Huston Vineyards Syrah shines again at Idaho Wine Competition

CALDWELL, Idaho — The 17th annual Savor Idaho festival continues to showcase the Gem State’s top wines, which also rank as some of the best wines in the Pacific Northwest.

It’s a showcase for the state’s leading producers, and many of the best wines from last month’s Idaho Wine Competition will be poured Sunday, June 7 in Boise at Savor Idaho.

For today’s attendees, these are the five wines that reached the sweepstakes of last month’s Idaho Wine Competition and earned the praise from the judging panel of winemakers, sommeliers, merchants and critics. And for the 10th straight year, the tasting was conducted on the scenic campus of Koenig Vineyards along the Sunnyslope west of Caldwell.

Best of show/Best Red Wine

Huston Vineyards 2023 Syrah, Snake River Valley $38 — 95 points

Best White Wine

Famici Wine Co. 2025 Albariño, Snake River Valley $26 — 93 points

Best Rosé

Famici Wine Co. 2025 Estate Rosé, Snake River Valley $30 — 92 points

Best Sweet Wine

Bitner Vineyards 2022 Old Vine Late Harvest Riesling, Snake River Valley $30 — 92 points

Best Sparkling Wine

Dude DeWalt Cellars 2023 Damsel Sparkling Chardonnay, Snake River Valley $45 — 91 points

Ticket prices for Savor Idaho begin at $80 and include a loaf of bread from Gaston’s Bakery. A VIP pass, which grants the holder one hour of early access, costs $120 and includes entry into the Crush Club by longtime regional distributor Hayden Beverage.

3-year stretch key to rise of Idaho wine

Looking back, there are three watershed moments for the modern-day Idaho wine industry. And it’s no coincidence they took place in three consecutive years.

The federal government established the Snake River Valley American Viticultural Area in 2007, which meant vintners no longer were restricted to using “Idaho” on the labels of the bottles.
A year later, the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission hired Seattle’s Moya Dolsby as its new leader.
In 2009, then-Gov. Butch Otter — a Catholic in a conservative state dominated by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — declared June as Idaho Wine Month.

And the mission, outreach and marketing mindset led by Dolsby prompted the creation of the Idaho Wine Competition in 2010. This year, 31 wineries combined to enter 174 wines, providing a solid overview of the state of the industry. The annual judging, staged in the heart of the Snake River Valley, represents a 17-year collaboration between the Idaho Wine Commission and Great Northwest Wine.

This year marks the 17th edition of Savor Idaho, which has grown into a formal partnership this year with the Idaho Botanical Garden — a welcomed and natural progression because its historic campus has served as the festival’s longtime setting.

Dolsby began Savor Idaho in 2009 while still in her first year on the job. She modeled it after the highly successful Taste Washington, which Dolsby oversaw during her four years as events manager for the Washington State Wine Commission.

Idaho brings back 10 golds from Cascadia International

A trio of winemakers in Idaho combined to win 10 gold medals at last month’s 13th annual Cascadia International Wine Competition in Washington state.

Savvy patrons of Savor Idaho and those visiting wineries and tasting rooms throughout the state this summer should inquire about the following award-winners during the Cascadia judging conducted at the Port of Benton’s Walter Clore Wine & Culinary Center in the Yakima Valley:

Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2023 Umiker Estate Reserve Red Wine — gold medal
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2022 Phinny Hill Vineyard Coco’s Reserve Carmenere — double gold medal
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2024 20th Anniversary Blend Red Wine — double gold medal
Parma Ridge Winery 2025 Estate Bottled Viognier — best of class/gold medal
Parma Ridge Winery 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon — Best Cabernet Sauvignon/gold medal
Parma Ridge Winery 2021 Boys Blend Red Wine — best of class/double gold medal
Veer Wine Project 2024 Mataro (aka Mourvèdre) — gold medal
Veer Wine Project 2025 Sauvignon Blanc — gold medal
Veer Wine Project 2024 Tresse GSM — best of class, gold medal
Veer Wine Project 2024 Petite Sirah — double gold medal

Earlier this year at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition — the largest judging in North America — 11 wines from Idaho were awarded a gold medal or better. Two achieved best-of-class recognition for work with Merlot, while two examples of Syrah received a panel’s unanimous vote for gold — resulting in a double gold medal.

Syrah, Huston Vineyards remain stalwarts

It’s not especially common for everyone on a wine judging panel to agree, but Syrah from Idaho often is the grape that wows critics more than others.

