Idaho countryside image from Pixabay.
What State First Produced Wine in the Northwest? Hint it’s not Oregon.
Over the past several years, there has been a growing interest in Oregon and Washington state wines. But surprisingly, Idaho was the first state in the Pacific Northwest to plant grape vines.
The History of Idaho Wine Making
In 1872, French and German immigrants arrived in the town of Lewiston in the Lewis-Clark Valley of northwestern Idaho. Bringing winemaking know-how from their native countries, they began cultivating grape varietals such as Petite Sirah, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc. By 1908, over forty grape varieties were being grown, and the winemakers won national awards. The Idaho wine industry was booming. However, as in many other states, Prohibition on the state level, enacted in 1916, followed by National Prohibition three years later, devastated the industry, halted production, and any remaining wine was turned into vinegar.
Wine making did not return to Idaho until 1970, with grapevines being planted this time along the Snake River Valley in the southwestern part of the state. Grapes thrive in the unique four-season climate of the valley. Cold winters allow the vines to go dormant, conserve carbohydrates for energy in the growing season, and rid the vines of bugs and disease. The region’s high elevation, combined with a climate of warm summer days and cool nights, equalizes the grape acids and sugars, producing beautifully balanced wines. Initially, wine makers planted cool climate white wine grapes such as Riesling, Chenin Blanc, and Chardonnay. But more recently, there has been an emphasis on red wines from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Tempranillo grapes.
Wine sunset in summer image by Arek Socha from Pixabay.
Growth of the Idaho Wine Industry
Over the next three decades, the Idaho wine industry slowly but steadily grew, with eleven wineries established in 2002 and over forty by 2010. In 2007, the Snake River Valley became the first federally recognized American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the state, covering over 8,000 square miles (including some in Oregon), planted to over 1,125 acres of vines. 2015 saw the establishment of a sub-AVA, Eagle Foothills, within the Snake River Valley AVA. Located near Eagle, Idaho, close to the capital city of Boise, it was approved as a sub-AVA after scientists from Southern Oregon University determined its unique climate, soil, and terrain are different from the rest of the AVA.
Wine Production Returns to Lewis-Clark Valley
Wine production finally returned to the Lewis-Clark Valley in the 1990s, and in April 2016, the Lewis-Clark Valley AVA, the third in Idaho, was approved. Today, this northern Idaho region includes a contiguous section of southeastern Washington state encompassing approximately 500 square miles of land planted to 100 acres of grapes.
The temperate climate of the Lewis-Clark Valley AVA has steep river canyons and plateaus. It is home to the state’s lowest elevation vineyards, yet it successfully ripens various high-quality wine grapes. There are sixteen vineyards and seven wineries in the AVA producing wine from twenty-three different grape varietals, primarily red, including Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbara, and the native Austrian grape Blaufrankisch. The nine white grape varietals include Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat. To learn more about this area, including tours, tastings, and events, visit LewisClarkWine.com.
Idaho field and hills image from Pixabay.
Wine in Idaho Today
Today, there are over sixty wineries across Idaho, with the greatest concentration in Sunnyslope’s Snake River Valley AVA region. Following the “Sunnyslope Wine Trail” is the best way to visit and learn about the twenty wineries in the area. Visit the website SunnySlopeWineTrail.com to learn more. And to explore more information on Idaho’s wineries, regions, and viticulture, go to the Idaho Wine Commission at IdahoWines.org.
This article was originally written for Recette Magazine, and was published online on September 5, 2025. See the original article here: https://blog.suvie.com/beginners-guide-to-idaho-wine. See all of the Fifty States of Wine articles here: https://alwayssharingwine.com/category/asw-blog/fifty-states-of-wine. See all of Susan’s previously published articles here: https://alwayssharingwine.com/tag/previously-published.
