12/01/05 Idaho wine industry growth

Ron Bitner is an entomologist who raises wine grapes on his property in Canyon County. He planted vines in 1981 and was in on the ground floor at the beginning of the state's wine industry. Today Bitner operates one of the 25 wineries in Idaho, most in the southwest corner of the state and he is chairman of the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission. BITNER "Been growing quality grapes over the years. The political climate and the economic climate has changed here for us and its really starting to go. I just see us continuing rapid growth for the next ten years here." For Bitner that could mean as many as 30 Idaho wineries by the end of next year. Four years ago there were 14 Idaho wineries generating 40 million dollars in business. He knows Idaho won't ever get as big as California or Washington. BITNER "We're so similar to eastern Washington, same soil, same climates, we grow the same grapes. . Doing some reports right now. Looks like we're going to have somewhere between 18 hundred acres and two thousand acres of established plantings in the state and you compare that to Washington, they're over 30 thousand acres right now." Ste Chapelle is the state's largest winery, probably the most well known too. But Bitner is trying to get the word out to people south of the border. That part of the story and economic development in part two of our report tomorrow. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott