20070313

Idaho gets its first formal wine region


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Wine historians will circle April 9 on their calendars. That's the day Idaho gets its first American Viticultural Area, or AVA.

The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has designated Idaho's Snake River Valley as an AVA. That distinction brands the southern portion of the state, extending along the Snake River east to west from the Twin Falls area into Oregon as the 236th AVA in the nation.

"There's a lot of different soil types, there's different micro climates and a lot of opportunities for growing a lot of different types of grapes," said Brad Pintler, president of the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission, and general manager of Sawtooth Winery.

"This AVA is over 5.3 million acres and right now we have a little under 2,000 planted, so there's a lot of valleys that have a huge amount of potential and I think we will see a lot of new investors and a lot of new wineries," he added.

ON THE WEB
• Guide to America's Wine Trails
Idaho Wine Country
Idaho Tourist Attractions
Idaho Travel & Tourism Guide
Experience North Idaho
Visit South Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho Tourism
Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau
Idaho State University
University of Idaho
Boise State University
Lewis-Clark State College

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