Have fun in Idaho. . .

Wine blogger Gary Vaynerchuk just announced yesterday that he would be judging the Idaho State Wine Competition next month. Have fun. For those of you that have never had an Idahoan wine, you may be a bit surprised. It becomes really surprising when you have two brown bags sitting in front of you and 160 years of collective wine experience staring at you, waiting for you to respond to their last question. Er,- Idaho?

Yesterday's double blind tasting featured two chardonnays: the first being Grgich Hills 2005 Estate ($40, Napa Valley), and Carmella Vineyards of the Snake River appellation of Idaho ($18). The Grgich was easily recognizable as being from California: ripe, canned pear juice and bananas caramelized over an oak log, with the distinct smell of hair perming solution. The other, had everyone through a loop: Sea breeze, lime, and funk; like sitting on the beach in Baja as a drifter offers you plastic chochkies for a dollar. We were sure that it was chardonnay, but couldn't figure out: A) if we liked it, B) If it was done on purpose, and C) where the devil was it from?

The answers to A and B were both yes. The style was unique and there were definite elements of terrior coming through on the wine. The wine had only 12% alcohol, compared to the 14.2 from Grgich. This wine was intriguing, no doubt; but where was it from? Guesses ranged from Michigan to Sonoma Valley to Central Coast. And then everybody was looking at me. Er,- Idaho?

The puzzled look on everybody's face was priceless. It said simultaneously, "they don't make wine in Idaho" and "How did you guess that right?" There are some really neat things going on in Idaho, with wineries like Sawtooth, Carmella, and Parma Ridge. They aren't like the fat and slovenly chards coming from Cali in the same price range. These are lean wines with limited oak, and a lot of motivation to get their name out.

Check out the Appellation America link (on your right) to read up on the Snake River appellation and if you can make it, go drink some wine with Gary in Idaho. Me, I'll be in Atlanta visiting my folks; but guess who is bringing some Idahoan wine with him?