Truth is in the tasting

COEUR d'ALENE - The wine list in Craig Denney's hand - juggled under a half-full glass - was long.

Pages, in fact. In tiny type.

Not overwhelming, the Hayden Lake bartender assured, to veterans of the industry.

Not to those who know just what they're looking for.

"If you're in a time crunch or looking for a buzz level decrease, you skip the ones you've had before," advised Denney, who dispenses treats at Porch Public House.

Some kind of system was required at Idaho Wine Merchant's spring wine tasting on Wednesday, where the wholesale distributor had 150 brands of wine snaked around its Coeur d'Alene office on cloth spread tables.

Dozens of representatives from regional retailers, grocery stores and restaurants indulged at their whim - spitting optional - to mull what would star on their wine lists for the summer.

"Our goal is to have our customers try as many products as possible," said Victoria Peterson, sales manager of Idaho Wine Merchant's North Idaho branch. "All the wine lists basically change for the summer. There are lots of new vintages coming in now that customers haven't been able to taste, and with every vintage, Mother Nature dictates how the fruit will grow."

Conversation droned on Wednesday afternoon at the typical volume when wine is generously poured.

Representatives of 22 wineries from around the world were manning the wine-stocked tables, ready to hobnob with buyers about what tastes, textures, prices are in demand.

Corey Braunel, co-owner of Dusted Valley winery in Walla Walla, Wash., discussed his family-owned business with a couple as he filled their glasses.

He is eager to put his product in the mouths of North Idaho buyers, he said.

"It (demand for wine) is exploding in Idaho," Braunel said. "The wine culture has kicked up in recent years. North Idaho has a large concentration of restaurants with the tourism industry, and people are looking to find high quality wines."

What most buyers are looking most for these days, Denney said, is thrift.

"They want to pay $7 for a glass of wine that doesn't taste like $7 wine," he said.

There's a key to finding such gems, Denney added.

"Come to these (events)," he said.

Sarah Mann swirled a glass of Caymus, a high-end brand she can't afford to often taste, though it's for sale at her wine and liquor store in Post Falls.

Such a tasting event allows her to sample it so she can describe and recommend it to customers, Mann explained.

"I'm treating myself," she said with a laugh.

The economy, she added, has affected how customers fill up their baskets at her store, Enoteca Fine Wine and Beer.

"They're still spending $50, but they want three or four bottles instead of just the one $50 bottle," Mann said, adding that wineries have lowered prices to accommodate the trend. "If they're spending $20, it needs to wow them."

The demand for reasonable prices has suited Cinder, said Joe Schnerr, co-owner of the Snake River Valley winery.

Their bottles range from $14 to $35, he said, adding that the company uses fruit from Idaho, not Washington.

"It's less expensive to do business in southern Idaho than in Napa," Schnerr said with a shrug. "I think it's an exciting industry, because it combines science and agriculture and art and culture. We're involved in the conversations of people sitting down at their dinner table. We love it."

Scott Sember from the Coeur d'Alene Safeway wine store, sipping a Dusted Valley red, said these tastings are a great opportunity.

He can observe restaurants' top picks, he explained, and then find affordable versions to stock at Safeway.

"Restaurants try to find stuff that can't be found anywhere else. At retail, we try to find something comparable that's a good buy," Sember said.

He's betting on Cinder roses and pinot noirs to be a hit, he added.

"They've got some dynamite wines," he said.

Idaho Wine Merchant, headquartered in Boise, has several satellite offices in Idaho. The business was established 35 years ago, Peterson said, and started in Coeur d'Alene about 27 years back.

"We hope people recognize that we hold these events so they can continue to improve what they're doing," Peterson said.

Gary Peitz, looking to stock the wine list for his new cafe near Sandpoint, said an expansive wine tasting is a relief.

"Wine tasting can be arduous," said Peitz, glancing at his near-empty glass. "This gives us the opportunity to consolidate."