Local wineries to be featured at Verde Valley Wine Festival

Twenty local wineries will be pouring their wines in Downtown Cottonwood for the 7th Annual Verde Valley Wine Festival on the weekend of May 10th & 11th. Beer and wine will also be poured along with food trucks on-site with freshly made food for purchase. The City of Cottonwood and The Verde Valley Wine Consortium partner to bring the local wineries together to share the fruits of their labor.

The festival organizer, Paula Woolsey, said, “This event is the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day! It’s a wonderful opportunity for families to celebrate mothers while enjoying local wines and delicious food. The chance to meet the winemakers adds a personal touch, allowing attendees to learn more about their favorite wines directly from the source.”

Wineries including Cove Mesa Vineyard, Cella Winery and Grand Canyon Winery will be there along with Desert Diamond Distillery, Wild Tonic pouring non-alcoholic Kombucha & other beverages and The Belfry Brewery will be pouring beer. Campfire Grill, Craft Wood Fired Pizza and other food trucks will be serving up a variety of foods and several sweet treats will be available from Carolina’s Chocolate, Gia’s Toffee and Poppin in the Pines Kettle Corn and others. Live music, artists and other exhibitors will be on hand to entertain attendees.

Early Bird tickets are on sale starting at $20 with tickets at the door available starting at $25. 6 tasting tickets and a commemorative wine glass are included. Tickets for non-drinkers are $10, and all tickets can be purchased here with more information available at their 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.

 

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.