Southeastern Arizona Wine Tour
Southeastern Arizona is a developing grape-growing area that is attracting some big names in the wine industry. Among them is Dick Erath of Erath Winery in Oregon. He is currently planting a vineyard in the Willcox area and sees great potential in Arizona wine making.
The Southeastern Arizona wine area is comprised of six communities in Cochise County including Benson, Bisbee, Douglas, Sierra Vista, Tombstone and Willcox. These areas are truly throwbacks from the wild-west era and there are plenty of historic places to visit intermingled with modern wine making and tasting rooms.
In Willcox (we love that name!) you’ll find these Southeastern Arizona wineries; Crop Circle Vineyards, Carlson Creek Vineyards and Coronado Vineyards all within a short distance from one another.
If you have a weekend, or two or three days to spend in this area, you’ll find an abundance of interesting albeit somewhat quirky places to visit. Bisbee is nestled in the Mule Mountains. This old mining town has in recent years made a comeback and is now a bustling tourist area complete with interesting shops and galleries, not to mention the Copper Queen Mine Tours where visitors can ride the mine train deep into the mine and search for remaining veins of copper, gold, turquoise and silver.
On a recent trip, we enjoyed our stay at the Letson Loft Hotel right on Main Street. This restored building has modern amenities while retaining its historic flavor. Down the street is Café Roka where entrees are inspired by Italian and California cuisine and the wine list is extensive.
The town of Tombstone is truly the heritage of the American Wild West. Visit historic saloons and general stores and stay long enough to see a “gunfight” right on Main Street. Townsfolk dress in period costumes and truly make this an authentic western experience for all ages.
Northern Arizona Vineyards | Sonoita/Elgin Vineyards |
Southeastern Vineyards
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| Recommended Hotels In Arizona Wine Country |
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Enjoy The Tour !
CARLSON CREEK VINEYARDS  Carlson Creek Vineyard is a family owned vineyard and winery. Located in the heart of Cochise County in Southeastern Arizona, it is the realization of a deep-seated dream to create a multi-generational business and quality wines. Situated at 4200 feet above sea level, the vineyard takes advantage of the warm Arizona sun and the crisp, cool evenings to create the ideal environment for growing wine grapes. The vineyard concentrates on Rhone varietals that are complimented by the temperature and soils resembling those of the Rhone Valley in southern France.
www.CarlsonCreek.com
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COLIBRI VINEYARD AND WINERY
Prior to becoming a plant scientist, Bob Johnson and his wife, Mickey spent most of their lives in the medical field. They worked together on an Indian reservation. Many of those who visit a reservation say they can feel a spirit or a force present around them. As Bob walked the reservation he felt it call to him; he was drawn to a hilltop overlooking the entire site and on the crest of the hill was a perfect stone arch, carved thousands of years ago by the combined forces of nature. Native Americans believe that the stone arch is a sign or a calling or “good luck” charm. Bob and his wife soon purchased the property, named it Colibri and began to work creating their vineyard.
Colibri offers a range of fine Rhône style red wines, each unique in character and expressing the terroir of the unique vineyard location and the Johnson’s dedication to small lot vinification.
www.ColibriVineyard.com
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Horseback Riding In
Wine Country Tip From:
Carol & Paul
You’ve heard of limousines and vans taking wine lovers to wineries for wine country tastings. But now there’s a new twist to the Southeastern Arizona wine tasting experience. Arizona Horseback Experience offers Wine Tasting Horseback Rides. Owners Ron and Marge Izzo have carved out a niche market designed to bring their love of horses and the beautiful and rugged Arizona desert landscape together with the ever increasing popularity of southern Arizona vineyards. Read More About The Arizona Horseback Experience |
CORONADO VINEYARDS Coronado Vineyards is nestled between the majestic Mt. Graham and the unique Dos Cabezas mountains, in the Coronado National Forest,in Southeastern Arizona, a unique wine tasting experience awaits.
