Emboldened with the success of our first journey into Idaho Wine Country we decided to expand our horizons further, but this time we headed north. Hidden down several miles of dusty roads and behind rolling hills in Eagle, ID is a charming winery and vineyard known as 3 Horse Ranch. Tasting wines at 3 Horses was a very leisurely experience, we sat out on the back deck enjoying the pre-summer breeze, while watching the birds and sipping chilled white wines. I have to say our summer favorite was their Vivacious, a viognier blend that went with just about everything we ate during the summer. Unfortunately we weren't as impressed with their red wines, they seemed a little bland, however we did discover toward the end of the summer as their reds aged the flavors became more pronounced.
Oddly the journey out from behind the hills was much quicker than the journey into the hills. Apparently the direct route, as given by Emily hubby's GPS, was also the dusty gravel road route. Oh well, it's all about the journey. Just a few miles down the road from 3 Horse Ranch is Woodriver Cellars, since we were in the neighborhood it was only natural that we stop in for a taste.
Walking into Woodriver I knew this was going to be a unique experience, their tasting room is an elegant bar setting. Although the tasting room was fairly empty, the grounds were filled with wedding guests. Apparently Woodriver is a premier wedding spot. During another trip out to Woodriver I got the opportunity to walk around outside and I can see why so many brides choose this as their outdoor summer wedding location.
We cozied up to the bar and were presented with wine list , from which we both got to choose several wines to taste. There are a couple of great things about going wine tasting with my hubby: 1) when presented with limited number of options we split the list and get to try more flavors and 2) we are both new to wines so after 15 years of marriage I find it exciting to discover something new together.
Unlike the our experience with the red wines down the street, the reds at Woodriver exploded with flavor. As we were enjoying these rich bold flavors we started talking about it with the very knowledgeable gentleman behind the bar, Neil Glancey and as it turns out the winemaker. I have only met a few of the wine makers in the area so far and I am by no means qualified to speak about their talents as wine makers. I can, however, speak about their personalities. Melanie at Cinder is kind and as far as I can tell damn good at what she does. You can tell she enjoys sharing her craft with others. Mike at Indian Creek has a passion for Stowe family business and you can tell he enjoys what he does. Neil at Woodriver is by far one of the most amiable people I have ever met. He is very outgoing and you can tell he loves the party generated by fabulous food and his incredible wines. My hubby enjoyed Woodriver so much he is now a member of their wine club, which comes with exclusive invitations to their pairings events (I can't wait to tell you about that night).
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