To borrow an all-too familiar metaphor, Arizona's burgeoning wine industry is the wild west of modern winemaking. The hardscrabble band of vintners cultivating Italian and French varietals in a climate plagued by blistering sunshine and drenching monsoons are true pioneers — pioneers who know a good thing when they see it. Where others see arid scrubland, they see the ideal loamy soil. Where some might be thrown by the wild swings in temperature from dawn to dusk, they see the diurnal shift needed for big, bold wines.
It's these conditions that have turned Arizona's three federally recognized American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) — the Verde Valley Wine Region, the Willcox Wine Region and the Sonoita Wine Region — into boomtowns of sorts. The number of wine producers in Arizona has increased 200% since 2011, and the state's AVAs have been touted by oenophiles as the next big thing in American wine. Within a 3-hour driving radius, extending an hour north of Phoenix to an hour south of Tucson, visitors can taste their way through Arizona's singular terroir, sipping award-winning grenache, syrah, petit verdot, vioginier and more while soaking up some of the best views in the state.
Thirsty for an adventure? Here's how to get started.
Verde Valley Wine Region
With its postcard-perfect red sandstone formations and purported mystical energy vortexes, Sedona is one of the epicenters of Arizona tourism. Turns out the destination is part of a larger network of Northern Arizona towns whose volcanic soil and surrounding hillsides provide ideal conditions for cultivating merlot, syrah and cabernet sauvignon in scenic creekside vineyards.
More than a decade ago, the Wall Street Journal recognized the region as a potential "Little Napa." Today, Sedona and the neighboring towns of Cottonwood, Jerome, Clarkdale and Cornville — collectively known as the Verde Valley AVA — are home to almost a dozen wineries and two dozen tasting rooms.
How to get there: You'll find the region's epicenter in Cottonwood, a 100-mile drive north of Phoenix on Interstate 17. Head west toward Clarkdale and Jerome or east along the scenic stretch of road between Cornville and Sedona to find clusters of vineyards.
Verde Valley Wineries: Where to Start
Alcantara Vineyards (Cottonwood)
Co-founder Barbara Predmore's "Under the Tuscan Sun" fantasies brought her to the confluence of Oak Creek and the Verde River in Cottonwood, where she and her husband have planted more than 20,000 vines encompassing 17 grape varietals. The on-site tasting room is a pit stop for local kayakers — pop in wet or dry for a cheese plate and a flight of wines.
Caduceus Cellars (Jerome)
Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, who moved to Arizona in 1995, said the "mystical" terrain around Sedona inspired him to plant a vineyard. The resulting winery and Keenan's associated Merkin Vineyards focus on Spanish and Italian varietals grown at high elevations on the slopes of Jerome's southeast-facing hills, producing 4,500 cases annually.
Page Springs Cellars (Cornville)
Located less than 20 minutes south of downtown Sedona, Page Springs Cellars feels like a rural retreat on the banks of meandering Oak Creek — one that's been painstakingly nurtured by winemaker Eric Glomski. Grab a picnic and a bottle of grenache rosé and head to the creekside deck to be immersed in the Verde Valley.
Chateau Tumbleweed (Clarkdale)
A labor of love from four friends who left their posts at other Arizona wineries to create something of their own, this Clarkdale-based winery sources grapes from a dozen different high-elevation vineyards across the Grand Canyon State. The tasting room
is as free-floating as its namesake — expect a laid-back environment where you can enjoy serious wines that don't take themselves so seriously.
Willcox Wine Region
Desert soil isn't exactly conducive for growing — saguaros, prickly pears and creosote notwithstanding. Perceptions of Willcox's barren landscape changed in the 1980s and '90s when entrepreneurial vintners realized the cattle town's warm desert climate, high elevation and sandy soil provide terroir similar to that in Argentina and Southern France.
Today, around three-quarters of the grapes grown in Arizona come from the Willcox AVA, which rambles over 833 square miles. Vineyard owners have capitalized on the area's growing reputation by setting up shop in the center of town, making for highly walkable wine tasting tours.
How to get there: Interstate 10 bends like a river around Saguaro National Park south of Tucson; continue east about an hour to Willcox, where you'll find a historic downtown brimming with tasting rooms.
Willcox Wineries: Where to Start
Keeling-Schaeffer Vineyards (Willcox)
Technically, the roots of Keeling-Schaefer are in California. After grafting, established vines are then shipped to Arizona for planting a year later. More than 20 of Keeling-Schaefer's wines have been rated by Wine Spectator, with three scoring an 89 (one of the highest ratings for an Arizona wine). While the vineyard is in Pearce, 41 miles from Willcox, tastings are held in the historic 1917 Willcox Bank and Trust building.
Rhumb Line Vineyards & Lavender Farm (Willcox)
This 60-acre Willcox winery in the shadows of the Dos Cabezas Mountain has it all: sustainably produced wines, a working lavender farm, a vineyard café and Quonset huts-turned-B&Bs where you can stay the night steps away from the vines and the lavender rows.
Sonoita Wine Region
The Sonoita AVA — Arizona's first to be federally recognized — is characterized by the Sonoran Desert's wild winds, piercing sun and fierce summer storms. Grapes flourish at elevations of 4,500-5,000 feet here between the map-dot towns of Sonoita and Elgin, making for some of the highest (and most tenacious) vineyards in the country.
The terrain is high-desert grassland, which seems a poor fit for planting. But after soil scientist Dr. Gordon Dutt conducted a vineyard study here in 1973 and later opened a commercial winery, vintners flocked to the mountainous area for its Sonoma-esque growing temperatures and water-retaining soil.
How to get there: The Sonoita AVA is less than an hour south of Tucson (and about an hour from Willcox). You'll find vineyards along Highway 82 between Sonoita and Elgin.
Sonoita Wineries: Where to Start
Callaghan Vineyards (Elgin)
"Our winemaking approach is decidedly simplistic — no gizmos, lots of barrels (new to four years old), aging on the lees and little racking," founder Kent Callaghan says. On-site tastings are equally no-fuss yet elegant; stop in on the weekend for a tasting (crystal glass included), and you'll likely meet Callaghan in the flesh.
Rune Wines (Sonoita)
The Sonoita Wine Region's plentiful sunshine fuels this off-the-grid tasting room in Sonoita, where you'll sip viognier, grenache, roussane and syrah while soaking up 360-degree views of high-desert splendor. Winemaker John Callahan takes a low-maintenance approach to his craft, relying on wild, natural yeasts, resulting in a unique expression of the surrounding scrubland.
Los Milics Vineyards (Elgin)
Architectural and distinct, just like the Italian and French varietals it pours, this Elgin tasting room is a 3,400-square-foot glass box with walls of windows framing views of the surrounding Mustang Mountains and rolling grasslands. Come hungry — owners Pavle Milic and Mo Garfinkle are equally well-versed in fine dining, which is evident on the tasting room's compelling small-plate menu.
Dos Cabezas WineWorks (Sonoita)
Two heads are better than one—or in this case, two vineyards are better than one. The dry, fruity reds and mild whites of Dos Cabezas come from dual growing parcels: Pronghorn Vineyard in Elgin and Cimarron Vineyard in the Kansas Settlement near Willcox. Linger at its Sonoita tasting room over a deep read or a funky, sparkling pink wine with a side of woodfired pizza.
Wynter Holden
Wynter is a graduate of Arizona State University's Master of Liberal Studies program and author of more than 700 blogs and articles for Phoenix New Times and PHOENIX magazine. She enjoys eating, drinking and adventuring her heart out for blogs and monthly dining columns.
