North Idaho Winery ~ Lindsay Creek Vineyards

In June, we drove to north Idaho for the Idaho Cattle Association Summer Round-Up meetings. I love that our midyear conference rotates around different parts of our state. Idaho is a beautiful place to live, and I enjoy seeing all of it during different seasons. I traveled to Lewiston last fall for our oldest daughter’s state cross country meet, then a week later went another 30 miles north of there to Moscow for my first session of LIA (Leadership Idaho Agriculture). At that time, it was cold and we were just coming off fall, so it was nice to visit after our wet spring. Everything was so green and lush!

One of our tour stops during LIA was Lindsay Creek Vineyards, outside of Lewiston, which is owned by brothers, Doug and Art McIntosh. Their Idaho winery is located in the middle of wheat fields—ones the two grew up planting and harvesting as 5th generation farmers.

I decided it would be fun to take Josh to the winery and enjoy what I knew would be a beautiful scene and some delicious wine. We don’t make it to north Idaho much at all. I can count on one hand my trips there, and three of them happened in the last nine months; however, it’s not for lack of beauty in the area.

Idaho is really an outdoor state and it’s hard not to look at our landscape and not appreciate this beautiful space. The Palouse is a beautiful area, known for its dark soils, dryland farming and rolling hills. They even use special tractors and combines to farm this area due to the topography of the land. Being a farmer’s daughter, I can definitely appreciate the expansive crops fields. I also love the scenic drive through the mountains to get there.

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The Art of Serving

I called Art, who had I met on my original visit to the winery. He was happy to give us the tour. We ordered a glass of wine each, Josh choosing a red, and I a white. It was fun to catch up and find out how things were going with Art, his family and business. Of course, he asked about our cattle and new developments in our lives too. He loves having a beautiful space for people to come together, relax, entertain and enjoy. The tasting room was designed by him, and provides a large area for groups.

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Enjoy the View

I highly encourage anyone is in or driving through the Lewiston/Moscow, Idaho or Clarkston, Wash., area to check out Lindsay Creek. They have live music two nights a week, and have a charity event every week. They are also available for events, including weddings, throughout the year. Large seating areas, fire pits, smaller intimate seating, Bocce ball courts, and a beautiful tasting room, provide visitors many options for enjoying themselves.

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The view is truly incredible.


We enjoyed our tasting so much we brought home a few bottles of wine to enjoy ourselves and share with family. The back of one of the bottles says, “Taste Our Commitment is Lindsay Creek Vineyards motto. We are dedicated to producing premium wine, open space, and good times.”

We don’t have a lot of time to leave the ranch—raising cattle is a 365 day job—so I really enjoy when work trips like this happen and we can take advantage of being in a new area and exploring a little. Lindsay Creek Vineyards was definitely a little detour worth taking.


A couple other Lewiston stops we enjoyed on the trip included…

Mystic Cafe-on Monday morning I headed out to look for some coffee and found Mystic Cafe. It was an eclectic little spot with indoor and outdoor seating. I wish I’d had more time to sit on the little patio and to explore historic downtown Lewiston.

Did you know Lewiston was the state first capital of Idaho? The original building is still there, and there are several historic markers in, around and on the way to the city. I just love history and learning about new to me places.

Ernie’s Steakhouse-After our afternoon at the winery, I knew we’d want a nice dinner, so I looked up steakhouses in Lewiston. Ernie’s came up in the search. I wondered if it was the same Ernie’s I knew—one that was owned by rancher and a past ICA president and his family. It was only fitting to go there. The original restaurant was in Grangeville, but Ernie’s daughter, Becky, opened this Lewiston spot. It’s a beautiful location and overlooks the river. The food and atmosphere were great. I definitely recommend sitting on the patio.

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