Wine at home: North Idaho’s own tasting rooms

North Idaho is not grape country. The winters are too cold for most wine grapes. But the wine is made here, by local people, from grapes grown a few hours south and west, and you can taste it without leaving the county.

Coeur d’Alene Cellars

Kimber Travis grew up in Coeur d’Alene. She opened Coeur d’Alene Cellars in 2002, and today it makes its wine on Schreiber Way. The grapes come from Washington’s Columbia Valley. For about 10 years the winery has made the house wines for the Coeur d’Alene Resort. This year it bottled special labels for the Resort’s 40th anniversary, the spa’s 30th and the golf course’s floating green. The winery turns 25 next year.

Rivaura on Sherman Avenue

Rivaura is a family estate on the Clearwater River near Juliaetta, in the Lewis-Clark Valley, a little over two hours south. The Hewett family grows its own grapes there. Its second tasting room is downtown at 505 E. Sherman Ave., open Wednesday through Saturday afternoons and evenings. Many people find Rivaura here first, then drive south to see the vines.

Rosemary Manor, Post Falls

Cara and Keelan Dickson make small batches of wine under the Rosemary Manor name in Post Falls. You will find them at Post Falls markets and at winemaker dinners around town; their website has the latest.

Pend d’Oreille Winery, Sandpoint

Steve and Julie Meyer opened Pend d’Oreille Winery in 1995. Jim Bopp and Kylie Presta, who both worked there for years, bought it in December 2017. It is at 301 Cedar St. in downtown Sandpoint, in the old Belwood building, and it bottles its wine in-house.

Good to know

Hours change with the season. Call or check each winery’s site before you go.

ESPOvineyard, the wine notebook these stories started from, is made by Accelerated Experiences LLC, Kcounty.Media’s parent company. No winery paid to be included. You must be 21 to buy or drink wine. Pick a driver.