some sleepy-time, tea-inspired thoughts

What is it about the Northwest that keeps me here? There something in the air that truly connects each person with this region. It’s a strong worth ethic, a compassion for the vast landscapes and family values. My connection is one that shows how Idaho has called me to connect with these three values and gives current Idahoans and Northwesterners a sense of familiarity that they’ve valued living here.

My high school and college sweetheart (6 years so far), Mike McClure, and I are committed as a second-generation family business running Idaho’s third oldest winery, Indian Creek Winery. Potatoes are moving to the sidelines while vineyards & wineries are finally starting to shine in the spotlight. I remember as a child wondering why and how my mom and dad spent every waking moment working out in the vineyards; my mother also working full-time as an accountant (still to this day) and my father retired from the Airforce.

In contemplation, I realize it was purely out of passion, determination and hard work; not for the money and if it was for the money, it would not have lasted. Few drank wine back in the 80’s here and Idaho’s wine industry received little recognition back then. Thinking back, it might not have seemed like I was paying much attention to this winemaking lifestyle – back when I was a teenager it was just work, and weekends were spent hand-bottling, hand-labeling, doing everything by hand…so much work for something I didn’t enjoy drinking! I finally started drinking a glass here and there, paying more and more attention to basic qualities (definitely not using descriptors like “gamey” or “peppery” yet) and by the time college rolled around, I was fully enjoying wine and decided that this investment that my parents, brothers and I worked so hard for was going to be sticking around for a long time. Granted, besides the hard work, we must pay tribute to the unique soil profiles, micro-climates and ultimately as the French would say, “terroirs” this state encompasses.

We love to work but when it comes to playtime, we follow that old saying “Work hard, play hard”. As the Stowe Vineyard grapes fall into their dormant winter sleep, months away from bud break, Mike and I do anything but sleep. Rock climbing season is in full swing. Idaho offers a number of local climbing areas but so do other neighboring states. Planned trips to these climbing destinations bring motivation for training and getting stronger. Admittedly, it’s not all about the climbing; deep down it’s a sport that ties us to the opportunity of visiting these wondrous unique landscapes. Every year we climb the boulders of Bishop, California while soaking in the Mammoth hot springs at night, doing long technical routes at Smith Rocks in Bend, Oregon (a stop at Deschutes Brewery is mandatory), and hitting up Deep Creek, outside of Spokane, Washington and climbing on basalt rock morphed with rare, one-of-a-kind features. As spring rolls around and pruning in the vineyard begins, we managed to squeeze in a trip to Squamish, B.C. just north of Vancouver. The climbing style there has always challenged me, requiring more full-body interaction and wondrous technique but the scenery on the way there with the soothing, aqua hues of the bay to my left and towering mountains to my right make up for any frustration generated by the struggles in my climbing. Mike and I also make a yearly trip to climb at Utah crags (with the lack of wineries, we bring our own wine and drink locally brewed beer).
We typically keep these trips short and sweet. Such that a wine has its own qualities that shine from unique soil, the grape varietal, flavor compounds and climate, each climbing destination also has its own luster. The balance of work, travel and recreation in the Northwest is the ultimate moment of now, reality, something we all have in common and is the ultimate inspiration that thrives in our communities.