Managing owners, Mark and Jacque Cook, and their partners, dreamed of owning a beautiful winery with outstanding wines for many years. On November 18th, 2006 that dream became a reality with the grand opening of Coronado Vineyards. Coronado Vineyards presented nine unique wines, from a sweet white table wine to a dry red wine all from wine grapes grown here in sunny Arizona.
www.CoronadoVineyards.com
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FT. BOWIE VINEYARDS
Ft. Bowie Vineyards & Orchard Products produce pecans, walnuts, peaches and cherries that can be purchased at their roadside store. The vineyard produces an assortment of wines including sweet dessert wines and sparkling wines under the Ft. Bowie name and Chiricahua Cellars name.
www.FortBowieVineyards.net
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KEELING SCHAEFER VINEYARDS
Keeling-Schaefer wines come from fruit grown on their own estate vineyards. They farm 21 acres of mostly ENTAV certified French grapevines on their Home Place Vineyard and their Rock Creek Vineyard. What sets them apart from many wineries is that they grow their own fruit and make all of the wine in the winery located on the vineyard in Southeastern Arizona. It is a terrific advantage to control all aspects of winemaking, including all of the growing decisions.
In 2004, Herrick Grapevines, of St. Helena, California, supplied Keeling Schaefer with 7200 ENTAV dormant bench grafts for their April 2004 planting. These plants are Syrah clones; 174, 383 and 877; and Grenache Noir clones, 513 and 362. In 2007-2009 they planted an additional 10,300 vines, or12 acres of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier and Picpoul Blanc on their Rock Creek Vineyard.
SEE OUR REVIEW
www.KeelingSchaeferVineyards.com
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Looking for More Things To Do in Southern Arizona?
Southern Arizona Guide
A Best of Guide to Southern Arizona featuring videos, dining and lodging reviews from Tubac, Tumacacori, Bisbee, Tombstone, Tucson and the surrounding areas...
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LAWRENCE DUNHAM VINEYARDS Lawrence Dunham Vineyards creates hand crafted wines that are a reflection of its special place. Their philosophy of winemaking is to choose the right location, select the perfect vines, and meticulously manage the vineyard, letting nature do its magic with as little intervention as possible.
Their Rhone-varietal grapes are flourishing in the volcanic soils of their 5,000-foot elevation southeastern Arizona estate in the Chiricahua Mountain foothills and along the sandy shores of Ash Creek.
www.LawrenceDunhamVineyards.com
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SAND-RECKONER VINEYARDS
Located on the Willcox Bench at 4,300 feet in elevation, Rob and Sarah Hammelman tend to Sand-Reckoner Vineyards. The name Sand-Reckoner, means ‘sand-calculator,’ and references Archimedes’ revolutionary and thought provoking 3rd century B.C. writing. In this text, Archimedes calculates the size of the universe by figuring the number of grains of sand that will fill it. The name alludes to the sandy loam soils and the connection to the cosmos, and the infinite calculations required to create a true wine that expresses the very sand into which their vines’ roots grow deep. It’s also a tribute to the pioneering spirit and evolution of thought of those who have walked before us, and who have had the imagination to philosophize and explore.
Currently, Sand-Reckoner grows Malvasia Bianca, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Graciano.
www.Sand-Reckoner.com
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| San Xavier Mission: Feel the History While taking a trip to southern Arizona wine country, we wanted to stop at the San Xavier Mission but wasn’t quite sure where it was. Driving down to some of our favorite southwest wine guide areas takes us onto Interstate 19, just southwest of Tucson. To the right, in the distance, one can see what appears to be a white church sitting in the middle of the vast desert. Read More About San Xavier Mission |
ARIZONA WINERIES IN DEVELOPMENT IN THE
SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA AREA:
ARIDUS WINE COMPANY, LLC – Willcox ARIDUS WINE COMPANY
ASMUNDSON FAMILY VINEYARD – Willcox - No Website
Broken Glass Vineyard & Winery Estates – Willcox - No Website
COCHISE STRONGHOLD/STRONGHOLD CANYON VINEYARDS – Pearce - No Website
Erath’s Cimmaron Vineyard – Willcox - No Website
Gallifant Cellars – Willcox GALLIFANT CELLARS
GOLDEN RULE VINEYARDS – Cochise - No Website
ODYSSEY CELLARS/DRAGOON MTN VINEYARD – Willcox - No Website
SÁNDOR VINEYARDS – Pearce SÁNDOR VINEYARDS
SOARING SPIRITS VINEYARD – Willcox - No Website
TRES DAMES WINERY - Willcox - No Website
ZARPARA VINEYARD – Willcox ZARPARA VINEYARD
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Another
Carol & Paul Favorite:
"We have stayed here several times"!
One area of Arizona that seems to be a world away is the tiny Village of Tubac and the Tubac Golf Resort and Spa. Tubac is located about 35 minutes south of Tucson International Airport and about 30 minutes from the Mexican border.
Read More About The Tubac Golf Resort and Spa |
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