Category: Arizona Wine Growers Association

Cottonwood to host 6th Annual Verde Valley Wine Festival

The city of Cottonwood is known as “The Heart of Arizona Wine Country” which gives it good reason to continue to host the annual Verde Valley Wine Festival. Wine drinkers, wineries and artists will come from around Arizona to a new site at Riverfront Park on Saturday 20th with the two day wine and culinary festival benefiting three non-profits who have helped put Arizona and the Verde Valley on the international wine map, The Arizona Wine Growers Association, the Verde Valley Wine Consortium, and the Arizona Vignerons Alliance.

The Verde Valley was given the AVA (American Viticultural Area) designation in 2021 by the federal government; the designation is important for the grape growers and wineries in the region as it gives credibility and demonstrates its quality in the world of wine. It’s the third region in Arizona to be given the AVA designation.

The festivities kick off Friday evening at the Old Town Cottonwood Clubhouse for the “First Crush VVWF Gala & Auction. The evening includes premium wines, culinary options from local restaurants, live music and a live auction. Guests can bid on exclusive wine & travel packages and unique items from local artists. Over 20 wineries are expected to pour at the wine festival starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The festival will include wine, food, arts & crafts vendors and live music throughout the day.

Tickets for the Friday night gala are $150 per person and Saturday’s tickets are $35 per person. The gala is open to all ages and the festival is for those 21 & over. For more information and to purchase your tickets visit their website.

Check out my podcast Pulling Corks & Forks: The Podcast with Sandy Wasserman to hear from those in our community. Please subscribe, like & comment.

Arizona Wine Month is here and the Grand Festival is weeks away

Last year Governor Ducey proclaimed March Arizona Wine Month and March 25th the Arizona Wine Growers Association hosts an outdoor festival celebrating the local wine industry. The 2nd Annual Arizona Wine Month Grand Festival and Governor’s Cup Celebration kicks off at 11 a.m. at Steele Indian School Park that is sponsored by ArizonaWines.com and Dawning Public Relations. Wineries from the state’s three wine regions Verde Valley AVA, Willcox AVA and Sonoita/Elgin AVA will be in attendance.

“With March officially being Arizona Wine Month, and the Governor’s Cup wine competition being held that month as well, we had to take this opportunity to celebrate this thriving industry, the state’s award-winning wines and the winemakers who make it all possible,” said Kris Pothier, president of the AWGA and owner of Chateau Tumbleweed.

In addition to award-winning wines food trucks and local artists will be on hand. There will be live music to entertain festival goers as well. General admission tickets are $35 online and $45 at the door. Admission includes a commemorative glass and 8 tasting tickets. VIP tickets are $45 in advance and $55 at the door with entry at 10 a.m. and extra tasting tickets. Tickets are non-refundable. Because of limited parking, ride sharing and arriving by light rail is encouraged. This is a 21+ event and only service dogs will be allowed and the festival is happening rain or shine.

To see a full list of participating wineries and to purchase tickets visit the AWGA website or Eventbrite.

Check out my podcast Pulling Corks & Forks: The Podcast with Sandy Wasserman to hear from those in our community. Please subscribe, like & comment.

Tickets on sale for Off the Vine Arizona Wine Festival

Just in time for the holiday shopping season tickets are on sale for the “9th Annual Off the Vine Arizona Wine Festival” on Saturday, February 23rd 2023. Over 30 wineries will return to Oro Valley’s Steam Pump Ranch for the 6 hour event hosted by the Arizona Wine Growers Association.

“After multiple sell-out years, we were able to work with the Historic Steam Pump Ranch and nearly double our footprint for this year’s festival,” said Kris Pothier, president of the AWGA and owner of Chateau Tumbleweed. “This will not only allow for more attendees, but more wineries, food vendors and ample parking.”

8 local food trucks will have food to purchase and artists will be in attendance along with live music to entertain festival goers. Taking the stage will be Heather Hardy Trio (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.), Paul Green and Midnight Blue (12:30 – 2:30 p.m.) and Matrix featuring Lexa Raquel (3 – 5 p.m.). A few of the wineries pouring include Callaghan Vineyards, Los Milics, Carlson Creek, Winery 101 and Garage -East.

