FOOD/CON’T really changing things.” Stepping into one of his greenhouses, Sommer pulls back a thin sheet of agricultural cloth, revealing a long row of dark green kale. “This crop that we’re looking at right now is a perfect example of that,” he said. “Two years ago we never grew winter crops. All of a sudden I found that somebody wanted it. I couldn’t believe it. I found out for the first time ever that people would be interested in winter greens.” Sommer has begun growing and selling cold-season produce to Treasure Valley stores and restaurants that value locally grown winter vegetables and are willing to pay a proper price. He can even afford to bring his son Mike back home to work with him now. In a voice close to breaking, Sommer said, “That’s how much this change in the local food movement [has] brought.” It’s a profound enough shift to warrant walking through hard snow to an empty field so he can show me where he plans to add additional greenhouses designed to grow winter crops for the local market. He doesn’t even have geothermal heat—just sunlight and renewed enthusiasm. “Just changing the orientation to the sun would make this thing work without any fossil fuel or any other external source,” he said, waving his hand over a blank canvas of snow. Back in Hagerman, Reed has found a profitable way to grow winter greens. Instead of losing money on the retail market, he opened a restaurant in Twin Falls called the Local Dish Market & Cafe. There his squeaky-fresh, greenhouse-grown produce is a prominent, profitable part of the menu. Merrily Eckel, on the other hand, never had trouble getting a stellar price for her Idaho citrus. Atkinsons’ Market in Ketchum sells every bit of fruit she delivers. Where else, she asks, can a locavore find a fresh Idaho orange?
32 c JANUARY 5–11, 2011 c BOISEweekly
FOOD/WINE SIPPER
TOP IDAHO WINE PICKS The new year is a time to reflect on the events of the past year. I’ve tasted a lot of great wine in the last 12 months, but nothing has impressed me more than the evolution of Idaho wines. Gaining our own Snake River viticultural designation seems to have shaken things up, with lots of worthy new wineries joining the ranks of some old favorites. The only downside is their very limited production. Here are three exceptional Idaho wines that are still available in the market. 2009 CINDER CHARDONNAY, $18 My slam against so many American chardonnays is their overwhelming oak. We call them Chateau Two-by-Fours, and they are so colored by wood you risk getting splinters in your tongue. Cinder Wines winemaker Melanie Krause preaches the mantra of balance using mostly neutral oak to let the fruit shine through, while adding structure and texture. Her Cinder chardonnay offers beautiful peach and citrus flavors with just a hint of spice. 2008 COILED SYRAH, $24 Coiled Wines owner/proprietor Leslie Preston is from Idaho, but now lives in Napa, Calif., where she makes this wine using the Snake River grapes she finds so intriguing. Bottled under a screw-cap to preserve all the fresh fruit aromas and flavors, this is world class Syrah with spicy berry fruit on the nose and on the palate. Great structure with nice complexity and amazing length make for an impressive wine. 2007 SNAKE RIVER BARBERA, $17 The 2006 vintage of this Snake River Winer y wine finished in the top three against a line-up of true Italian barberas back in April 2010. The only other Idaho wine to make the cut in a “Wine Sipper” tasting was a riesling, also from Snake River. They must be doing something right, and if anything, this 2007 is even better than the ’06. Rich in ripe cherr y fruit flavors, it is nicely balanced by crisp acidity, making for a food-friendly choice. —David Kirkpatrick WWW. B O I S E WE E KLY. C O M