So my husband officially took a job transfer to Idaho, and while I’m dragging my feet about leaving my beloved Utah, it looks like I’ll be living up here at least part of the time. So I need to embrace Boise and the surrounding areas. By the way, Boise is pronounced boy-see, not boyz-ee – I’ve been corrected several times already. ; )
Don’t get me wrong…Boise is a great area. The people are super friendly, downtown is fun, there is a beautiful river and greenbelt that runs through the center of town, and there seems to be a lot going on.
But, I miss my Utah mountains. And they aren’t even really my mountains. : ) I’m from California originally…shhh…don’t tell anyone!
However, I lived in Arizona for twelve years before moving to Utah. And while the desert has its own stark beauty, I’ve always been a mountain person. As a child, I spent a lot of time in Lake Tahoe, and I’ve always loved lake towns and pine trees and that smell of pine needles on a hot summer day. At the risk of sounding completely cliché, the mountains feed my soul. I’ve been happy in Utah, and I’m not ready to leave.
But enough of that…I’m in Idaho for the weekend and I’m going to have fun! I was talking to a girlfriend at work one day, telling her about my impending move, and she was all, “You know they have a bunch of wineries in Boise.”
And I was all, “What???”
Hello??? Why wasn’t this the first thing my husband told me when he said he was transferring???
I mean…know your audience! : ))))
There are about fifty wineries in Idaho, and more than half of them are within an hour’s drive of Boise. There are quite a few tasting rooms actually in Boise and nearby Garden City, and one of these days, I’m going to attempt a biking tasting tour. Yes, I know I said previously that wasn’t a good idea. Okay, maybe I’ll Uber. 😉
However, on this particular weekend, we headed to the “Sunnyslope Wine Trail” which lies west of Boise out in the Caldwell area.
We started at Ste. Chapelle’s which is a local favorite. Ste. Chapelle’s has a big beautiful tasting room, and they are known for their summer concert series. They have a nice grassy area for picnics and relaxing. They have some sweeter wines which I don’t mind at all on a hot summer day. We sat out on the deck, which has a pretty view of the valley down to the Snake River.
Next, we made our way to Bitner Vineyards. They have a cute little tasting room and a spacious patio with more views.
We tasted a Chardonnay, a dry Reisling, a Merlot, a Cab and Syrah/Petite Verdot blend. We had packed some snacks, so we sat outside and enjoyed the gorgeous day.
The Koenig Winery and Distillery was next on our list. Koenig has a new tasting room under construction, so we will have to come back again when it is finished. I was excited about this stop, because Koenig makes vodka, along with a few other spirits. We tasted a flight of wines, along with their huckleberry vodka (yum!)
Without a party bus or designated driver, three stops are about our limit, so we headed back to Boise after this, with intentions of returning soon. There are a lot of wineries that we still need to try! 🙂
Trails and Tastings 