About Us
Kerry Hill is named for the breed of Irish Kerry Hill sheep that we lovingly raise on our property
We opened our winery and tasting room in December 2019 in Idaho’s Snake River Valley. While the focus at Kerry Hill is producing beautiful, nuanced wines, our land is used for more than just growing grapes. We’ve designed our landscape to attract and nurture pollinators, owls, bats and raptors—providing them with native plants, flowers, and shelter. Respectful farming practices like these not only lead to better wine, but to a healthier ecosystem for the Snake River Valley and beyond. We are Salmon Safe certified as well as LIVE certified!
Kerry Hill's vineyard is about 35 years old on 30 acres in the lovely Sunny Slope Region of the Snake River Valley AVA.
Our vineyard grows 11 different varietals of grapes. The majority of our wines are produced from grapes grown on our estate vineyard, including Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Port, Carménère, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay. We also make a beautiful Pinot Noir from grapes grown in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We're just on the other side of the Snake River from Homedale and have lovely views of Owyhees.
The Habitat Area around the property is full of raptors, owls, bees, wildflowers and more!
Kerry Hill is more than a winery and a vineyard. We are creating a healthy ecosystem throughout our property. We are a Certified Bee Friendly Farmer and we are a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation. Nurturing biodiversity creates stronger vines which helps us grow better grapes and make delicious wine. We love sharing our property with an array of plants, animals, and insects.
The habitat area is just a stone's throw from the winery. If you're feeling adventurous prepare for a short hike! It's worth it to see the strip of land that many animals call home!
If you visit at certain times of the year you might be lucky enough to see baby birds, bats, or freshly hatched butterflies.
Check out The McHive!
Kerry Hill Winery's owner, Mindy, owns several McDonald’s and was inspired by a story about a McDonald's in Sweden doing something to help bees. They built a "McHive" and we decided to do the same. The McHive is a bee box in disguise! Our McHive is located in our habitat area to provide a home for the bees who pollinate our habitat area. Bees are threatened around the world, but helping bees thrive is exactly what farmers need to be doing. Special thanks to Jamie, our beekeeper, and Matt, our McHive builder.
As bees pollinate our habitat area, they help these plants grow and eventually they return nutrients back into the soil. As these flowers and other plants succeed, they draw in other bugs, like certain beetles. These bugs are predators to vineyard pests, so when they are present, we need to intervene less to protect our vines. We are working toward a healthy ecosystem with greater biodiversity and balance, so that there is less need for us to protect our grapevines. Bees are a critical part of a healthy ecosystem and we want to do our part to help the bees in our area.