That was again the case at the 2026 Idaho Wine Competition, where Syrah emerged as the star of the show and Huston Vineyards near the Sunnyslope of Caldwell earned a constellation of gold medals — an impressive total of six — throughout the judging.

Last year, the Huston 2022 Syrah from Sawtooth Vineyard was best of class and earned a double gold, and their estate-grown sparkling Grüner Veltliner won a spot in the sweepstakes. In 2024, the Huston 2021 Syrah was also best of class with a double gold.

In 2022, Melanie Krause of Cinder Wines used a Syrah to win best of show. In 2020, a Syrah-based blend by Telaya Wine Co. earned the Best Red Wine award.

Kathryn House McClaskey, a former winemaker, is poised to be Idaho’s first Master of Wine after having passed the most difficult part of the program’s qualifications. In 2023, she launched her House of Wine retail shop and education center in downtown Boise, and she plans to bring in more local wines as a result of her experience judging the Idaho Wine Competition this spring.

“I’ve been a champion of Idaho Syrah for well over a decade and this year’s Best of Show from Huston Vineyards embodies the best characteristics of high-quality Syrah,” McClaskey said. “Rich notes of blackberry and violets are balanced by a savory, gamey edge, vanilla oak notes and a dense palate. This wine is powerful yet elegant with a lovely, lingering finish. A joy to drink!”

Alger family claims second best-of-show win

Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of Huston Vineyards, founded by Greg and Mary Alger along storied Chicken Dinner Road in 2007. Among the early moves that set them up for success with their wine program was consulting first with winemaker Melanie Krause of Cinder and later William vonMetzger from storied Walla Walla Vintners and former Precept winemaker Bill Murray.

Within seven years, Huston Vineyards saw its Malbec win top honors at the 2014 Idaho Wine Competition.

The second generation at Huston Vineyards continues to take the winery and estate vines along storied Chicken Dinner Road to the next level. The work by winemaker Jacob — with a food science/fermentation degree from the University of Idaho — and his viticulturist brother Joshua continue to receive acclaim after Huston Vineyards was named Idaho Winery of the Year in 2023 by Great Northwest Wine. Joshua also is growing his consulting business — Lake Idaho Vineyards.

One of the prime examples of teamwork by the brothers is their work with Grüner Veltliner, the noble white grape of Austria that’s found a home along Chicken Dinner Road and charmed critics and judges in competitions.

Overall, the Algers wines were rewarded at the 2026 Idaho Wine Competition with a whopping six gold (or better) medals — three of red wine and three for white wine. The past five growing seasons are represented within the awards, starting with the 2021 Cab, 2022 Mourvèdre and 2023 Syrah, followed by the 2024 Private Reserve Chardonnay, the 2025 Estate Grüner Veltliner ($38) and the 2025 Grüner-based Snake River Valley White Wine ($26). The Cab, Syrah, the Grüner blend and Chardonnay each were awarded a double gold medal, indicating the wine received an unanimous vote for gold.

2 Famici wines shine without labels

When staging a wine competition, it’s helpful but not necessary to have government-approved labels on the bottles. CJ and Janet Northrup were just days away from getting their wines labeled, but they knew those wines were poised for greatness.

Famici Wine Co., another Caldwell-area producer, earned two of the five spots in the sweepstakes when its 2025 Albarino ($26) was voted the Best White Wine and its Primitivo-driven 2025 Estate Rose ($30) was picked the top pink wine of the judging. Great Northwest Wine selected Famici as its 2024 Idaho Winery to Watch, so the Sunnyslope project of CJ Northrup and his wife Janet continues its rise. They also received a gold medal for their Petit Verdot-led 2023 Estate Vineyard Red Blend ($39).

Savor Idaho to cast spotlight on Riesling

This year, Savor Idaho will spotlight a specific variety for patrons to pay special attention to — Riesling, the noble and remarkably versatile white grape of Germany.

A decade ago, the Idaho Wine Commission served as sponsor for the Riesling Rendezvous, a beloved international conference that’s since been discontinued. And throughout the history of the judging, a number of producers have used Riesling to win best of show at the Idaho Wine Competition.

This spring, Bitner Vineyards earned a spot in the sweepstakes when its 2022 Old Vine Late Harvest Riesling captured the title of Best Sweet Wine. It comes as no surprise considering James Nederend, who won best of show at the 2023 Idaho judging by crafting the Koenig Vineyards Riesling Ice Wine, is hired to also make wine for the Bitner family.

Six times in the 17-year history of the judging a bottling of Riesling — finished with varying levels of sweetness — has won best of show at the Idaho Wine Competition.

