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Indian Creek Winery (ID) Review

Indian Creek Winery (ID) Review

Address: 1000 N. Mcdermott Rd. Kuna,Idaho 83634.
Phone Number: 208-922-4791
Tasting Hours: Fri-Sun 12:00-5:00 and by appt.

Region: Snake River Valley AVA, Idaho
Reviewer:
Review Date: 7/20/2013
Reviewer:
Rating: 4

The Review

Kavemen in Shangri-la

What do caves, Kavemen and Shangri-la have in common? Why Kuna of course. Kuna, Idaho is home to the Kuna caves, a local sport team called Kuna Kavemen and Indian Creek Winery. As stated on the winery’s website, “Indian Creek Winery is…a true Shangri-la located only 30 minutes outside of Boise.”

History: &nbspThe owners of Shangri-la truly believe in that old saying “Work hard, play hard.” Since 1987, Bill and Mui Stowe have been working hard to craft premium wines from the best grapes in the heart of Idaho’s Snake River Valley appellation. Dubbed the godfather of Idaho wine industry, Bill Stowe has influenced some of the state’s most significant vintners and grape growers and helped demonstrate to the world that Idaho wineries can produce first-class wines. An Idaho native and Air Force veteran, Stowe traces his interest in grape growing and wine making to a stint in Germany. There he learned about the art of creating handcrafted wines while in the service. He even worked a couple of crushes, and the seeds were sown for his passionate pursuit of making wines in Idaho wine country.

Tammy Stowe-McClure and husband, Mike, stepped on board in 2005 to help continue the success of this growing winery. All the hard work has been paying off with the family-owned and operated winery taking home gold medals from several wine competitions as well as being honored as WinePress Northwest’s 2008 Idaho Winery of the Year.

The Wines: &nbspIndian Creek Winery produces a wide variety of wines, and most are available for sampling in the tasting room at the winery. The most popular wines are the Pinot Noir, Star Garnet, Mountain Syringa, White Riesling and White Pinot along with some small-lot wines: Chardonnay, Muscat Canelli, Viognier, Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah, Man’s Best Friend Malbec, Ragin’ Rapids Late Harvest Riesling, and Ruby Dahlia Port. On the day we visited the winery, eight wines were available for tasting: four reds, three whites, and a port.

The Whites

The first sampling was a 2012 Mountain Syringa. This white wine is stainless steel-aged but has the taste of an oak-aged wine. It is dry, with a light lemon note and sells for $14.00 per bottle. It is an excellent choice to serve with a summer salad or grilled fish.

The 2010 White Riesling is a nice, medium-bodied wine with a delicate grapefruit nose. The 2011 Late Harvest Riesling, which sells for $16.00, is an intense, sweet white with a pear flavor and good body.

The Reds

Our first red sampling was the 2008 Pinot Noir, Indian Creek’s flagship wine. The varietal was a gold medal winner from 170 wines reviewed in the 2011 edition of Winepress Northwest. The wine displayed raspberry flavors with a hint of oak and noticeable tannins. The 2009 Merlot was fairly tannic and finished with a warm peppery aftertaste. The biggest surprise was the 2011 Black Riesling. This red is a pleasant, lightly sweet wine that is fruit forward with an earthy aroma. If you have never tried a black Riesling I would suggest trying it.

The last red on our tasting list was the fabulous 2010 Mimi Reserve Blend. The wine carries a family artist-rendered series label and an intense black cherry aroma that reminded me of the Chiantis that we sampled in Italy several years back.

If you are a port fan, I highly recommend the 2008 Ruby Dahlia Port. For someone who started out not caring for fortified wines, I am discovering that I truly enjoy a good port, and this one did not disappoint.

Extras: &nbspThe tasting room shares space with a fun little gift shop complete with the usual wine-themed gifts, along with a few unique surprises. If you choose to visit during the nice weather months, the grounds are a beautiful countryside escape. Unique trees, colorful flowers, a pond, and a black lab appropriately named Dahlia are part of the offerings. Take a picnic, and spend the day. Indian Creek Winery is kid and pet friendly and is also a nice place to host a company picnic, a family reunion or a Idaho winery wedding.