Financial Impact of Wine

Wine has been produced for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of wine to date was found in Republic of Georgia, where 8,000-year-old wine jars were uncovered. Traces of wine have also been found in Iran with 7,000-year-old wine jars.

You know it is amazing how wine can be such a passion for people. I've always been a beer drinker and felt a little bit like a hick when I’m in a restaurant and friends are ordering a merlot, or a cabernet sauvignon, or a pinot noir. And I even have friends who grow their own grapes, bottle their own wines, put their own private label on them and have wine cellars with values in the multi-thousands. But enough rambling about wine statistics. Let’s talk about the economic impact of wine on the state of Idaho.

 

Amid more than 50 wineries, 56 winegrape growers and 1,300 vineyard acres, the Idaho wine region is growing rapidly. The state has a $169 million economic impact from wine. As the wine industry continues it’s impressive growth in the state, wine tourism is becoming more prevalent and widespread each year.