This past weekend, we held a new and what will likely become an annual event for wine consumers. In conjunction with ROW Adventures (or River Odysseys West, which is their full and formal name), we attended our first annual Wine Camp. It is hard to imagine that folks from North Idaho don't know ROW, since they have been around for more than 30 years and consistently receive high marks and awards for adventure travel around the world; they provide river and other trips for all levels of adventure travelers.

They also own the River Dance Lodge in Kooskia, on the Clearwater River east of Lewiston. Their reputation is well earned; their folks on the ground in Kooskia were wonderful and professional, and resulted in the weekend being a great success and, in short, big fun!

When we originally formed the plan with ROW, the idea was to get wine consumers away from our regular environment to enjoy wine dinners, beer tasting and outdoor fun. When you can really get away and relax, and take the time to linger over wine and beer with no worries about driving or your normal schedule, it gives you a chance to appreciate and evaluate the beverages a bit more thoroughly.

We held an Italian-themed wine dinner on Friday evening and a French-themed wine dinner on Saturday. During the day on Saturday, we all went on a float and kayak trip that spanned the lower segment of the Lochsa and Middle Fork of the Clearwater rivers. At lunch on the float, we held a craft beer tasting - the perfect pairing to a river float on a warm sunny day!

Providing the wine expertise and speaking at the dinners was Bryan Hinschberger of Bon Vivant Imports and Amphora Distributing; the beers we tasted came from Madison River Brewing in Montana via BRJ Distributing from Boise. Chef Dave from the River Dance Lodge was great to work with on the food pairings for the events, and turned out some great food in a beautiful setting.

Our group of 12 attendees was a great size for the first year, and we will likely expand it to a maximum of 20 folks in the coming years. Our Italian dinner focused almost exclusively on the Piedmont region of northern Italy featuring Barbera, Arneis and Moscato, among other varietals. The lighter body of these wines paired with rustic Italian dishes in a wilderness setting was stunning.

The hit of the evening was a Portobello mushroom polenta with gorgonzola paired with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. The combination of subtle earthiness of the mushroom and cheese with the jammy fruit of Montepulciano was a remarkable experience. We finished the night with ricotta cheese with fresh berries paired with a light, low-alcohol Moscato d'Asti that uniformly pleased. In between, Bryan and Chef Dave combined for some surprises, with bonus pours of wine that we did not know were coming and courses that highlighted food and wine together.

On Saturday, when we moved to France, we enjoyed sparkling from the Savoie region of France near the Swiss border and moved on to a blend from the Rhone Valley and Cab Franc from the Chinon appellation. The Cab Franc was paired with seared duck breast and potatoes Diaphanous - a highlight of the weekend.

Our beer tasting on Saturday could not have been better timed or located. We held it on the Three Devils sandbar on the Clearwater segment of the float. It was about 1 p.m. in the afternoon, warm and sunny, so the cold beer we tasted (four from Madison River Brewing) was refreshing and spanned a range of flavors and "hopiness," leaving all with a beer they liked. We then moved up to picnic tables for deli lunch, served by river guides Bryce and Danica and paired with just a bit more beer. A quick swim off the sandbar after lunch, and then we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon on the remainder of the float.

While Wine Camp will only be held once per year, a trip to the River Dance Lodge should be on your list. We will likely change locations as we plan future "camps," but will return to Kooskia at some point to reconnect with our friends at River Dance for yet another great wine experience. The weekend created a perfect model for what will become an annual getaway.

For wine consumers who enjoy being outdoors, we hope you will be able to join us in coming years. If you would like to receive invites for Wine Camp in the future, please call the shop at (208) 765-5653 or email us at [email protected] and we will add you to the list.

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email [email protected], or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party, a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions; his articles are published around the country and is the wine editor for Coeur d'Alene Magazine (www.cdamagazine.com). You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles, as well as other great wine tips, by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.