Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/764739
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m J a n - F e b 2 017 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 4 9 Come April 17 (or the Saturday closest to it), you'll find connois- seurs of the locally made vintage gathered at Huston Vineyards, on the colorfully named Chicken Din- ner Road in Caldwell. In celebra- tion of World Malbec Day, Huston, which has won numerous acco- lades and medals for its Malbec, will debut its latest vintage, a chef will prepare empanadas and asado (Argentine barbecue) and visitors will enjoy barrel tastings. "We tried to get all the winer- ies to collaborate when we had our first one in 2013," says Gregg Alger, who, with his wife, Mary, o w n s H u s t o n Vi n e y a r d s . " B u t there just weren't enough folks making Malbec." TIMES HAVE CHANGED Today, the Idaho Wine Commis- sion lists 14 Idaho wineries that make Malbec. That's nearly 30% of the state's 52 wineries. The major- ity are located in Southwest Idaho in the Snake River Valley AVA, the state's first appellation (2007) and its largest. The area is considered a high-mountain, cold-climate desert, having extreme temperatures in both winter and summer. a paucity of the grape, a fact that has winemakers scrambling to con- tract with growers for future har- vests or even to seek the grapes they need from other states, usu- ally Washington. One of the first Idaho wineries to make Malbec was Indian Creek. Founder Bill Stowe bought the grapes from other growers and, in 1998, produced a small amount, which he used in a Bordeaux blend called Star Garnet. Stowe's son-in- law, Mike McClure, became wine- maker in 2006, two years after Stowe had begun producing a single varietal of Malbec. Stowe's 2005 vintage won best red at the 2007 Idaho Wine Festival. "From that point, we started trying to source from a few other vineyards," says McClure, "and it's grown from there." McClure now sources from four different vineyards, but for added insurance, he planted Malbec at Indian Creek Winery's vineyard this spring. " T h e e l e v a t i o n w a s a f a c - tor in our decision to grow it," he explains, noting that his new Malbec vineyard is at 2,626 feet. " T h a t 's w h a t A r g e n t i n a r a v e s about, their elevation being the key to producing quality Malbec." Also, in the high desert, he says, Alger notes that when he made his first Malbec in 2011, "There were only about four or five acres of it in the whole state." Now there are about 30 acres dedicated to Malbec. All told, there are about 1,300 acres of all wine grapes planted in Idaho. Unfortunately, those numbers in relation to the growing ranks of Malbec winemakers translates into Gregg Alger of Huston Vineyards made his first Malbec in 2011. Winemaker Mike McClure of Indian Creek Winery grows Malbec at 2,626 feet elevation.