Cinder Winery [May 2021]

As you know, things do not always go according to plan, and sometimes you have to make changes along the way in order to adapt. Shawn saw a winter storm in the forecast along our initial route, so decided we should take a detour through Boise, Idaho. This was going to add another day of travel, but we had the time. A couple nights later we ended up at one of the last open spots at a campground in Boise. Wouldn’t you know that there was a winery only a couple miles down the road in a cute little town by the name of Garden City!?

Way back on my FB post I said, “Coolest use of a warehouse.. EVER!! I mean do you know anything about my truck driving history??” Even if you don’t know, trust me when I say that I’ve seen my fair share of the inside of warehouses. They always say to "never judge a book by its cover" and I’ve learned over the years to never judge a winery [or anything really] by its shell. [building] LOL This was such a great use of space!! The name also intrigued me, as so many winery names do. Cause when I think of “cinder" I think of blocks, and this was a metal warehouse so… why!?

First let’s talk about Melanie Krause and her husband Joe. Melanie grew up in Boise and she was really big into gardening. Her parents had a farm where they grew and preserved a lot of their own food, including over 40 varietals of grapes!! Then in 2001, after graduating from Washington State University, [where she met her husband Joe] they traveled to Asia. Melanie started to work at Stimson Lane Vineyard and quickly moved up to assistant winemaker. Here she learned the skills that would help her and Joe reach their dream of one day opening their own vineyard.

By 2003, they were back in Washington and Melanie was working as an enologist [a wine science expert who specializes in the study and production of wine] at Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Winery. By 2006, Melanie and Joe moved back to Boise to settle down. Here Joe worked as a chemist at a technology company called Micron. This gave Melanie plenty of time to explore the surrounding Idaho vineyards and she was so inspired that she started to experiment with making her own small batches of wine; she founded Cinder Winery this very same year!!   

Ok, now it’s time to talk about the wineries name… Cinder. As you can see in the photo above, there is not a single cinder block to be seen!! Cinder, in this instance is talking about ancient, volcanic “cinder” soil. In other words, Melanie named the winery "Cinder" after the volcanic remnants in the Snake River Valley. I found the theory that these volcanic soils, flood carved valleys, and high desert climates provided the perfect climate for wine vines to be pretty interesting.

This area of the Snake River Valley is where they source all of their grapes for producing their Viognier, Tempranillo and Syrah (among others) wines. “Welcome to the Garden.” In 2008 Melanie and Joe found the warehouse for the Cinder tasting room, this is the place where we visited. Initially there were several other wineries sharing this space, but as they moved out to find their own locations, Melanie expanded Cinder into the open places. Finally, after eight years, Melanie and Joe found themselves the sole owners of the warehouse. They loved this Garden City location that was only like 10 minutes from their home that they loved.  

Today, Cinder Winery invites guests to visit their totally awesome remodeled tasting room in Garden City and enjoy the wines that reflect Melanie’s passion for this special place she calls home. The photo above is taken from a balcony sitting room where you could sit, relax and take in the whole warehouse in a glance!!

So despite Shawn’s diligence in keeping us safe by changing our travel route, Wine with Wixy may still run into “Sno” but we won’t be needing chains. HA!!

Cheers to you my wine loving friends, and TTFN!!