“Given the year over year success of the event combined with the extra space available, we are now also adding a VIP option for attendees that will include early admission, a wine tote swag bag, and a parking pass,” said Pothier. “There is also a limited opportunity for guests looking for some seats and shade to reserve a picnic table with an umbrella and seating for eight, which are $250/each and include one VIP ticket.”

The festival goes from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. with general admission tickets on sale for $30 per person and VIP tickets are $70. If any tickets remain the day of the event they will be $40 each. Tickets are available at Eventbrite or www.offthevine.com For more information visit the Arizona Wine Growers Association website.

Wines to flow at the 4th annual Verde Valley Wine Festival

After a 2 year hiatus the Verde Valley Wine Festival has announced that wines from Arizona’s newest American Viticultural Area (AVA) will flowing when the festival returns to Cottonwood on the April 29th & 30th.

The festival takes place on the Saturday the 30th at the Old Town Activity Park with a kick-off VIP platinum winemaker dinner the night before at the Old Town Cottonwood Clubhouse. More than 20 wineries are expected to be pouring their wines along with local breweries and distilleries. Dozens of food trucks, local arts, craft vendors and live music will feed and entertain guests.

“We are thrilled to be able to host the event again this year,” said Maynard James Keenan, director of the Arizona Wine Growers Association (AWGA) and owner of Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards. “Guests will be treated to some of Arizona’s best wines, taste some great food in a picturesque setting and be able to learn about our growing viticulture. We look forward to welcoming back old friends and introducing newcomers to this great event.”

Festival organizers are working with both Arizona wine non-profit organizations the AWGA and the Arizona Vignerons Alliance (AVA) to ensure the quality and authenticity of the Arizona wines. The festival starts at noon for General Admission ticket holders and 11 a.m. for those with VIP ticket holders. The festival goes until 5 p.m.  GA tickets are $35 and VIP tickets are $125 and Friday’s winemaker dinner is $99 per person. The Platinum VIP Experience is $199 and includes Friday’s dinner and VIP admission to the festival on Saturday.

 

Arizona wineries pouring at 9th Annual Off the Vine Arizona Wine Festival

23 Arizona wineries will be pouring their award-winning wines at the return of the 9th Annual Off the Vine Arizona Wine Festival on Saturday February 19th in Oro Valley. Hosted by the Arizona Wine Growers Association the festival will also include local food trucks, local artists, live music and other vendors with Arizona made products.

“We are thrilled to be back at the Steam Pump ranch after taking a year off due to the global pandemic,” said Kris Pothier, president of the AWGA and owner of Chateau Tumbleweed. “Off the Vine has become one of the AWGA’s biggest events of the year and 2022 will be no different. We have some of Arizona’s best wines being poured in an absolutely beautiful setting aside the Catalina Mountains.”

A few of the Arizona wineries from northern and southern Arizona pouring on the 19th include Merkin Vineyards, Carlson Creek Vineyard and Deep Sky Vineyard. The Pete Swan Quartet entertains attendees at 11 a.m. then Paul Green and Midnight Blue take the stage at 2:15 p.m.

The festival goes from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the historic Steam Pump Ranch with early bird tickets available for $30 and can be purchased on-line. Tickets include a commemorative glass and 8 tasting tickets. Day of tickets can be purchased at the gate for $35. For more information and to see upcoming events visit the Arizona Wine Growers Association’s website.

Verde Valley Wine Festival is back for its 5th year Mother’s Day weekend

Update: Re-scheduled for Nov. 6th & 7th.

There’s no better way to celebrate Mother’s Day than with a glass of wine or two with dear old mom. You can purchase tickets for you and your mom for the 5th annual Verde Valley Wine Festival, Saturday May 9th 2020. Four Eight Wineworks presents the festival that will host 20 Arizona wineries along with local breweries, distilleries, food trucks and restaurants. The festival takes place at Clarkdale Town Park from 12 – 5 p.m. Each year the festival donates part of the proceeds to a local non-profit, this year’s festival benefits The Arizona Vignerons Alliance and the Arizona Winegrowers Association. Participating wineries, food trucks and other vendors is will be announced soon.

