I recently had the opportunity to attend a weekend wine event in the Snake River Valley AVA of southwestern Idaho, which was hosted by the Idaho Wine Commission.  Most wine drinkers are not very familiar with wines coming out of Idaho, but wine making first started in Idaho in the early 1860′s. Wine production in Idaho came to a halt during prohibition, and did not start up again in full force until the 1970′s. Today there are nearly 50 wineries throughout southwest Idaho, and while the quality of Idaho wines does not compare to the great wine regions in California, Oregon or Washington, the wines are continuing to improve in their quality.
During the wine event I was given a bottle of the 2010 Ste. Chapelle Special Harvest Riesling. It had sat in my wine refrigerator for several weeks, and I finally pulled it out when we were having Indian curry chicken for dinner. I decided to pair it with this meal because this is a sweet Riesling, and it would balance out the spice of the curry well. Upon opening the bottle it had aromas of stone fruit, with a hint of honey as well. The flavors followed the nose and were of yellow peaches, apricots, and finished with honey, but it also had a tart, metallic aftertaste that did not sit well with me. Having sampled Ste. Chapelle wines in the past, I pretty much had an idea of what this wine would offer in the glass, and I was correct. While it was not a terrible wine, it was only average at best, and not one that I would personally purchase in a store.

Jon

With the hot days of summer in full swing, sipping on a refreshing white wine is just what the doctor ordered, at least I think that’s what the doctor ordered. I recently picked up a bottle of the 2006 Pepperwood Grove Riesling from south eastern Australia to enjoy on a warm evening. I had never sampled this wine before, and thought that I would give it a try. I found this wine to be off-dry, with just a touch of residual sugar, but it was not what I was expecting from a Riesling. In my opinion this wine had more characteristics of an off-dry Chardonnay than a Riesling, and a bad Chardonnay at that. I was totally disappointed with this wine. To me the the aromas and flavors were flat, with hardly any of the fruit that one expects from a Riesling. While not an expensive wine at just $7 per bottle, this is not a wine that I would try again.

Jon

Hogue Cellars is a family owned and operated winery in Eastern Washington’s Columbia Valley. The climate and soils of Columbia Valley are ideal for grape growing, and the wines produced there are fruit-forward by nature. I recently sampled a bottle of the 2009 Late Harvest Riesling which is a sweet Riesling. This wine had aromas and flavors of apricots, nectarines, pears, and cantaloupe. This wine had a fruit candy taste to it, and I paired the wine with a delicious prosciutto and cantaloupe melon appetizer, and they complimented one another very well.

Jon

We were cooking spicy Asian marinated pork chops for dinner, and I wanted to compliment the dish with a wine on the sweeter side to offset the spiciness of the pork chops. So I picked up a bottle of the 2009 Columbia Crest Two Vines Riesling from the state of Washington. This wine was a great fit with the chops, as the spices and sweetness of the wine complimented one another well. This Riesling was medium-bodied, with the slight sweetness that I was desiring to pair with the food. The aromas and flavors were of apricots, yellow peaches, pears, honey, and citrus. This wine had nice acidity to it, with a clean fruit-filled finish. For the price of just $8, this is a wine that is worth trying.

Jon