Greetings from West Mountain, Yes, it’s been a while since the last report but we have lots of excuses! Skiing was awesome (80 days on the hill this winter), lots of guests (thank you to those who came) and continued upgrades to the retreat. Ray had a hip replaced after the season (80 days will do that) and we’ve been working on getting/finding even more wine. Wine update: as the world gets more into eco friendly wine, we’ve been blown away with some Austrian wines, Idaho wines (I know it sounds weird but they taste fantastic), Washington and Oregon are on fire. Italy continues its dominance in the growing import market but the surprises from Corsica and Savioe are stunning. The separation of mass produced versus family wine from Argentina continues (go Zuccardi). Also, Slovenia is kicking butt and other emerging eastern European finds are a blast. AND we are getting local folks to buy and drink more Rose’ - even in the winter! Education update: We are doing Wine Lunches with a gifted Chef from Raggazza di Bufalo. Chef Topple is so fun to work with for Wine Lunches and now dinners as well. And more things are on the horizon - stay tuned. Also, we have been approached to become more involved at Tamarack with the new ownership. Doing fun concert/wine tasting things al fresco at the base of the hill. We are doing our best to get Idaho to think and drink better. Guest services update: We are blown away at how much folks like our back country picnics and winter on the hill gatherings with ski pals. They are having fun discovering new wine and food pairings too. We continue to broaden our menu offerings and we love bringing folks to area restaurants for special one on one seminars. The restaurant staff seem to enjoy it too (we give them tastes, of course). Peggy and I are in heaven here. We love sharing all that is part of this special place. Plus, Peggy is “flipping her front digit” on July 31 so the 3 liters of grower Champagne will flow! Drink up. Drink smart. Drink in all there is to experience. Warmest WMWR regards, Ray & Peg

Wine Lunch UPDATE & more WMWR news. We are doing Wine Lunches again! Chef Steve Topple of Ragazza di Bufalo in Donnelly Idaho (just a few miles from WMWR) has joined forces with us to offer Wine Lunches. These will be held the first Saturday of every other month starting in January 2019. We will use the same format we did in Minnesota: 4 wines, 4 courses for $44. Noon start. Chef Topple is really gifted. We have eaten there a bunch of times and it is exceptional. We even collaborated on Huckleberry Cannoli (for a Lafond Wine Dinner) which is now on their standard menu and wow, are they fantastic! Chef and Ray will be working on menus and wine pairings. The first few will center on Italy but eventually we will broaden the spectrum of food and wine to other countries and tastes. Peggy and I welcome the opportunity to enrich the food and wine experience for our fellow Idahoans and our guests who book when we have these Wine Lunches. Reservations will be taken by Ragazza di Bufalo: https://ragazzadibufalo.com 208-325-3463 Schedule: Jan 5, March 2, May 4, July 6, Sept 7, Nov. 2. For those of you outside Idaho, you may want to consider the Wine Lunch dates when planning your trip to West Mountain Wine Retreat. It will make for an added special treat when you visit us. Don’t worry, the very popular “Back Country” lunches we offer for our guests at WMWR will continue as well. Other news: We have Jean Josselin in Idaho now! The full range will be in our cellar including Cuvee Jean, Alliance, Rose’ and vintage Jean Josselin. Additionally, we have a new line from the Savoie (Apremont!), a new line from Burgundy, Corsica and a bunch of new and familiar Italian, Oregon (including Walnut City WineWorks) and Washington wines that we are super excited about. Who knew, Idaho is getting it and we are proud to be part of the ever expanding wine offerings here. Tamarack (the resort right behind WMWR) has finally been sold and all assets consolidated. The village, lodges, ski area, golf course etc. will be on the fast track for MAJOR improvements and expansion already starting this winter. The new ownership group is ideal and we couldn’t be happier! Reservation update: we have number of reservations for the winter so let us know what you are thinking for dates so we can make sure you can enjoy this special place. Happy Holidays to everyone. Please know we miss seeing the folks who have not been here yet and hope coming to WMWR is in your plans for 2019.

WM Wine Report 7/18 Greetings! We have had a very busy summer! Thanks to everyone who has come to WMWR so far and we look forward to those who will be coming in the future. In Idaho, if you want something done, you pretty much have to figure out how to do it yourself. We’ve added a big deck out front (great views!), we had two trees that were over 100 years old come crashing down in a storm. A mess to clean up and it delayed some other work but that’s living in the mountains. We were just glad they fell towards the lake and stream for easier clean up! Other improvements to the parking area, garage (ski storage especially plus waxing area), a new fire pit out back and, (as always), additions to our wine cellar. Before and after photos: Reservations for the coming winter Just a reminder, this winter a WMWR signature breakfast will be served each day along with a complimentary bubbly seminar (everyone so far wanted it to be part of breakfast. Smart guests!). Great dates are still available. Lunch and dinner update: We have had a lot of requests for lunch and evening meals and we’ve responded! Most guests this past summer had a combination of back country lunches and dinners here at WMWR. Remember, we customize each visit for our guests. Let’s talk and plan a memorial visit. New Restaurant Opens! Ragazza Di Bufalo just opened a few weeks ago and it is exceptional! Just a short drive from WMWR, it is an awesome addition to the dinning options in our valley! ragazzadibufalo.com We have already had a wonderful wine dinner there and had great comments from guests. Recent comments in our guest book: “You both went way beyond expectations in every way - the surroundings were spectacular, the food and wine were sublime.” “They Have delighted my mind, body and soul and most importantly, my taste buds.” “We learned so much about wine and thoroughly enjoyed your delicious cooking and hospitality.” “Best vacation ever! We have never experienced such good food, good wine, beautiful accommodations, wonderful company and excitement in such a short period of time. We will be back next year.” “Your back country excursions will be the memory that we will always remember.” WINE NEWS Michelle Lafond at WMWR It didn’t take long after getting Lafond and Santa Barbara Winery into Idaho to get a special evening with Michelle Lafond this past September. We are starting to plan other winery visits to our valley! Updates to follow. We continue to get some favorites into Idaho but also finding some wonderful surprises too. Peggy and I have taken two more trips around the Northwest recently and found some amazing new wines! Also we met with some favorite wineries to set up some better distribution and inventory for us. WMWR Wearables coming soon to the website! We will email you when it is up and running.