10-23 IAN Otter on Wine

 Gov. Otter’s assessment of the wine industry in Idaho.

 During a recent conversation with the governor, I revealed that I had been in wine country but in this case it was California. It didn’t take him long to take advantage of that moment and then continue with a strong base knowledge of our wine industry.  “The last reportI had on the wine business in Idaho was that there were 42 wineries in the state of Idaho. We have those southern slopes that build the bricks in the grapes that goes to the quality of the wine. Our advantage in Rieslings and in the reds is the southern slope and the sunlight efficiency that we get for 14 hours a day during our great season. The great quality of the agriculturists and those people that run the vineyards and watch for the diseases like mold, is really outstanding. It is not unusual for Californians to come up and say what is it that you guys are doing.”