Four years prior to that win by Nederend, a Riesling ice wine by Koenig Vineyards topped the judging. In 2018, a young and dry Riesling by educator/winemaker Martin Fujishin was best of show. In 2017, the Cinder Wines 2016 Off-Dry Riesling was the judging’s No. 1 wine. And the 2016 Idaho Wine Competition was led by Greg Koenig’s inspired and delectable single berry select Late Harvest Riesling.

Prior to that, in the fourth year of the judging, Leslie Preston of Coiled Wines took the crown for 2013 with her 2012 Dry Riesling. (Earlier this spring, Preston announced the Coiled tasting room has closed, and she has stepped away from winemaking.)

Quality of Cab impresses judging panel

A decade ago, it would have been improbable for an Idaho-grown Cabernet Sauvignon to be in the running for Best Red Wine at the Idaho Wine Competition.

This spring, it ranked as perhaps the strongest category — six were awarded at least a gold medal — and only other wine received more points from judges than the Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2023 Louis Delsol Cabernet Sauvignon. Co-owner/winemaker Coco Umiker pulled from vineyards in the historic Lewis-Clark Valley for an entry ($36) that won best of class, received a double gold medal signaling a panel’s unanimous vote for gold and 94 points. The Boise-born Umiker earned a total of four gold medals, which included her work with robust Italian red Sagrantino and the young 2024 Reserve blend No. 5 of Malbec and Carménère.

The highest-priced wine of the judging ($110) was the Huston Vineyards 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, which earned a double gold medal, also received 94 points and was edged out for best of class by the Clearwater Canyon entry.

And the Cab program for last year’s best of show producer — Greg Koenig’s young Devil’s Bedstead project — account for two gold medals, one for the 2021 Fraser Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and double gold for the Cab-led Alden Cuvee Reserve Red Wine.

Wetmore, Veer Wine Project keep stacking gold

Adventurous and talented Will Wetmore of Veer Wine Project — the 2024 Idaho Winery of the Year — picked up three gold medals for his Garden City brand and at least one more for clients at the 2026 judging. For Veer, gold was awarded for the 2023 Tsutsumi Syrah, 2024 Vincens Merlot and 2025 Sauvignon Blanc. That was the second time within the same month during which Wetmore’s newly released Sauv Blanc received a gold medal.

Chef-turned-winemaker Storm Hodge and vineyard manager/co-winemaker Megan Hartman used the Idaho Wine Competition as the latest Northwest judging to amass gold medals for Parma Ridge Winery. There was a double gold and 93 points for the Carménère-led 2021 Boys Blend ($42), a best-of-class and 93 points for the 2025 estate Viognier and another gold for the 2022 Cab, an estate-based release that earned best of class at last month’s Cascadia International in Washington state.

Attorney-turned-winemaker Johnna Buchert of Dude DeWalt Cellars charmed the panel with her 2023 Damsel Sparkling Chardonnay, a rather classic methode Champenoise effort that qualified for the sweepstakes as the Best Sparkling Wine. Her 2025 Pinot Gris later picked up a double gold — both deserving of being featured at Dude DeWalt’s new satellite tasting room in Garden City along the Boise River Greenbelt.

Farm-themed Dunning Estates contracts with several winemakers, and longtime Cinder enologist Riley Gorman is credited for the 2024 Tempranillo voted best of class. The Dunning family’s other gold medal came for its Merlot-led 2022 Ranger Red, marking the second straight year Wetmore has crafted a gold medal winner for the brand established during the 2022 vintage near Lizard Butte on the Sunnyslope during. Twice in the past three years Dunning Estates has won the Idaho judging’s Best Tempranillo award.

Hat Ranch Winery on the Sunnyslope with Wetmore’s work in the cellar for owner Tim Harless continued its reputation with Cabernet Franc by earning a double gold medal and best of class for work from the 2022 vintage. In 2021, Hat Ranch won best of show with a 2018 Cab Franc.

Best Chardonnay went to second-generation winemaker Bijou Robertson for her Zhoo Zhoo program within her family’s historic Hells Canyon Winery.

Snake River Valley native Martin Fujishin, born and raised in Adrian, Ore., earned double gold and lofty rating of 94 points for his 2022 GSM blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. It’s a bottling his winemaking students at Walla Walla Community College can learn from.

