Unwinding on the unWINEd Cruise, Hells Canyon

On a visit to the Lewis Clark Valley that straddles Washington and Idaho, the northern gateway to North America’s deepest river gorge, we booked a Snake River jet boat tour with Beamers Hells Canyon Tours. And this wasn’t just any tour—it was a wine-tasting tour. We imagined pounding through choppy water, server half overboard attempting to pour wine, and we, tossed like ragdolls, attempting to drink it. More on that later.

When we arrived in the valley, we checked in at the exquisite rental home at Rivaura Estate Vineyards and Winery in Juliaetta, Idaho, with wild turkeys for neighbors, a lordly view of the Snake River and a ping-pong table. We fine-dined in Sauté on 6th’s stone cellar across the bridge in Clarkston, Washington. Their salmon in saffron cream was memorable. Parked by Rivaura Winery, Bun Bun’s food truck served an unbeatable beet salad.

We toured the Nez Perce Visitors Center (an engrossing cultural showcase) and several wineries: Rivaura, where we enjoyed a refreshing Dirty Frozé (a rosé slushy with red wine cap); Lindsay Creek Vineyards for its plummy 2022 Petit Verdot with pizza crusts made from homegrown, house-milled flour; Jovinea Cellars where we relished their gewürztraminer; and Clearwater Canyon Cellars, owned by scientist winemakers Carl and Coco Umiker.

Mike and Lisa Grigg, owners of Jovinea Cellars, fell in love with winemaking but had no formal training. Lisa explained, if you’re afraid to fail, winemaking is not for you. She also told us that the way to end up with one million dollars from winemaking is to start with two. Virtually no one makes gewürztraminer, but they do, and, better yet, a dry one. Theirs was low acid with lychee on the nose and notes of grapefruit zest, Bartlett pear and a wisp of ginger.

Living out of a trailer, Carl and Coco Umiker started their vineyard in 2003, their winery in 2004, and sold their first Clearwater Canyon wines in 2005. Now, 20 years later, they sell 6,000 cases a year, have 51 Northwest Wine Press Platinum Awards, host wine dinners, run a thriving wine club and have upgraded to a house. There wasn’t a wine of theirs we didn’t like.

Back to the jet boat. With 850 monster horsepower, it ripped. Turning, it banked like a fighter jet. We blasted 26 miles up the Snake River in Hells Canyon, named for its incredibly rugged, steep and forbidding terrain, which early explorers and settlers found treacherous to navigate. The air was as clear as a gin and tonic and equally intoxicating. The canyon’s walls morphed as we progressed from basaltic pillars to imposing mountains, Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains on one side and Idaho’s Seven Devils Mountains on the other. We stopped to view remarkably well-preserved petroglyphs, evocative cryptograms from unknown folks, thousands of years old. We drank small glasses of Clearwater Canyon Cellar’s wine, elucidated by winemakers Coco and Carl, only at calm viewing stops, nothing like we feared. An excellent chef-prepared spread was served at the jet boat company’s private Snake Riverfront Heller Bar Lodge, the trip’s turning-point.

Fears abated, we were thoroughly sated for the return thrill ride back to Clarkston. The exquisite wines and the unmatched scenery as the boat carved its way through North America’s deepest river gorge live in our memories of that perfect day.

When you go

Lewis Clark Valley: visitlcvalley.com

Beamers Hells Canyon Tours: hellscanyontours.com/unwined-tasting-cruise

Lewis Clark Valley Wine Alliance: lewisclarkwine.com