Weekend Adventurer:
Southern AZ Wine Country
Escape Tucson's steamy temperatures this summer at the second annual Mountain Empire Wine, Dine & Unwind. Elgin, Patagonia, and Sonoita (known as the Mountain Empire) host this weekend of food and wine pairings, plus special activities at participating businesses. June 19-20. Visit mountainempirewineanddine.com for more information.
Quite possibly the best way to spend a sunny spring weekend: Southern Arizona wine country. Whether you head down for a daytrip, or plan to stay overnight at one of the area's charming bed & breakfasts, cruising the peaceful rolling grasslands of our region's very own vineyards is a fantastic nearby escape. Thanks to soil, climate, and growing conditions—nearly identical to Rhone, France, and Rioja, Spain—it is the only region in the state that boasts the American Viticultural Area appellation from the government. About 55 miles from Tucson, Sonoita and Elgin offer 15 vineyards to choose from. Here are a handful of stops we made on a recent trip.
Kief-Joshua Vineyards
Having studied viticulture and enology in Australia, winemaker Kief Manning now has nearly 12 acres of vines planted, adding about an acre each year to eventually reach his goal of 40 acres. Since the vineyard's first planting in 2004, they have specialized in dry, red wines. As we sampled seven different bottles, Manning explained, "We barrel age our wines in 100% French and American oak and have eliminated the use of pesticides and chemicals." A quiet patio just off the bustling tasting room was a perfect place to soak up the surroundings and map out our route to the next stop.
Sonoita Vineyards
Upon arrival at Sonoita Vineyards' tasting room, our group faced a spread of about a dozen bottles. Winemaker Fran Lightly started our tasting in the middle of the line-up, letting us decide if we'd prefer to go sweet or dry from there. Of course you're not limited to just one or the other—you can opt to sip through them all. He explained the vineyard's history as we made our way through the samplings: "The owner and founder, Dr. Gordon Dutt, is a retired soils professor from the U of A. He began planting here as part of a research project in 1973, and now we produce about 4,000 cases of wine a year." We headed up to the second-story balcony to enjoy the view and debate which bottles we can't leave without.
Wilhelm Family Vineyards
The use of the word "family" in the name of this vineyard couldn't be more appropriate. Karyl and Kevin Wilhelm planted their first vines—one acre of Tempranillo, one of Syrah—in July 2005, which happened to be their 14th wedding anniversary. Now their two children Kristian, 15, and Kassandra, 14, help in all aspects of the now more than 8 acres. Karyl, the operation's winemaker, recently finished the prestigious U. C. Davis Winemaker's Certificate program, making her the only acting winemaker in the state to complete the program. During our visit Kevin chatted with us, explaining what makes the region successful, "Not only are the climate and soil unique, but the vines thrive with the dramatic temperature swing of cool evenings and warm sunny days."
Dos Cabezas Wineworks
Originally located near Willcox in 1995, Kelly and Todd Bostock took over Dos Cabezas and moved it to Sonoita in 2006. Their sleek tasting room, photo op-worthy barrel room, and bottling area are all located in town rather than out at their vineyard. During our visit we sampled six wines, and got a tour of the bottling procedures from Todd, the resident grower and winemaker, complete with a demonstration of the machine they use for Stelvin closures (screw cap), an increasingly popular way to seal wine bottles. "If I ship a case, I know every single bottle will taste as it should. With cork, once in a while a bottle goes bad. I don't want someone to get a bad bottle and think 'That's what they're making in Arizona?' I can assure quality this way," Todd explained.
If You Stay
• Crown C Ranch, 520-455-5739, crowncranch.com
• La Hacienda de Sonoita, 520-455-5308, haciendasonoita.com
• Rainbow's End Bed & Breakfast, 520-455-0202, rainbowsendbandb.com
• Rancho Milagro Bed and Breakfast, 520-296-5428, milagroranch.com
• Sonoita Inn, 455-5935, sonoitainn.com
• The Walker Guest Ranch, 520-455-4631, thewalkerranch.com
• Whisper's Ranch Bed & Breakfast, 520-455-9246, whispersranch.com
• Xanadu Ranch Getaway, 520-455-0050, xanaduranchgetaway.com
More Vineyards
• Callaghan Vineyards, 336 Elgin Rd., 520-455-5322,
callaghanvineyards.com
• Canelo Hills Vineyard & Winery, 342 Elgin Rd., 520-455-5499,
canelohillswinery.com
• Charron Vineyards, 18585 S. Sonoita Hwy., 520-762-8585,
charronvineyards.com
• Lightning Ridge Cellars, 2368 AZ Hwy. 83, 520-678-8220,
lightningridgecellars.com
• Rancho Rossa Vineyards, 32 Cattle Ranch Ln., 520-455-0700,
ranchorossa.com
• Village of Elgin Winery, 471 Elgin Rd., 520-455-9309,
elginwines.com