Acclaimed winemakers based in Washington state also accounted for a few gold medals. Billo Navarvane, the remarkably educated Master of Wine with Rasa Vineyards in Walla Walla, also consults in the Lewis-Clark Valley for Rivaura Winery. He is credited as the winemaker for the double gold Rivaura 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, while cousins Vince and Lane Hewett hung onto the credit for their family’s gold-medal winning Rivaura 2024 Viognier.

The Kasper family behind Rock Spur Vineyards and Winery in Melba, Idaho, grew the grapes for this year’s Best Merlot. At $90, it ranks as the second-most expensive gold medal winner in this year’s judging, and the Andrews family in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills has provided guidance along the way. Four years ago, Merlot from Rock Spur helped Wetmore earn one of the first of his many gold medals at the Idaho Wine Competition.

Nederend cellar accounts for 6 gold medals

At Koenig Vineyards, James Nederend and his wife, Sydney, were responsible for a combined for six gold medals made in their cellar for clients or themselves. They include the Best Red Blend for Bitner Vineyards, gold medals for their Koenig Vineyards 2023 Snake River Valley Cuvée and 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon Ice Wine, a 2025 Verdejo for Williamson Vineyards and a 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon for SCORIA Vineyards.

Sydney and her parents planted SCORIA near a volcanic vent on their estate, and the wines are poured in downtown Boise at an upscale tasting gallery managed by the scholarly Tara Evans, who has earned the exacting Level 3 Award from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Among the winemakers rewarded for successful exploration was Joe Guenther of Lost Sage Wines, who garnered a gold medal for his 2022 Estate Nebbiolo ($28) — a rare work in Idaho with the prized red from Italy’s Piedmont region famous for Barolo.

There were three gold medals awarded to the rosé category, and among those winners was the Italian-inspired Rolling Hills Vineyard 2024 Rosé of Sangiovese ($24).

Those joining McClaskey on the panel for the 2026 Idaho Wine Competitions were Seattle author/wine merchant Paul Zitarelli of Full Pull Wines; Walla Walla restaurateur/educator Kaleigh Brook, who recently passed the difficult first stage of the Master Sommelier program; merchant Ilene Dudunake, who recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of A New Vintage Wine Shop near Boise; Jeff Ritchey, a graduate of University of California-Davis enology program who makes wine on the other side of the world for Alexandrea Winery in Armenia; Sonnay Alvarez, a Boise journalist and marketing consultant for Altanto Vino; Mike Rader, a financial advisor in Kennewick, Wash.; and Jim Thomssen, a journalist, retired bank executive in Nampa, Idaho and wine specialist for National Geographic/Lindblad Expeditions.

As has become tradition, lunch came from Alejandra’s Mexican Restaurant across the Snake River in Marsing. After the competition, Destination Caldwell and executive director Denae Warren sponsored the post-judging reception for industry. And shortly after, the panel received a tour of nearby Gem 73 Winery. The young project, led by winemaker Greg Koenig and retired Micron executives Joel Poppen and Jay Hawkins, is scheduled to open mid-summer and destined to become the most buzzworthy wine project in the state of Idaho.