“Wine’s economic impact on our state demands more resources to defend, protect and grow this incredibly delicate, yet robust industry in Arizona,” said David Baird, festival director and co-owner of oDDity Wine Collective. “Guests fly in from all over the world to attend this festival. For many people, the first time they understand the depth of Arizona wine is at our festival. We’re honored to be a conduit for that magic.”

General Admission tickets for the Verde Valley Wine Festival are available on-line for $35 in advance and $45 at the festival. VIP tickets are $125 and get you early entry at 11 a.m., access to the VIP Lounge, additional tastings and a swag bag. Platinum VIP tickets are $199 and include dinner and live auction on Friday May 8th. Festival goers are encouraged to spend the night and accommodations for glamping are available on the website.

Clarkdale Town Park is at 1001 Main St. Clarkdale.

 

 

 

Off the Vine Arizona Wine Festival back for its 7th year

Over 25 Arizona wineries will be pouring their award-winning wines Saturday 15th 2020 for the 7th annual “Off the Vine” Arizona Wine Festival at the historic Steam Pump Ranch in Oro Valley. The Arizona Wine Growers Association is hosting the festival that will also feature food trucks, live music, local artists and more.

“Off the Vine has quickly become one of our biggest events of the year, and after seeing record-breaking attendance in 2019 we’re expecting an even bigger crowd for 2020,” said Kris Pothier, president of the AWGA and owner of Chateau Tumbleweed. “Steam Pump Ranch and the surrounding mountains provides such a beautiful setting for wine lovers to experience wines from across the state and even meet the winemakers themselves, who are often in attendance.”

off the vine
Photo credit to Jenelle Bonnifield

Pillsbury Wine Company, Rune Wines and Oddity Wine Collective are a few wineries traveling from around Arizona to the ranch built in the 1800s. The bluesy big band sounds of the Peter Swan Trio will provide the playlist for the 7 hour festival that starts at 11 a.m.

Early Bird tickets are $25 and include 8 sampling tickets and a commemorative glass can be purchased here. Day of event tickets is $30.

 

LDV Winery celebrates 10th anniversary re-locating Wine Gallery to SouthBridge

Reaching a 10 year anniversary for a small business is a big accomplishment. Business’s that make it that long celebrate in several different ways some big, some small. Kurt & Peggy co-owners of LDV Winery is celebrating in a big way as the-re-locate their popular Scottsdale Wine Gallery to SouthBridge on Stetson Dr.

Moving to nearby Southbridge on the canal, LDV will be able to attract new customers from the large amount of foot traffic from nearby restaurants and shopping.

“We are thrilled to bring even better wine experiences, tastings and purchase offerings to our members and guests through our new location,” says co-owner Peggy Fiandaca. “It’s our pleasure and distinct honor to share our love and knowledge of Arizona wines with other local wine enthusiasts and visitors to the area that are unaware of our region’s amazing wine growing abilities.”

Events at SouthBridge

With the E. 1st St. location closing on July 27th all August and September events are cancelled until they open in October. Its business as usual until the 27th with daily happy hour and WineDown Wednesday.  Once they Kurt and Peggy re-open at their new location they will continue their exciting events focused around their wines made at their winery in southern Arizona.

Purchases of wine are 30% off when you buy 6 until they close at 8 p.m. on July 27th. To purchase wines or get more information reach out to 602-320-1485, info@ldvwinegallery.com or https://ldvwinery.com/

Here is the schedule of events for October, November and December.

OCTOBER

LDV Winery Sky Islander Wine Club Pick-up Party

Sunday, October 14th -1:00 p.m. -5:00 p.m.

