Idaho Winery Offers Wine in Refillable Bottles
Sandpoint Proprietors Thinking Green With Red Table Wine
Apr 9, 2009
In January of 2009, the idea to offer refillable bottles was sparked when Julie Meyer became annoyed by her town’s lack of an effective recycling program. Local customers can buy a 1.5 liter bottle of the winery’s popular Bistro Rouge table wine at a reasonable price and receive low-cost refills. Bottles have been refilled numerous times. The blend changes with each vintage, but is most often made up of a Cabernet-Merlot blend, typical of the Northwest Vin de Pays.
Steve Meyer’s interest in winemaking began while on a ski trip to the Alps in 1985, where he had an opportunity to work the harvest in Meursault, France. Returning to Northern California, he then spent several years as assistant winemaker at Roudon-Smith Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The Move to Idaho
The Meyers moved from California to Sandpoint in 1995 to be closer to Julie’s family. Steve did a short stint in public accounting and when the partners he worked with split up, he took that as a green light to pursue his long held dream to create a winery.
Meyers Establish Winery in Resort Town
The winery name, Pend d'Oreille, (pronounced Ponderay) borrows the name of the nearby lake. Located in downtown Sandpoint, a resort town with a population of 7,500, it is the only winery in Northern Idaho's Bonner County. Grapes come from top Central Washington vineyards and annual production is now at 7,000 cases.
How Bistro Rouge Blend Began
After bottling their first varietals, the Meyers set out to blend the remaining barrels so as to create Bistro Rouge house wine. The first bottle costs $25, with a refill at $16. Owners get a "user's manual" plus a card with cleaning instructions. A local commercial printer produces the generic silk-screened label for the bottles. Once purchased, the clients clean their own bottles and bring them back to the winery for a refill as often as they wish.
“Probably the most rewarding part of the project has been to see our neighbors coming into the winery on a regular basis for their ‘house wine’ refills. At that time, they often buy a second bottle. It gives us a chance to touch base with them and to return the favor by putting a delicious wine into a reusable and sustainable container. It's a Win - Wine idea," laughs Meyer.
The Meyers have been working with local restaurants and pubs to use the bottles for their by-the-glass programs.
Pend d'Oreille Winery is located at 220 Cedar St., Sandpoint, ID 83864 1-877/452-9011
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