Top wines at 2026 Idaho Wine Competition

Silver medal
3100 Cellars 2021 The Launch Sparking Chardonnay, Eagle Foothills $45
3100 Cellars 2024 Pool & Drop Sparkling Gewürztraminer, Snake River Valley $33
Bitner Vineyards 2013 Red Dessert Wine, Snake River Valley $55
Bitner Vineyards 2024 High Desert White, Snake River Valley $26
Buckhorn Vineyards 2024 Riesling, Eagle Foothills $25
Cabin View Winery 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Rattlesnake Hills $38
Cabin View Winery 2022 Malbec, Rattlesnake Hills $38
Cabin View Winery 2022 Red Wine Blend, Rattlesnake Hills $38
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2024 Merlot, Washington $32
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2022 Phinny Hill Vineyard Coco’s Reserve Carménère, Washington $42
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2023 Rock n’ J Vineyard Coco’s Reserve Rock n’ J Blend, Lewis-Clark Valley $36
Clearwater Canyon Cellars Nonvintage WAHA V Red Wine, Washington $28
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2023 Umiker Estate Reserve Red Wine, Lewis-Clark Valley $42
Clearwater Canyon Cellars 2024 20th Anniversary Blend Red Wine, Washington $42
Cold Springs Winery 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, Snake River Valley $32
Cold Springs Winery 2025 Pineapple Riesling, Snake River Valley $25
Cold Springs Winery 2022 Pinot Noir, Snake River Valley $25
Dunning Estates 2024 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $42
Dunning Estates 2024 The Big Bull, Snake River Valley $41
Famici Wine Co. 2023 Vicino Series Cabernet Franc, Snake River Valley $32
Famici Wine Co. 2023 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Snake River Valley $45
Famici Wine Co. 2025 Dry Gewürztraminer, Snake River Valley $28
Famici Wine Co. 2025 Vermentino, Snake River Valley $30
Famici Wine Co. 2023 Vicino Series Bonneville Red Blend, Snake River Valley $38
Famici Wine Co. 2023 Rusty’s Red, Snake River Valley $28
Famici Wine Co. 2025 Rusty’s Rosé, Snake River Valley $24
Famici Wine Co. 2025 Rusty’s White, Snake River Valley $24
Free Dog Wines 2022 Cabernet Franc, Snake River Valley $29
Free Dog Wines 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Snake River Valley $29
Hat Ranch Winery 2024 Dry Moscato, Snake River Valley $22
Hat Ranch Winery 2022 Syrah, Snake River Valley $33
Hat Ranch Winery 2024 Hat Trick White, Snake River Valley $23
Hells Canyon Winery 2023 Reserve Cabernet Franc, Snake River Valley $42
Hells Canyon Winery 2023 Middle Fork Merlot, Snake River Valley $29
Holesinsky Winery and Vineyard 2021 Purple Sasquatch, Snake River Valley $45
Holesinsky Winery and Vineyard 2025 JH Estate Chardonnay, Snake River Valley
Holesinsky Winery and Vineyard 2022 100% Merlot, Snake River Valley $28
Holesinsky Winery and Vineyard 2025 100% Pinot Gris, Snake River Valley $16
Kerry Hill Winery 2024 Shepherd’s Sparkling Malbec Rosé, Snake River Valley $45
Kindred Vineyards 2023 Summer Silhouette, Snake River Valley $39
Kindred Vineyards 2025 Paso a Paso Albariño, Snake River Valley $26
Kindred Vineyards 2023 Petit Verdot, Snake River Valley $40
Kindred Vineyards 2025 Love Letter Syrah Rosé, Snake River Valley $26
Kindred Vineyards 2023 11 Sails Tempranillo, Snake River Valley $45
Lost Sage Wines 2023 Estate Cabernet Franc, Snake River Valley $28
Lost Sage Wines 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon, Snake River Valley $38
Owyhee Vista Vineyard 2025 Tempranillo, Snake River Valley $19
Parma Ridge Winery NV Rhubarb Wine, Snake River Valley $42
Parma Ridge Winery 2022 Carménère, Snake River Valley $44
Parma Ridge Winery 2021 Petite Sirah, Snake River Valley $40
Parma Ridge Winery 2022 Isaac Storm, Snake River Valley $45
Parma Ridge Winery 2020 Farmers Blend, Snake River Valley $42
Rivaura Winery 2023 Cabernet Franc, Lewis-Clark Valley $58
Rivaura Winery 2023 GSM, Lewis-Clark Valley $38
Rivaura Winery 2021 River Ranch Red, Lewis-Clark Valley $30
Rivaura Winery 2023 Syrah, Lewis-Clark Valley $40
Ste Chapelle Winery 2025 Open Air Muscat Blanc, Snake River Valley $26
Ste Chapelle Winery 2025 Panoramic Rosé, Snake River Valley, $28
Ste Chapelle Winery 2025 Special Harvest Riesling, Snake River Valley $16
Veer Wine Project 2024 Garnacha, Snake River Valley $36
Veer Wine Project 2024 Petite Sirah, Snake River Valley $44
Veer Wine Project 2024 La Granada (Spanish Blend), Snake River Valley $32
Veer Wine Project 2024 The Scavenger Red Blend, Snake River Valley $25
Veer Wine Project 2024 Tresse GSM, Snake River Valley $36
Veer Wine Project 2022 Bash Bubbles Sparking Wine, Snake River Valley $25
Veer Wine Project 2024 Emerald Slope Tempranillo, Snake River Valley $44
Y Knot Winery 2023 Cabernet Franc, Snake River Valley $28
Y Knot Winery 2024 Chardonnay, Snake River Valley $25
Y Knot Winery 2023 Reserve Merlot, Snake River Valley $29
Y Knot Winery 2024 Riesling, Snake River Valley $24
Y Knot Winery 2024 Petit Verdot, Snake River Valley $34
Y Knot Winery 2024 Blue Rosé, Snake River Valley $23

Idaho Wine Competition

Celebrating the best of Idaho wine and viticulture