Sky Islander Wine Club members can pick up their wine club packages and taste through the new wines. Guests are welcome; regular tasting fees apply. Wine club packages will be charged to credit card on file the beginning of October. Call Peggy 602-320-1485 to update any club member information.

Wine Glass Painting with Alexandria Reilly

Saturday, October 20th -10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Guest can enjoy this Wine glass painting class with assistance from the artist. All art supplies and nibbles by Chef Jennifer of Witnessing Nature in Food will be provided. LDV wines available for purchase to enjoy during the class. Cost: $35.00; registration: https://www.paintandcreateaz.com/book-online

 LDV Harvest Festival

Saturday, October 27th 2018 -11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

All are welcome to join in the celebration of the 2018 Harvest Completion with LDV Winery, enjoying great wine, a Le Nez du Vin (Nose of the Wine) competition, grape stomping photo opportunities, and music on the patio. Free to attend and enjoy wine by the glass discounts and nibbles such as artisan cheese, sausage and other noshes.

NOVEMBER

LDV 10th Year Celebration – Special Wine Release

Saturday, November 10th -During regular hours

Guests are invited to celebrate the LDV winemaker’s 60th birthday and the release of the LDV 10th Year Celebration limited edition wine. Celebration includes a tasting of the special 10th Year Celebration Wine and birthday cake. Admission is free.

Wine Glass Painting with Alexandria Reilly

Saturday, November 17th- 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Guest can enjoy this Wine glass painting class with assistance from the artist. All art supplies and nibbles by Chef Jennifer of Witnessing Nature in Food will be provided. LDV wines available for purchase to enjoy during the class. Cost: $35.00; registration: https://www.paintandcreateaz.com/book-online

Paint Your Pet with Tawny

Wednesday, November 28-6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.

During this pet-centric Wine Down Wednesday, artist Tawny will assist guests in painting pictures of their pets on a 9×12” pre-sketched canvas. Cost is $35.00, including all supplies, and LDV wines by the glass are available at happy hour prices. Registration: www.artedelamor.com

DECEMBER

During this holiday month, guests that bring in a toy for Toys for Tots will receive a 10 percent discount.

Corks, Crafts and Wine

Saturday, December 1st -10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Guests can bring in their glue guns and sticks to create wine-cork crafts such as wreaths, cork trees and ornaments in this fun and social environment while sipping wine and nibbling on snacks. Cost: $15, including a glass of wine. Registration: 602-320-1485

Wine Glass Painting with Alexandria Reilly

Saturday, December 8th- 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Guest can enjoy this Wine glass painting class with assistance from the artist. All art supplies and nibbles by Chef Jennifer of Witnessing Nature in Food will be provided. LDV wines available for purchase to enjoy during the class. Cost: $35.00; registration: https://www.paintandcreateaz.com/book-online

Paint Your Pet with Tawny

Wednesday, December 12th -6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

During this pet-centric Wine Down Wednesday, artist Tawny will assist guests in painting pictures of their pets on a 9×12” pre-sketched canvas. Cost is $35.00, including all supplies, and LDV wines by the glass are available at happy hour prices. Registration: www.artedelamor.com

Scottsdazzle – Scottsdale Wine Trail Santa Wine Around

Saturday, December 15th -6:00 p.m. -9:00 p.m.

Guests can get into the spirit of the season by decking themselves in their Santa or Mrs. Claus attire for a fun “Santa Wine Around” throughout downtown Scottsdale. With stops at four local wineries, each with wine specials and activities to celebrate the holidays, the entire downtown Scottsdale area will also be alive with holiday merriment and activities! Registration not required; all Scottsdazzle events can be viewed at www.scottsdazzle.com.

 

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Arizona wines get all the attention at 9th Annual Grand Wine Festival

Arizona’s largest Arizona wine only event grows even larger this year as the Arizona Wine Growers Association’s Grand Wine Festival spills on to 6th Street from the Heritage Square festival. This, the 9th year of showcasing Arizona wines takes place on Saturday & Sunday January 27th and 28th and grows by 15,000 square feet when 6th Street is closed off this year.

