Blog

Wine and cider tasting experiences in Idaho are not a stuffy, formal affair. We invite you to come as you are—even if that means with your kids in tow! There’s fun to be had for the whole family.

February isn’t just for Valentines anymore. This wonderful month has not one but two national wine holidays—National Drink Wine Day on February 18 and Open that Bottle Night on February 25. Idaho wineries and cideries have great events planned to help you fall in love with wine and cider all over again as part of our Idaho Winter Wine Weekends.

When you think of wine tasting, do you think of sitting on a sun-dappled patio in summer? Or perhaps you reminisce about the crisp fall air when wineries have just finished harvest? Why not expand your tasting experience into four seasons and discover the delights of Idaho wines in winter? It’s the perfect season to pair your favorite wines with hearty fare or to enjoy sipping a great wine next to a cozy fire while making the most of winter’s long nights.

This year we invite you to plan a weekend escape to one of Idaho’s award-winning wineries and cideries during our 2023 Idaho Winter Wine Weekends. Participating locations will welcome you with special food and wine pairings, tasting flights, promotions, and fun activities—all in a cozy, welcoming atmosphere.

The holiday season is an especially important time to support Idaho’s growers, winemakers and business owners. Throughout December, we encourage you to tune into our social media channels where we’ll spotlight 12 different ways to experience or gift Idaho Wine. From holiday events, wine tours, group tastings, custom glassware, gift boxes and more, we’ve got you covered with recommendations to sip local and gift local for the holiday.

Wine industry experts judged over 150 of the state’s best wines

The 13th annual Idaho Wine and Cider Competition took place on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, and identified the state’s top wines and ciders this year. The competition was organized by Great Northwest Wine and supported by a judging panel of respected writers, sommeliers, winemaking consultants, wine buyers and industry experts.

This year, one of the most highly anticipated competitions of 2021 took place. After much planning and preparation, many worried that COVID would put a stop to the festivities before they even began. But with an abundance of caution, the fun and games went off without a hitch. Records were broken. Medals were given. Drama filled the air. And the glasses. No, we’re not talking about that other competition, the Olympic Games. This was the 12th annual Idaho Wine Competition, a celebration of Idaho wines and winemakers.

Have you recently drank wine or cider on a patio? How about gone on a wine tour? Or maybe even chatted up a local winemaker or winegrower? Well, guess what… any one of these activities could make you a winner when you play Sip Local Bingo—summer’s best reason (25 reasons actually) to #DrinkIdahoWine all summer long.

Okay, let’s get the bad news out of the way first: this year, there’s no Savor Idaho, the crown jewel of Idaho Wine and Cider Month. But here’s the good news… You can still have fun discovering Idaho wines all month long with the Savor Idaho To Go Passport. The passport is your ticket to visit as many Idaho wineries and cideries as you can for special events, tastings, promotions and prizes!

These stay-at-home date night ideas are so good, you may never leave the house again.

The canopy has been set. The vines have been pruned. The grapes have been watered (and dried out). Now, comes the moment of truth. It's Harvest, the most anticipated and exciting time of year for winemakers and wine tasters alike. After months of hanging on the vine, the grapes are brought inside and winemakers finally get to see, and taste, the fruits of their labor.