When we think about places in the US to visit we certainly keep an eye out for wineries we can enjoy. Never once did we think “Let’s visit Boise, ID for their wine region.” But here we are….and wow!
Snake River Valley
When I think of Idaho I think of potatoes first, then Boise, the mountains, the snake river….but I never thought “We need to go to Idaho for the wine scene.”
Let me tell you….you probably should!
We had the opportunity to stay near Boise, in Caldwell, Idaho, which happens to sit in the Snake River Valley AVA and is littered with wineries.
We were closest to the Sunnyslope Wine Trail and had the opportunity to visit several wineries during our stay in the area, meet some great people and have some fantastic wines.
Using the Sunnyslope Wine Trail website we tried to pick wineries that matched our tastes and available time. We quickly noticed that TripAdvisor was of little help as the reviews were super outdated, so we just picked one, hoped for the best and asked for recommendations along the way.
We noticed almost every winery suggested you have reservations. Being that we were going late in the weekday and late in the season, we took our chances, knowing we may get turned away. We had no issues at any of the wineries we visited. Most are open 12-5, some are 7-days a week, others are Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. If there is a winery you want to make sure to get into, I recommend a quick call for a reservation to guarantee you’ll get the experience you desire.
To formulate our plan, I started with the Sunnyslope Wine Trail website, which is actually out of date, and also just Google Maps to see what was in the area. Then I’d go to each winery web site to get their hours and see their types of wine – if they were all fruit wines or had no reds (we love bold reds!) then we’ll likely pass on that one. I then checked Trip Advisor for the latest review, which often was 2 years ago. This was going to be trial and error….we were going in with zero expectations.
I’ve listed them in the order we visited for my own tracking purposes so I didn’t forget anyone. At the end of the week we definitely had our favorites (with the receipts to prove it…yikes!). I’ve linked to the winery website, and we’ll update this page with links to our reviews on some of the ones we really enjoyed. I’ve also added a quick cheat-sheet for you to get started on hours, reservations, cost of tasting, pets, etc.
As a point of reference, we generally like the bold, heavy-bodied Cabernets as our first choice, but like most red wines, and are learning to enjoy the whites more and more. Karen has a soft spot for Chamagne and sparking wines.
Hat Ranch Winery
Hat Ranch Winery was the first winery we stopped at on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Since it was raining apparently everyone else had this idea also. It was quite busy and the group of ladies inside the door lacked situational awareness, but one of the employees saw our struggle, greeted us and called us over to the tasting bar.
Easy to find, small but adequate parking lot and great views off the patio. A nice selection of whites and reds both, ranging from $22-$35 per bottle.
- Open: Daily, 12-5
- Reservations: Required for groups of 8 or more
- Tasting fee: $5 for 5 pours; refunded with bottle purchase
- Pets: Allowed on the outside patio only
Free Dog Wines
We passed by Free Dog Wines on the way to Hat Ranch, and had noted they were open an hour later (6:00 pm) so we planned to stop there after Hat Ranch. We’re so glad we did!
When you enter Free Dog, which the building itself it just fun, you’re greeted by a friendly hostess who presents you with 4 poker chips, numbered 1-4. There are tables and chairs and various couches to choose from, then 2 identical tasting bars where you can trade in your chips for a tasting.
Whites and reds available, ranging from $22-$28. Definitely worth the stop.
- Open: Daily, 12-6
- Reservations: First come, first served. Required for groups of 12 or more
- Tasting fee: $0 for 4 pours
- Pets: Allowed inside and out
SCORIA Vineyards
We started our wine tasting day at SCORIA Vineyards, the furthest south of the wineries we visited on this trip. It turns out this was the first Tuesday in the history of the winery they were open, and we had the place to ourselves. Tara, General Manager of SCORIA and Koenig, presented each wine and the detailed information about each, while sharing stories about the winery, wine maker and owners.
These were by far our favorite wines of our tastings in the Sunnyslope Region. Wines ranged $18-$36.
- Open: Daily, 12-5
- Reservations: Not required but recommended
- Tasting fee: $8
- Pets: No pets allowed
Fujishin Estate Winery
Fujishin Family Cellars is a beautiful winery located on a hillside overlooking the valley. Their tasting room used to be with Free Dog, but they’ve since completed their own space. It is absolutely worth the visit.
We arrived about 5:20, not sure if they’d seat us for a tasting as you don’t want to rush through. There were only 2 other people (and their dog) so we were seated and the pouring began. These wines were amazing. Bottles range $22-$87 with most around $34.
- Open: Daily, 12-6; last seating at 5:00
- Reservations: Encouraged but not required
- Tasting fee: $8 for 4-5 pours
- Pets: Pets allowed inside and out
Koenig Vineyards
We visited Koenig Vineyards on the recommendation of Tara at SCORIA, who also happens to be the General Manager of both wineries, and said she’d be there on Thursday. Their grounds and tasting room are beautiful.
Tami helped us with our tasting, whites and reds, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Tara saw us and stopped by for a chat as well. We enjoyed the tasting and took some bottles home.
- Open: Daily, 12-5
- Reservations: Recommended but not required; Required for 12+ people
- Tasting fee: $8 for 5 pours
- Pets: No pets allowed
Huston Vineyards
We had passed by Huston Vineyards on the way to Koenig, and it was on our list so we hoped we could make it back before they closed for the day. We stopped in for a quick tasting. Super friendly but just wasn’t our favorite wines of our stops. Bottle prices $24-$38.
- Open: Daily, 12-5
- Reservations: Recommended but not required; required for 6+ people
- Tasting fee: $10/person – waived with purchase
- Pets: No pets allowed
Bitner Vineyards
Bitner Vineyards is a members only tasting room, but they do offer 3 seatings on Fridays and Saturdays for non-members, and reservations are required. We were going to pass, but Tami at Koenig highly recommended trying to get a seating if we hadn’t. So, we made a reservation for Friday afternoon.
We were greeted by Amy Bitner and chose a nice table on the patio. Amy helped us choose wine tastings based on what types of wines we said we liked. They were quite good, and then we saw the Reserve Tasting menu. Amy indulged us with her favorites and they were fantastic! We walked away with several bottles and happy we made the effort!
- Open: Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12-5
- Reservations: Required. Members only in the tasting room. Non-members can request a seating at 12:30, 1:00 or 1:30 on Friday or Saturday.
- Tasting fee: $15 for 3 pours; $35 Reserve Tasting
- Pets: Well-behaved dogs on the patio
Ste Chapelle Winery
We read all the bad reviews on Trip Advisor and had this one off our list, but we were passing by and decided we needed to check it out for ourselves. We were so glad we stopped by Ste Chappelle Winery!! The people were super friendly – employees and guests – the food was good and wine quite tasty! They had non-wine options as well and were setting up for music that evening.
- Open: Daily 11-5
- Reservations: Not required but recommended. Required for 13+ people.
- Tasting fee: Wine flights are $18-$23
- Pets: Well-behaved pets allowed
Final Thoughts
We were pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality of wines in the Snake River Valley area, specifically those along the Sunnyslope Wine Trail. We met some fantastic people, totally blew our wine budget, and have been enjoying some of those bottles already while some we will hold on to.
This area was never on our radar for wine, but we’re so happy our travels took us here!
If we only had time to visit one or two wineries in the area, based on what we like, SCORIA, Fujishin and Bitner would be the top of list.
The information on the wineries was current as of September 2023. Always check with a winery for their latest hours, costs and policies regarding pets and reservations. If you see anything incorrect please let us know!