Arizona wines poured

Over 30 Arizona wineries will travel to downtown Phoenix from Elgin, Sonoita and the southern part of our state along with wineries up I-17 in Jerome, Page Springs and the Verde Valley. Dos Cabezas, LDV Winery and Burning Tree Cellars are just a few of the wineries pouring their wines at the 2 day festival while.

Winners of the AZ Central Arizona Wine Competition will be announced at the Grand Wine Gala on Friday evening which is already sold out.

In addition to tasting wine at the festival, attendees will have live music to  enjoy as well as food trucks and other local vendors to visit with.

“We already have a record number of both wineries in attendance and wines being poured at this year’s festival, but now having the extra space will allow for record-breaking attendance numbers as well,” said Brian Predmore, president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association.

Arizona wines
Kurt Dunham owner/winemaker of LDV Winery

Purchase tickets

The festival will start both days at 11 a.m. and run until 7 p.m. on Saturday and until 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $15 for 6 tasting samples or $20 for 10 samples can be purchased at their website.

 

 

Arizona Grape Growers Anticipate Good 2012 Season

The Arizona wine industry is receiving a lot of attention in recent years as the number of vineyard acres are expanding, wine production is increasing, and the quality of Arizona wines are being recognized. There are now over 60 bonded wineries in Arizona up from nine in 2000. However, wine grape acres have not kept up with the demand sending Arizona wineries to purchase grapes from outside of the state. According to recent articles, the California wine grape supply is facing long-term shortages due to myriad of issues facing that industry, including water.
Peggy Fiandaca, President of the Arizona Wine Growers Association, http://www.arizonawine.org/ said “The opportunities of the Arizona wine industry are great, and there is no reason that the wine industry cannot be the next Billion Dollar wine region like Washington and Oregon.” A recent study The Arizona Wine Tourism Industry, June 2011 funded by the Arizona Office of Tourism found that the wine visitor had an estimated $22.7 Million in direct expenditures resulting in a total economic impact of $37.6 Million, supporting 405 total jobs.
“We are pretty excited about this year’s growing season because it appears we have finally skirted the frost season. It’s been a few years since we have had a decent sized harvest; and, if the long term forecasts out there come in even close to predictions – this should be the year,” according to Eric Glomski, co-owner and director of winegrowing of Page Springs Cellars. Eric says that they have planted an additional 16 acres at the Page Springs estate and are managing the ColibriVineyards in the Chiricahua Mountains in Southeastern Arizona. They are focusing on Rhone red and white varietals but have some Pinot Noir in a cool site and planted Vermentino, Teraldage, and Counoise.
In Arizona’s oldest wine region, the anticipation for a good growing season is also high. Kent Callaghan, winemaker of Callaghan Vineyards in Sonoita, had their first vintage in 1991. Today Callaghan’s estate winery is looking forward to a really good year in the vineyard. According to Kent, “We have planted new varieties that will produce small crops so we can get a feel for them here (Fiano, Vermentino, Petit Manseng, Malbec, Carmenere, and TourigaNacional). We also planted about two acres of whites (Petit Manseng, Malvasi Bianca, and Roussanne).” Kent anticipates harvesting a sizable crop of Graciano from their 3.25 acres planted. “It looks like a good, fun year so far,” he stated.
Southeastern Arizona is the third major wine grape growing region and one of the fastest in the amount of acres being planted. “After two spring frost years in a row, we had very minimal damage from the only frost event in mid-April,” according Curt Dunham, owner/winemaker of Lawrence Dunham Vineyards. “So far, we have a very encouraging amount of buds in the entire vineyard. Our Viognier, which is typically considered a light producer, is absolutely loaded with buds. If we get a good fruit set and normal weather, it should be a very good year in terms of volume.”
“The Arizona wine industry is excited about the start of the 2012 growing season. The increase in vineyard acreage and the fantastic wines being produced will support our efforts to put Arizona on the map as a quality winemaking and grape growing region,” said Peggy Fiandaca, president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association.

Reprinted from Arizona Wine Growers Assoc. press release.