Idaho winery rolls into new territory: Rolling Hills is Emerging onto the Idaho Wine Scene
Written by: Kora Delta
Photography by: Zach Pasculli
When people start drinking Idaho wines, they’repleasantly surprisedat the quality.
Rolling HillsUrbanTastingRoom, elegant addition to Idaho’s Garden City wine scene, is beautiful and the wines are a delight. The Rolling Hills Estate Vineyard, located in the bucolic foothills of Eagle, Idaho, is the continuation of a family wine-making hobby that began in the 1960sby with Lori’s beloved grandfather, Matty. Today, the Pasculli family carries the tradition forward, working as a team to create incredible award-winning wines.
Mark and LoriPascullihave been married for 33 years. and The Pasculli’s spent the first ten years of their marriage in the fruit basket of the world, theSan Joaquin ValleyinCentral California before moving to Idaho in 2003. Lori grew up in the tiny agricultural town of Turlockon her grandparents’ vineyard. Both grew up around agriculture and wine, and both have become an integral aspect of their lives.
Lori Pasculli–“My love for agriculture runs very deep and my best memories were made on that vineyard. My grandfather grew table grapes, and at the end of the harvest, he would pick the remaining grapes and make a simple wine for his friends and family. “
After relocating to Idaho, Lori’s dream took fresh inspiration in the form of her children and husband, Mark’s, Italian and French heritage. They acquired a neglected vineyard of a franc in Idaho’s vast Snake River Valley AVA in 2016.In 2017, they planted Tempranillo and Syrah. Mark started educating himself on viticulture and later enrolled in aEnologyprogramat UC Davis. They spent years revitalizing & enriching the vineyard’s soil.
Today, this land produces gold and double platinum, award-winning wine and is the anchor of the family’s burgeoning wine business.
Rolling Hills Vineyard is a true family effort, with Mark & Lori overseeing all viticultural and wine-making decisions. Daniel, their oldest son is running the overall operations and is also enrolled at UC Davis in the Enology program. The daughter, Savannah, opened the tasting room and managed it successfully throughout its first year. Their youngest son, Zachary, is a videographer who creates and produces all media content
I was so intrigued to find out “Why Idaho? And Eagle, of all places?” when Mark and Lori were thinking about relocating
LoriPasculli-“We both love the West and wide-open spaces. When we first came here20 years ago, it reminded us of the central Valley of California40 years ago.”
Mark Pasculli-“When people start drinking Idahowines, they are pleasantly surprised at the quality and that is awesome for the entire industry. We really believe the SnakeRiver Valley AVA will grow into one of the most respected AVA’s in the industry.”
Aside from being a highly acclaimed winery, there is a very special wine dedicated to the mascot of Rolling Hills Vineyard. Bleu was the family golden retriever who unfortunately got cancer and died only 12 days after they opened the tasting room. The entire theme of the tasting room is surrounded by Bleu, with lots of navy-blue colors and golden accents.
Lori Pasculli-We’s always gravitated to rescue animals and they have been a part of our household for over 30 years.
There is a special message on the “Bleu” bottle that reads: “Our love for critters, big and small, has led us to shelters wherever we’ve lived in the hope of offering a loving home to a pet in need. Adopting an animal that needs a good home is a big job that takes care and money. By choosing this bottle of deliciousMascot wine, you are supporting animal shelters throughout the great state of Idaho.
Ten percent of all the proceeds of “Bleu’s Mascot” goes to an Idaho 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal shelter.
“Our motto is, ‘we can’t do everything, but we can do something.’ Thank you for partnering with us to do ‘something’.
”Rolling Hills wine can be found in the Co-Op grocery stores. They are also restaurants such as Ruth’s Chris and Richards. The tasting room is located at152 E52nd St in Garden City, right off of Chinden Rd.
Hours
Monday-Tuesday Closed
Wednesday-Thursday 12-7
Friday-Saturday 12-8
Sunday 12-6
