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Wine region

Idaho

Idaho is a wine region in United States, home to 5 wineries, producing red, rose, white wines, known for Snake River Valley, Lewis-Clark Valley.

Idaho at a glance: predominantly red; known for Snake River Valley, Lewis-Clark Valley.
On this page

Idaho's 5 wineries produce predominantly red wine; Merlot is the most common single-grape bottling; wines carry AVA designation.

About the Idaho region

    Location
    Idaho wine refers to wine produced in the state of Idaho.
    Climate
    Since the 1970s, Idaho wine has been known for its cool climate white varietals like Riesling (including Ice wine), Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Gewürztraminer.
    Soils
    In USDA NRCS Soil Data Access results for Idaho survey areas, Mollisols have the largest weighted component acreage, approximately 17,498,148 acres.
    Distinctive
    The average vineyard in Idaho sits at an altitude of 1,800 feet (550 m) among the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Region facts sourced from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil Data Access query for Idaho (ID survey-area prefix), retrieved 2026-07-11. (U.S. Government work / Public Domain (17 U.S.C. § 105)), Wikipedia contributors, "Idaho wine", Wikipedia, revision 1363245400, retrieved 2026-07-11. (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International).

Most common single-grape wines

When Idaho wines are made from a single grape (rather than a blend), these are the most common:

Wine profile

Idaho is predominantly a red-wine region (about 73% of its wines).

60 distinct Idaho wines tracked, spanning the colours and styles below.

  • Red44 · 73%
  • White11 · 18%
  • Rose5 · 8%

Types: Still.

Representative Idaho wines

Selected from stable product-to-region relationships for diversity — not a claim that these are the region's best wines.

  • Telaya — GSM
  • Huston Vineyards — Merlot
  • Telaya — Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Syrah
  • Telaya — Le Cheile Together
  • Telaya — Mourvedre
  • Koenig Vineyards — Lanae Ridge Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
  • Koenig Vineyards — Lanae Ridge Vineyard Nebbiolo
  • Telaya — Syrah

Sub-regions & appellations

Within Idaho, these appellationsA legally-defined smaller growing area within a wine region, often with its own grapes and rules. are smaller growing areas, often with their own character:

  • Snake River Valley
  • Lewis-Clark Valley

Quality designations

Wines here carry AVA status — a controlled quality designation.

  • AVAAmerican Viticultural Area — a defined US grape-growing region, marking where the grapes were grown.

United States wine designations

AVA
An American viticultural area is a U.S.-government-recognized delimited grape-growing area.
Understanding the wine data
Designation
The protected-origin or administrative category associated with the wine, interpreted using country-aware rules. The same abbreviation can mean different things in different countries, so we only show the meaning approved for that country.
How this ranking is built

Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.

Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.

How to choose a good Idaho wine

Look for the AVA designation — it signals a controlled-origin Idaho wine.

FAQs

Where is Idaho?
Idaho wine refers to wine produced in the state of Idaho .
What do the designation terms on Idaho wines mean?
AVA: An American viticultural area is a U.S.-government-recognized delimited grape-growing area. These terms describe geographical or regulatory categories; they do not by themselves guarantee that one producer or bottle is better than another.
How are wineries and producers selected for Idaho?
Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.
How are representative Idaho wines selected?
Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.
How much wine data does WhatDrink have for Idaho?
The current regional catalogue contains 60 linked wines from 5 linked producers. Counts describe WhatDrink catalogue coverage and may change as source data is refreshed.

Regional data is aggregated from wine directory and product-catalogue sources; grape and style associations reflect characteristic varieties and may vary by producer and vintage.