Visiting for vino: Idaho’s wine industry is drawing in tourists as the spring season begins

A sip of Sangiovese on a warm spring day, along with good company and picturesque surroundings is a sign of the warmer, inviting season ahead.

And Idaho’s wineries are ready for it.

Warmer weather draws more people out, and tasting rooms and wineries in Idaho’s six different growing regions are preparing for  the influx of vino enthusiasts the changing seasons brings.

In the an economic impact study provided by the Idaho Wine Commission, 890,000 visitors to the state incorporated a winery or tasting room into a trip to the Gem State in 2022, the most recent numbers showed. That year saw $173.1 million spent by tourists. The IWC stated the wine industry has an impact of $314.2 million in the state.

On a recent Saturday, Jenell Burk and Gina Martorella were in Boise to visit and support their children. Burk’s son attends Boise State University and Martorella’s daughter was in town for a softball tournament. Both traveled from Salinas, California.

“I try to come as often as I can, so I think I’m probably here four times a year,” Burk said. Both women were enjoying a wine tasting at Telaya Winery in Garden City, sitting outside along with many others at the location overlooking the river. Burk said during a previous visit for parents weekend, she stumbled on the winery.

“The atmosphere is just so much fun and the river is beautiful,” she said. “When I wanted to take (Martorella) around and I showed her downtown, I was like, ‘Did you want to see the riverwalk?’”

The two rented electric scooters in downtown Boise and rode them for an hour to Garden City, winding up at the winery.

Telaya is one of many wineries and tasting rooms that have set up brick-and-mortar locations throughout the state, making their wines more accessible to visitors. Several tasting rooms are located within walking distance of each other in Garden City on Chinden. Telaya has been in its current location since 2016 and is owned by Earl and Carrie Sullivan.

The tasting room is open year-round, offering not only wine tastings but food as well. It draws people throughout the year, but the warmer seasons tend to be more out-of-towners than locals.

“As we get into the busier spring and summer season, we probably shift to about 60% new folks or folks that are traveling into the area,” said Maggie Van Weele, tasting room manager for Telaya.

Aside from visitors like Burk and Martorella stumbling on the tasting room and sharing their find with others, Van Weele said Telaya tends to do most of its marketing through newsletters and social media.

“That’s, a lot of the time, how people find us (through social media) or Google searches,” she said. “People are coming into the area and hearing about Idaho’s wine industry and looking it up on Google. It’s kind of two sectors. We have this urban wine scene. In Garden City, especially, we have over five and up to maybe eight to 10 urban wineries. … I think there are people that love the access to the urban wine scene. They don’t have to drive the 45 to 50 minutes out to the Sunnyslope. And it’s fun because they get to drink on the river and have a little different experience in a winery.”

But for those that do want a getaway excursion, Idaho’s various wine growing regions offer something different for every taste. Outside of the urban corridor, there’s Sunnyslope Wine Trail, which is a subregion of the Snake River Valley AVA, which features several vineyards and wineries. Tour packages are made available to get around to those various vineyards, said Moya Dolsby, executive director of the LWC. There are also the Lewiston and Moscow region, Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint region and the South Central region, all with various climates and vineyards suited to those environments.

“Idaho is great to visit for wine throughout the year,” Dolsby said. “It depends on the experience the visitor wants to have while here. Late spring through fall, and summer in particular, offer great weather that is perfect for picnicking at the wineries or enjoying a leisurely afternoon on a patio with great scenery and a glass of local wine, or witnessing the fall harvest.”

The commission also works to promote the state’s wineries through events such as Savor Idaho, held this year on June 9 at the Idaho Botanical Garden. It features more than 30 different wineries and cideries from the state, and allows people to sample most of what the state has to offer in one location. It also features live music, food trucks and a painting class.

Dolsby said the LWC works with a marketing firm and promotes the state’s wine industry locally and abroad to generate interest in Idaho wineries and events.

“When I started as the executive director in 2008, I had one big goal in mind: To let everyone know that Idaho is not just about potatoes, we’re also about wine,” Dolsby said. “Since then, I’ve traveled throughout the state and the country, working hard to promote and market Idaho’s wineries and wine growers. As the face of the industry, my job is to represent our members and spread the news about Idaho’s welcoming and growing wine industry.”

Those efforts appear to be working.

“There’s just so much fun stuff to do here outside,” Burk said as she and Martorella clinked glasses of a white wine. “Where we come from, there’s not as much to do. I mean, there’s tourism and stuff in Monterey, but not just natural, organic things to do.”