RV road trip: Exploring Arizona’s wineries

When you think of wines, wineries, and vineyards, Arizona doesn't readily come to mind.

"Defying desert and canyon stereotypes, Arizona’s two prime grape-growing landscapes are as lovely as they are unexpected," says Edie Jarolim in the Arizona Guide. "And the award-winning wines they produce are wonderfully expressive."

Southern Arizona’s vineyards

The first Arizona winemakers planted their vines in the mile-high rolling grasslands of southeastern Arizona, near the towns of Patagonia and Sonoita. Dr. Gordon Dutt, a soil scientist, discovered that its red clay soil was nearly identical to that of the Cote D’Or in Burgundy, France. He planted the first experimental vineyard in 1973 and debuted his Sonoita Vineyards a decade later.

Now about a dozen other wineries have helped the area to earn its own Federal appellation of Sonoita. Once in Sonoita, an hour south of Tucson, you will find several wineries on or around Elgin Road. The best known of the group, Callaghan Vineyards represents the state’s first wine dynasty. Harold and Karen Callaghan planted the Buena Suerte vineyard in 1990, and their vintner son, Kent, has won numerous national kudos and awards in the last decade for his Spanish-style reds.

And following Arizona's cowboy tradition, the winery paired up with the Arizona Horseback Experience to offer a scenic ride followed by lunch and a wine tasting.

At the only tasting room in the town of Sonoita, Dos Cabezas WineWorks you can sit on a breezy patio overlooking an herb garden, and sample a crisp Viognier or the rich red El Norte blend, both winners of the Arizona Governor’s Award.

The winery’s name, Dos Cabezas, refers to the vineyard near Willcox that was the Bostocks’ winemaking operation before they moved to Sonoita. This original vineyard is now among several providing grapes to Maynard James Keenan (the front man for the band, Tool), whose Arizona Stonghold Vineyards belongs to the latest group of Arizona wineries.

North Central Arizona’s wineries

You can visit Page Springs Cellars and Caduceus Cellars on the newly designated Verde Valley Wine Trail. As with its southern counterpart, this Arizona wine region two hours northwest of Phoenix provides ideal conditions for grape cultivation: abundant sunshine, deep nighttime cool downs, and rich volcanic soil. It’s been compared to the Southern Rhone. The lush banks of the Verde River and Oak Creeks that meander through the Verde Valley, wouldn’t look out of place in the French countryside.

Along Page Springs Road and straddling Oak Creek, visit Page Springs Cellars for European styles with with local terroir; Oak Creek Vineyards & Winery, for small batch production of full-bodied reds; and Javelina Leap Vineyard & Winery, where you can sip their award-winning Whole Foods Consumers Choice for 2009.

For information about other vineyards and winemakers throughout the state, see the Arizona Vines & Wines and the Arizona Wine Growers Association websites.