Nov 03 2011
Zhoo Zhoo Wines
Before stumbling across this rather unique Idaho winery, I had never heard the words Zhoo Zhoo. In fact, I wasn’t even aware they were words at all! But here they were and with such colorful artwork supporting their strangeness; I was compelled to explore further. What I found was a unique and heartwarming story. Not just a winery, but a fusion of three different lives stemming from the same childhood. The winery was developed and is seemingly operated by three sisters who bring their world travels, education, and family background to the world of wine.
The sisters were raised in the Pacific Northwest by their father who was a winemaker, among other numerous pursuits. Their mother is described as a party planner and poetess which is evident in the flare splashed across each page of the winery website. One sister has become a chef, another an artist, and the third an environmentalist and world traveler. With such an interesting combination, a winery must have been inevitable.
Zhoo Zhoo is located in Hells Canyon, Idaho. This canyon borders Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho and boasts North America’s deepest river gorge. The other appeal to this area of Idaho is its little known ability to grow excellent grapes. Idaho wineries are abundant in this area and produce some very fine vintages. Zhoo Zhoo offers Swallows Wine Bar (Play on words? We think so.) for your wine tasting enjoyment. Their bottles of wine carry intriguing artwork and, true to the style of Zhoo Zhoo, are aptly named after female hair colors.
Now to the important part, what about the wines? The first thing I noticed was the reasonable price of each bottle. As with most wineries, the cost ranges from fairly inexpensive at about $10 for the Redhead, a 100% pink Syrah, to $26 for the Delphine ‘06 Chardonnay Reserve. In between, there are several selections of 100% Syrah or Chardonnay and other choices which are composed of several different varietals such as the Brunette, a mix of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Additionally, Zhoo Zhoo offers wine packages such as the First Date package or the Secret Admirer package. Also, because they make each wine vintage in a limited bottle number, buying a package or multiple bottles of the wine you like lets you save money and store the bottles in your wine cooler or whatever wine storage method you employ for later consumption.
After perusing the website, reading the intriguing story, and admiring the artwork, I recommend stopping by if you are in the neighborhood and stocking your wine refrigerator full of these unique wines.