-
Idaho's
oldest independently owned winery - Camas Prairie Winery -
surprisingly is located Moscow,
Idaho, and what started as a winery
and tasting room in 1983 expanded to include a wine bar.
In addition to focusing on local community
and wine-traveler needs, owners of the winery have paid attention to new technologies and trends
that were incorporated into
business practices. Solar power panels were
installed on the rooftop providing a renewable energy source for
about 20% of the business's required power. Camas Prairie Winery
has also become proactive with the issue of pollution. In fact,
the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality announced that Moscow's
Camas Prairie Winery is among five Idaho businesses selected as
"Pollution Prevention Champions" of the year for its efforts to reduce
waste and conserve resources.
The Wine Bar Loft
In the
late 90s, the Wine Bar Loft was added to this Main Street wine business.
Here Camas Prairie Winery serves wine by the glass, along with
specialty beers, in a smoke-free,
"non-sports-bar" environment.
The Loft
also provides space for small meetings and parties.
Decorated with nine stained
glass panels and an antique copper-tile ceiling, the Wine Bar Loft is
visually striking, warm and inviting. Its 250 square feet of space
provide table seating for 28 as an appealing space for private
events; it is available
during normal business hours or by special arrangement.
You can also enjoy Camas
Prairie Winery's outdoor seating during the warmer months with
wine or beer by the glass.
The Wines
Winemaker/owner Jeremy Ritter
offers a wide variety of
wines for his customers -- still wines, handmade
sparkling wines, fruit wines and meads (honey wines). The
selection is bound to appeal to all types of the tasting public, even
those that are new to wine. An added appeal of his varied list is the seasonality of source materials. Wine grapes are
not ready for harvest until September or October, but fruit ripens in
July or August, and honey wines (Mead) can be produced year round.
Jeremy contracts for the
purchase of grapes from fine vineyards throughout the Northwest, with
Champoux Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills (a Washington State AVA) being
his primary source.
What's in a name?
Camas
Prairie Winery takes its name from the thick growth of Camas lily
bulbs that once provided a favorite food for the
hogs of the area's settlers. So enthusiastic were hogs about
eating this naturally occurring food that one of the earliest names for
the area was Hog Heaven.
Be sure to
include Camas Prairie Winery on
your Northern Idaho travel itinerary, and enjoy the
variety that is its spice of life.
