Arizona's Wines

Been driving the USA and taking in the southwest Tucson AZ area.
I am witness to a transformation in Southeast Arizona.
Where there was barren land, railroad tracks and cattle, there are now planted vineyards.
So cool. If you blinked you thought you were is Paso Robles Ca.
I had no plan to visit these vineyards and farms. My research antenna was buzzing.
Okay, Arizona wines? Where to begin.

Arizona is very new to the wine industry.
In 2005 the Supreme Court brought change to Arizona's wine industry. The Supreme Court ruled against Michigan's direct-to-consumer shipping laws. This ruling deemed all Arizona's laws unconstitutional & opened the door for all Arizona's wineries.

Now, Arizona is a very young, small (50 bonded wineries) and limited market.
What it has is an abundance of land & excellent potential for vineyard farming and wine growth.
Wineries may ship up to 2 cases of wine for Arizona consumers per calendar year as long as the consumer purchases the wine by physically visiting the winery. The wine purchased may then be shipped at anytime during the year to a residential or business address. The purchased wine can be broken down into multiple shipments during the year. No off-site orders are permitted at any time except by wineries holding a direct-to-consumer permit. If Arizona consumers wish to have additional wine shipped to themselves in subsequent calendar years, they will need to physically visit the winery each and every year.

So, as you see there are very tight purchasing & exporting rules... but it's a start, just ask their neighbor, California. The vines will need time (7 years min.) and the grape-growers will need to experiment with their soils and terrior.

Arizona only has 1 AVA...Sonoita AZ, and hopes to get a new designation soon.
There are 3 growing and tasting areas, Sonoita and Willcox in the southeast and The Verde Valley/Cottonwood area in northern Arizona. Do not lose hope, many cities host wine festivals, dinners and restaurants showcase and support the wineries.

Well, 50 wineries... I have tried 2 wineries: Dos Cabezas' Wine Works Red-Blend and Pillsbury Wine's Rhone Red.  Wow, I like what is happening in these bottles. California and the wine world, watch out! Arizona is getting serious juice from the terrior.

Cheers!
























































 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Serving Wine

I have been noticing how people like their wines served.
Most people want whites & sparkling wines chilled.
They usually drop it in a chilled wine bucket and let nature take its course.
Did you know you there is a desirable temperature.
When you observe and dig a bit further with red wines
there is a divide.
Many people want room temperature and are adamant about this.
There are some folks that like it chilled.
This is interesting.
This is the same product and source.
The major difference is the amount of time the grape-skins
are in contact with the grape juice during fermentation.

The recommended and correct temperatures are:

Sparkling Wines    41 degrees
Whites Wines       45 degrees
Red Wines            62 degrees

Chilling wines does make sense because most wines are not transported
or stored at optimum settings.

So always remember wine is to be shared and enjoyed.
To get the best flavors from the bottle use the above guide.

Cheers!