The perfect blend

SANDPOINT – Sure, Sandpoint is a long way from wine country.

Schweitzer, Coldwater Creek and life on Lake Pend Oreille are probably more likely to come to mind than wine grapes – but that doesn’t mean the people of this small town don’t know that the crush is on.

Steve Meyer is hustling three hours at a time to sample fruit in the Columbia Valley and southern Idaho, sometimes twice a week this time of year. But when the grapes are arriving at Pend d’Oreille Winery it’s hard to miss. The drone from the forklift begins to buzz late into the night at the downtown winery and tasting room. The garage door just off the town’s main drag is thrown open and metal fermentation bins are sprayed and prepared for fruit. When the grapes are in, the lights stay on late at the corner of Third and Cedar for crushing.

Steve and Julie Meyer first began making wines a decade ago. They toiled hidden away in the industrial park, crushing 16 tons of grapes that first year for about 800 cases of wine. Since the winery opened its new facility and tasting room downtown 2002, it has become more of a part of the community consciousness. They haul in something closer to 110 tons of grapes to make about 6,000 cases of wine each year.

Pend d’Oreille Winery has become the place that people meet for a drink after work, to start an evening out and sip wine and listen to music. The idea, Steve Meyer says, is to enhance the Sandpoint experience by complementing what local restaurants and businesses have to offer.

It’s the same approach he takes to winemaking. Wines should enhance your dining experience; it shouldn’t be too forceful, demanding all of the attention during a meal.

“The tradition of wine is really about celebrating the experience that people have at the table,” he says. “I think the wine should complement the chef’s work, not be … the show off on the table.”

He learned the philosophy as a college student visiting the vineyards of Meursault, France. Meyer wasn’t even a student of viticulture, he was visiting a friend he’d met at college in at the University of California Santa Cruz and planning to ski in the Alps. But because he was working during college restocking the wines bars and cellars at two popular California restaurants he was astute enough to know what awaited in Burgundy.

He arrived during the harvest in the region know for its chardonnay and ended up staying through the crush, doing some cellar work, pruning vines and working on the bottling of the 1985 vintage.

By the next year, Meyer was working as the vineyard manager at Roudon-Smith winery in Santa Cruz and quickly moved into the cellar master job. Seven years later he had finished winemaking extension courses at the University of California and become the assistant winemaker.

“If we do a better job raising a perfect grape, it’s that much less manipulation we have to do during the winemaking process,” Meyer says. Although he’s now once removed from the vineyards, he works closely with growers, consultants and visits often to check on the fruit.

It’s a trade-off for the kind of balance in their lives that the Meyer strives for with his wine. Sandpoint is Julie’s hometown but it also offers the outdoor recreation they love – both are mountain bike racers and love to ski. They wanted a place to raise their two boys, Andy, 11, and Paul, 9, that wouldn’t mean their lives revolved around the winery. Steve makes wine while Julie travels to trade shows to keep the tasting room stocked with furniture, linens, dishes and other gift items. They raise their own garden at home and relish in family dinner together.

Pend d’Oreille Winery offers between nine to 12 wines at any one time including pinot gris, chardonnay, huckleberry blush, pinot noir, sangiovese, merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and other reserve and limited production wines. The winery’s easy-drinking and affordable Bistro Rouge ($10.50) and Bistro Blanc ($7) have become something of the house wine of the region – in France they might be called the “vin de pays.”

The wines have won their share of accolades over the years from Wine Spectator and others. They are often included among the weekly picks from Wine Press Northwest. The magazine named it the 2003 Idaho Winery of the Year. This spring, editors raved about Meyer’s latest releases including the cabernet franc.

“Here’s a work of art from Stephen Meyer that fits in nicely among the artsy, ski community of Sandpoint, Idaho. Coffee, menthol, vanilla along with dusty cherries, dried strawberries and blackberries make up the bouquet. Fascinating flavors and layers of fruit, primarily fresh strawberries and Rainier cherries, are profiled in this easy-drinking wine with tremendous length and capped by shaved chocolate,” they said.

Pend d’Oreille’s 2002 Syrah ($22) also was reviewed by the quarterly magazine. “This North Idaho winery continues to craft one spectacular wine after another. This beautiful Syrah using Washington grapes is bursting with aromas and flavors of strawberries, raspberries and plums. Hints of green tea and sweet herbs provide added complexity, and a rich mouth feel lasts through the impressive finish… Serve this rich Syrah with duck, lamb chops or beef,” Wine Press Northwest said.

With 10 years behind him Meyer is concentrating on enjoying the wines, food, family and friends they’ve made in Sandpoint.

“We’re able to give every wine really great attention. The result is well worth the time invested,” he said. “We like to make serious wines, but we like to have serious fun making and serving it.”

Don’t let the cool evenings chase you inside away from the grill. Meyer recommended a few of his favorite recipes to share the table with his wines. Pair the Mediterranean Lamb with a cucumber sauce and the winery’s 2003 Syrah ($21). Ask the butcher to butterfly the lamb for you to save time or if you’re not sure how to do it yourself.

Pend d’Oreille’s 2003 Chardonnay ($13.50) or the 2003 Pinot Noir ($19.50) help the Northwest Halibut with Tangy Curry Rub shine. The recipe comes together quickly and can be adjusted for heat. (Go easy on the curry paste or you’ll miss the nuances of the wine.) The chardonnay was a gold medal winner at the 2004 Northwest Wine Summit.

It’s the perfect time for pears and Meyer’s recipe for a mixed green salad with pear slices, walnuts, gorgonzola cheese and tangy Dijon dressing. Meyer said it’s easy to get carried away with the red wine vinegar, which will ruin the surprise honeysuckle flavors from the 2004 Pinot Gris ($13.50). Use a light hand when you make this sauce that is a favorite in Meursault, he says.