NAMPA, Idaho — Nampa had its inaugural Downtown Wine Fest in 2024. I met with people in the wine community to learn how the art is growing in Idaho.

• Local wine lounge owner Andrew Medina told us, “I’m starting to see, the last two years, more people popping their heads in, more people walking the streets in Downtown Nampa on 13th Street, on 1st Street.”
• Local winery Veer Wine Project opened in 2016 and has grown quickly, opening two locations since the founding of the label in 2016.
• “People moving here that know wine because of the industry of the states that they came from.”

(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)

Yet another sign of Nampa’s growth. 2024 marks the city of Nampa’s inaugural Downtown Wine Festival. Just around the corner from Lloyd Square Park is Swirl Wine Shop & Lounge. Andrew Medina opened Swirl nearly three years ago.

“What has the change and growth look like in the patronage look like for you in that time?” I asked.

Medina responded, “I’ve already had a nice following working out at the wineries for the last 10 years. Now I’m starting to see, the last two years, more people popping their heads in, more people walking the streets in Downtown Nampa on 13th Street, on 1st Street. With more businesses opening up you’re just seeing more traffic down here.”

It’s not just small business doing well in Nampa. Idaho wineries are beginning to make it big. Idaho Wine Commission data shows the number of wineries in the Gem State have grown 25% since 2017 to 65 total wineries. The workforce nearly doubling, and they expect it to continue.

The IWC sent me a message saying, “Most people don’t know that Idaho settlers first planted wine grapes and produced wine here in the 1860s, and today we have more than 65 wineries. The Idaho Wine Commission envisions significant growth in both the number of wineries and the quality of Idaho wines over the next 5 to 10 years. The state’s unique climate, with its high desert conditions and distinct terroir positions Idaho wines to continue standing out in the local and national market.”

Notoriety has been bolstered by consistent awards at local and national wine competitions, positive reviews in prominent wine publications and word-of-mouth from tourists and locals discovering Idaho’s wine industry. The growth of wine tourism in Idaho has further helped elevate the state’s reputation. As more wine lovers visit the state and share their experiences, Idaho wine has steadily built its presence in the market, and its reputation as an emerging wine region continues to gain momentum.”

“This is amazing for a town the size of Nampa to be able to sponsor a prestigious kind of event,” said wine festival guest Kathy Lacina.

Idaho is beginning to put itself on the map with vintners.

Lacina adds on, “It’s actually starting to make a name for itself. We have begun to have some really outstanding wineries and wine selections.”

And Idaho has the data to back that up. Local winery Veer Wine Project opened in 2016 and has grown quickly.

“It’s been a lot of growth very quickly and then [we] opened the Caldwell tasting room in 2021 and expanded to Garden City just this spring in March we opened there so lots of rapid growth,” Veer Operations Manager Cheyenne Zumstein explained.

“It’s totally changed with the population growth. People moving here that know wine because of the industry of the states that they came from,” Medina concluded.