Idaho wine

Idaho
Wine region
Official nameState of Idaho
TypeU.S. State Appellation[1]
Years of wine industry164[1]
CountryUnited States
Sub-regionsSnake River Valley AVA, Eagle Foothills AVA, Lewis-Clark Valley AVA
Climate regionContinental
Total area82,643 square miles (52,891,520 acres)[2]
Grapes producedCabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer, Lemberger, Malbec, Merlot, Muscat Canelli, Orange Muscat, Petit Verdot, Pinot gris, Pinot noir, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Syrah, Viognier, Zinfandel, Zweigelt[1]

Idaho wine refers to wine produced in the state of Idaho.[3] Idaho has a long history of wine production with the first vineyards in the Pacific Northwest being planted here in the 1860s. Grapes were first planted in the state by French immigrants Louis Desol and Robert Schleicher, and Jacob Schaefer from Germany before grapes were ever planted in Washington and Oregon. Idaho wines were receiving national recognition before Prohibition crippled the industry and shutdown production. In fact, Idaho issued a state prohibition in 1916 before the 18th Amendment was enacted in 1920 and repealed in 1933. The state’s viticulture industry was not revived until the 1970s when first grape vines were planted in the Snake River Valley toward its southernmost area.[1][4] Today, Idaho's viticulture is its fastest growing agricultural industry.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d "Idaho: Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2007.
  2. ^ "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates". United States Census Bureau. U.S. Department of Commerce. 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Robinson, Jancis, ed. (2006). The Oxford Companion to Wine (3 ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 354. ISBN 978-0-19-860990-2.
  4. ^ "Idaho Wine History". Idaho Wine Commission. Idaho Grape Growers & Wine Producers Commission. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Resources". Idaho Wine Commission. Retrieved May 4, 2018.