars 2012 Syrah,
Walla Walla Valley
Mill Lane Winery NV Rhubarb-Cranberry Wine, Washington
Westport Winery Garden Resort NV Rapture of the Deep Carbonated Cranberry Wine, Washington
Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2015 Riesling, Willamette Valle
Canoe Ridge Vineyard 2015 The Expedition Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills
Roller Girl Wines 2015 Jammer Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley
Gård Vintners 2014 Lawrence Vineyards Grand Klasse Reserve Pinot Gris,
Columbia Valley
Rio Vista Wines 2016 Sunset on the River, Columbia Valley
Bergdorf Cellars 2012 Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley
Pomum Cellars 2014 Red Wine, Columbia Valley
Youngberg Hill 2015 Cuvée Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
4 Cellars 2014 Red Blend, Columbia Valley
Wild Goose Vineyards & Winery 2017 Mystic River Vineyard Gewürztraminer,
Okanagan Valley
Eagle Creek Winery 2014 Syrah, Columbia Valley
Gran Moraine Winery 2017 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton
Alexana Winery 2015 Zena Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills
Battle Creek Cellars 2014 Battle Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Panther Creek Cellars 2016 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
The Magnificient Wine Co. 2017 Rosé, Columbia Valley
Abiqua Wind Vineyard 2015 Estate Chloe's Breeze Müller-Thurgau, Willamette Valley
Nine Hats Wines 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
W.B. Bridgman Cellars 2016 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley
Jones of Washington 2016 Pybus Market White Wine, Columbia Valley
Barrister Winery 2014 Merlot, Walla Walla Valley
Charles Smith Wines 2015 Boom Boom! Syrah, Washington
Upchurch Vineyard 2015 Counterpart Red Wine, Red Mountain
Sawtooth Estate Winery 2015 30th Anniversary Red Blend, Snake River Valley
Love That Red Winery 2017 Love that Rosé, Columbia Valley
Primarius Winery 2014 Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Henry Earl Estates 2015 Shaw Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Mountain
Pomeroy Cellars 2016 Farm Hand's White, Yakima Valley
Angel Vine 2013 The Hellion Red Wine, Columbia Valley
Westport Winery Garden Resort 2016 Bordello Blonde White Wine, Yakima Valley
Martin-Scott Winery 2016 Needlerock Vineyard Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley

Read the reviews