In The News

FORBES ONLINE – Why Airlines Are Dramatically Increasing Flights To Smaller Cities

American travel may be nearly unrestricted now but long-haul international travel remains almost entirely out of reach for summer, bringing a welcome boost in popularity for domestic destinations nationwide. After suffering its worst year in history, the airline industry is also experiencing a sudden explosion in demand across North America, leading major airlines to launch new routes almost weekly, often to smaller cities forecasting quick returns to pre-pandemic levels, or even surpassing them.

FARE Idaho – Your Guide To A Fun, Safe Winery Visit In 2021

Every year, thousands of people flock to urban and rural wineries in the Treasure Valley, including the 17 outposts on Idaho’s famous Sunny Slope Wine Trail. In 2021, those visits will look a bit different. Due to COVID-19, some tasting rooms are open on a reservation-only basis this summer, and others are enforcing mask wearing and social distancing. 

ENTREPRENEUR – How One Woman Is Winning the Canned Wine Market

The canned wine industry piqued my interest back in 2018 when I first heard about the product’s growing popularity.

Salmon Safe – Bitner Vineyards awarded Hero of Salmon for 2021

At this week’s virtual LIVE annual meeting of environmentally innovative Pacific Northwest winegrowers, Salmon-Safe presented our 2021 Hero of Salmon award to Ron Bitner of Idaho’s Bitner Vineyards for holistic and low input farming practices that protect water quality in the Snake River watershed while improving the health of the soil and providing forage for bees.

Brown Paper Tickets to refund $9 million to 45,000 customers

They’ve been waiting nearly a year for what they’re owed: community centers, schools, musicians, theaters, youth organizations, a huge variety of nonprofits and their supporters. Some lost a few bucks. Others have been waiting on tens of thousands of dollars.

Boisedev – Split Rail to split for new spot up Chinden Blvd.

Split Rail Winery is movin’ on up… the street.

The Garden City winery with the combination tasting room and production facility crammed into a small warehouse at 43rd St. and Chinden Blvd. announced it will move to a new spot. The winery will move to a new home on the site of the former Dale’s Auto Sales at 3200 W. Chinden.

NBC NEWS – The 5 best champagnes of 2020 to celebrate New Year’s Eve

An exhaustive list of bubbles to stock up on for Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and beyond.

TOGO RV – 10 Wineries Where You Can Camp with Your RV

If you’re looking to plan a couple’s getaway or a fun trip with friends, these 10 wineries serve as the ideal camping backdrop.

MERIWETHER CIDER RELEASES SPECIAL CIDER HONORING BLACK HISTORY

BOISE, ID, Feb. 1, 2021 – Jupiter’s Cider is a partnership between the Boise based Meriwether Cider and the Idaho Black History Museum (IBHM) to pay homage to the enslaved people who contributed greatly to the beginnings of cider making in America.

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation – Proposal would move $140,000 from wine to hop commission

POCATELLO – Legislation is expected to be introduced during the 2021 Idaho legislative session that would take about $140,000 in existing annual funding from the Idaho Wine Commission and redirect it to the Idaho Hop Commission.

Winepress Northwest – Gleaming wines from the Gem State

With a history of abundant mineral and gem production, Idaho has long lived up to its nickname of the Gem State. It’s a name increasingly fitting for the wine world too, given the impressive “gems” Idaho is now producing in its three established American Viticultural Areas: Snake River Valley (2007), and Eagle Foothills (2015), and Lewis-Clark Valley (2016).

Winepress Northwest – Idaho’s 60 wineries building in quality

Mention Idaho, and most folks still probably think of potatoes. But there’s a dedicated group of grape growers and winemakers there who are working hard to make their state famous for its grapes as well.

NEWS BREAK – Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, & more USA states being transformed into world-class wine regions

No, Napa isn’t on the list. Your neighborhood may be, though.

If you’re looking for a reason to love your neighborhood just a little more than usual, good news — it may be one of the best wine-producing regions in the United States, and may even hold esteem with international wine lovers.

WineAmerica – Craft Beverage Tax Reform to be Made Permanent

WineAmerica has long taken a leadership role in advocating for the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA), and it was recently announced that the essential tax benefits of CBMTRA will be made permanent as part of the year-end omnibus and COVID-19 relief package announced by Congressional leadership. The CBMTRA was initially enacted in 2017 and was set to expire on December 31, 2020. 

Capital Press – Idaho Wine Commission drafts social-media legislation

The Idaho Wine Commission wants the 2021 Legislature to legalize social-media promotion of wine-related events at retail establishments such as grocery stores and restaurants.

CNN Business – How a small family-run cider business is still breaking even during a pandemic

Just surviving will be a huge success for most small businesses this year.And few expect to breakeven given all that’s happened as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Yet Meriwether Cider in Boise, Idaho, is on track to meet that mark, thanks in large part to Covid-related federal assistance, according to Ann Leadbetter, who owns the business with her husband and two daughters.

VinePair – Idaho Is the Next American Wine Region That Deserves Your Attention

When considering the landscape of American wine regions, Idaho isn’t the biggest, the most specialized, or the oldest. Instead, the proper superlative may be that Idaho is America’s most up-and-coming wine region. As this small-but-mighty area grows in production and prominence, Idaho is proving why the state should be famous for more than potatoes.

Idaho News 6 – What you can expect from this year’s local wines; “A couple of varieties really stand out”

The vines have been cut, the grapes picked, and now Idaho’s winemakers will get to taste and see the fruits of their labor.

2020 Harvest Press Release for the Idaho Wine Industry

November 11, 2020 – As Idaho winemakers and grape growers wrap up the 2020 harvest season, excitement is in the air about what this year’s fruit yield will bring. Significant spring rainfall in Northern Idaho allowed for leafy vine canopies to form – and while heavy June rainfall and summer wildfires tested the resiliency of Southern Idaho vines, the grapes produced were balanced and picked at peak perfection.  

The Seattle Times – 2020’s top 20 Northwest wines for under $20

ONE OF MY history professors at the University of Washington noted during a lecture, “People will always drink — in good times or in bad.”

Back then, I would have raised a toast to that observation with a can of Rainier. These days, it’s with a glass — or a can — of award-winning wine crafted with Pacific Northwest fruit.