In my last post, I recapped the great morning I had touring Nederend Dairy with Dairy West in celebration of Idaho Dairy Month. Coincidentally, or not, the Idaho Wine Commission is also kicking back Idaho Wine Month so it only made sense that the next stop on the tour, Scoria Vineyards, would be the ultimate match up of these two state commodity organizations.

Also in my last post I mentioned that Hans Jr. and two of his sons, Hans IV and John, run Nederend Dairy. Well, there’s a third son, James, and along with his wife, Sidney, they own Scoria. Now doesn’t that work out just perfectly? 

A future glass of Cabernet Sauvignon

Sidney Nederend gives us the lay of the land

A view of the vineyards

Scoria Vineyards sits on a piece of land purchased by Sidney’s great grandfather almost 100 years ago when he moved there from Southern California to raise fruit. The soil on this specific spot turned out to be too rocky and irregular for an orchard but is exactly the kind of stressful environment that makes for good wine.

The geological name for the type of red volcanic rock found here is scoria, hence the name of the winery.

Besides being rocky, the location is also too hot for white wines but is perfect for reds. In 2014, Malbec and Petit Verdot were planted in Block 1. Block 2 was planted in 2016 – half in Cabernet Sauvignon and half in Merlot. 

Today’s lineup

Scoria wines

Let the tasting begin!

For our tasting, multiple Idaho wineries are represented including Coiled, Williamson, Telaya, Koenig, and of course, Scoria. 

And then there was perhaps the most impressive cheese board I’ve ever seen! Maryanne Drake, professor at North Carolina State and sensory guru, walked us through the pairing, calling attention to how the different cheeses, fruits, and nuts pull out different flavor nuances and characteristics in the wines. 

90% of what you think is flavor is really from the aroma. That’s why nothing tastes like anything when you have a cold. So swill those glasses and take a big sniff to get the most from your wine drinking experience!

Greg Keller of Dairy West put a beautiful video of the day together. Watch it here.

I’m never one to turn down wine OR cheese, so a huge thank you to Dairy West and the Idaho Wine Commission for giving me an opportunity to indulge in both! 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dairy West but the opinions and text are all mine.