A winemaker who grew up along the shores of Lake Pend Oreille is heading back to Sandpoint this summer — not just for a visit, but as the headliner of one of the area’s most popular outdoor dining events. Mike Berghan, co-owner of Gifford Hirlinger winery in Walla Walla, Washington, is the 2026 featured winemaker for Kaniksu Land Trust’s Pairings in the Pines event at Pine Street Woods — and tickets are already gone.
From Sandpoint to Walla Walla Wine Country
Berghan’s path to the wine industry was anything but direct. A Sandpoint native, he pursued a degree in International Finance and spent time living in Florence, Italy during his college years — an experience that introduced him to European wine culture up close. His summers, meanwhile, were spent working as a vine laborer in Napa Valley, where the hands-on education proved just as formative.
Those two threads eventually pulled him toward Walla Walla, Washington, one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier wine-producing regions. He and his wife Melissa settled there, and in 2001 they purchased their first piece of land. After years of preparation and cultivation, Gifford Hirlinger released its debut vintage in 2005.
Two decades later, the operation remains deliberately small. Berghan handles winemaking while Melissa manages sales, and the two run a tasting room together on weekends. It’s a hands-on, family-driven model — the kind of small-batch approach that lets quality take priority over volume.
Berghan also has deep roots in North Idaho’s wine scene through family ties. His cousin, Jim Bopp, is a co-owner of Pend d’Oreille Winery in Sandpoint, making the family’s connection to the local wine community something of a generational thread.
“I love Sandpoint,” Berghan said. “I feel fortunate to be from here.”
Pairings in the Pines Sells Out Again
The annual Pairings in the Pines event, hosted by the Kaniksu Land Trust, draws food and wine enthusiasts to the forested trails of Pine Street Woods for an evening of small-plate dining paired with featured wines. This year’s edition showcases five of Gifford Hirlinger’s wines, each matched with a small plate prepared by a local chef.
Five Sandpoint-area restaurants are contributing to the evening: Beet & Basil, Bluebird Bakery, Eichardt’s, The Bank, and Winter Ridge. Each chef crafts a dish designed to complement a specific wine, turning the wooded trail setting into an open-air dining experience unlike anything a traditional restaurant could offer.
Demand for the event continues to climb. Jeanine Smith, a development and operations associate with Kaniksu Land Trust, noted that the event has become a perennial sellout — and that the pace is accelerating. “It always sells out — and it sells out earlier every year despite adding a flight time,” she said.
The setting itself is part of the draw. Pine Street Woods, a community forest preserved through Kaniksu Land Trust’s conservation work, provides a backdrop that reinforces the event’s broader mission: connecting people to the land while raising support for its protection.
A Homecoming With Deeper Roots
For Berghan, the invitation to return to Sandpoint as the featured winemaker carries personal significance. He built his career far from home, but the region that shaped him never left the picture. His family ties to local wine, combined with a career that took him through Italy and Napa before landing in Walla Walla, form a story that resonates with a community that values craftsmanship and a sense of place.
Bonner County’s food and arts community has been active this summer across a range of events. Sandpoint artists are opening a garden studio in July to raise funds for the Bonner County Food Bank, reflecting the same spirit of community engagement that makes events like Pairings in the Pines possible.
What Comes Next
With tickets already sold out, prospective attendees who missed this year’s Pairings in the Pines should watch for announcements from Kaniksu Land Trust ahead of future editions. Those interested in Gifford Hirlinger wines can learn more through the winery’s tasting room in Walla Walla. Kaniksu Land Trust continues to manage and expand conservation efforts across the Sandpoint region, with Pine Street Woods serving as one of its flagship community spaces.