Drinks like the Hot Sicilian from Sassi restaurant in Scottsdale are a terrific end to a meal when the weather turns chilly.

When nights turn brisk and darkness falls early, seductive after-dinner drinks replace the fruity cocktails of summer.

The ancient ritual of topping off dinner with a brandy served in a snifter or a freshly brewed coffee spiked with grappa provides a legitimate reason to linger at the table. Serve with or instead of dessert.

“After-dinner drinks are very much a winter thing, and a great way to wind down a meal,” says Angela Badolato of Sassi, a Scottsdale, Ariz., restaurant. “These are alcoholic drinks with wonderful flavors, but not strong enough to get you intoxicated.”

Most are easy to mix and require only a handful of ingredients.

After-dinner drinks fall into three main types: digestifs, sweets and spiked coffees. Digestifs, such as brandy, port or whiskey, are believed to relax the stomach after a meal.

Coffee drinks, popular in countries like Italy where dinners often are long, leisurely affairs, provide a subtle after-dinner pick-me-up.

Those that can double as dessert are simply a sweet way to end a meal.

At Los Sombreros Mexican Cafe in Scottsdale, one of the most popular after-dinner drinks is a hot chocolate with almond-infused tequila.

The sweet drink softens a spicy meal, and as bar manager Steve Douds explains, “Finishing a great meal with a little almond tequila is like a warm hug from Mom.”

Sip these sweets after dinner

Cafee Siciliano

6 ounces freshly brewed coffee

2 ounces Averna liqueur

Fresh whipped cream

Pour coffee into a mug. Add Averna liqueur and mix well. Top with whipped cream. Makes 1 drink.

Source: Sassi restaurant, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Mexican hot chocolate

8 ounces whole milk

1/4 of a 3-ounce tablet of Abuelita chocolate (made by Nestle)

1 and 1/2 ounce of almendrado, also called almond-infused tequila

Heat milk on stovetop or in microwave until simmering (do not let the milk boil). Add chocolate tablet and stir to dissolve. Pour hot chocolate into a blender and add almond-infused tequila. Blend until frothy. Makes 1 drink.

Source: Los Sombreros Mexican Cafe, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Hot Sicilian

5 ounces hot water

3 ounces tangerine-fennel amaro

Cinnamon stick

Orange wheel

Pour hot water into a glass. Add amaro and mix well. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange wheel. Makes 1 drink.

Source: Sassi restaurant in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Rompope

Crushed ice

4 ounces eggnog

3/4 ounce Mexican or Caribbean rum

3/4 ounce almendrado, also called almond-infused tequila

Fill glass about halfway with ice. Pour in all ingredients. Cover glass and shake. Makes 1 drink.

Source: Los Sombreros Mexican Cafe, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Caffe Coretto

6 ounces freshly brewed coffee

2 ounces almond-flavored grappa

Pour coffee into a mug. Add grappa and mix well. Makes 1 drink.

Source: Sassi restaurant, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Geisha coffe

1 ounce Van Gogh Double Espresso vodka

1/2 ounce Kahlua

1/2 ounce iced coffee

Ice

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Shake well and serve in a cold beer glass. Makes 1 drink.

Source: Geisha A Go Go, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Much of the drive to Sonoita is along scenic state Route 83.

See and do

If high gas prices have pushed a trip to California’s vineyard-rich Napa Valley out of your price range, don’t rule out a holiday to wine country. Southern Arizona is home to several quality vineyards just an hour or so south of Tucson.

Sonoita Vineyards’ annual Augustfest celebration on Saturday and Sunday is to celebrate the beginning of the harvest season, winemaker Fran Lightly says.

Augustfest, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days, offers wine tastings, live country music and dancing, tractor-drawn tours of the vineyard and even grape stomping (remember the “I Love Lucy” episode?)

Started in 1979, Sonoita Vineyards, 290 Elgin-Canelo Road, produces nearly 4,000 cases of wine a year from 19 different grape varieties, including sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon. Founded by soil scientist Gordon Dutt, the vineyard has soil similar to that of France’s Burgundy region.

The vineyard has produced some award-winning wines, including its 1986 Cabernet Sauvignon that was selected for the 1989 Presidential Inauguration Food and Wine Gala for President George Bush.

Cost

$10 per adult, includes a souvenir wine glass, wine tasting, winery tours, vineyard tours on trailer, grape stomping, live music and dancing.

Where to eat

Several good restaurants are in the town of Sonoita. One standout is The Grasslands Bakery & Cafe, 520-455-4770 or www.grasslandscafe.com, serving breakfast and lunch.

It is open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, and it serves brunch 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Take-out and bakery items are available until closing.

It is on the north side of state Route 83 just after it intersects with state Route 82.

Kid-friendly?

Kids are allowed, but most activities are geared to adults.

By the way

Much of the drive to is along scenic state Route 83, through verdant high desert blooming from the monsoon rains.

The drive

From Tucson, take Interstate 10 east toward El Paso, Texas. Take Exit 281 south onto SR83. After about 35 miles, turn left onto Elgin-Canelo Road and follow it for about 3 miles, where you will see the winery on your right.

To learn more

520-455-5893, www.sonoitavineyards.com

CLAIRE CONRAD

weekendplus@tucsoncitizen.com (weekendplus@tucsoncitizen.com)

Fran Lightly is the winemaker for Sonoita Vineyards.

ABOVE: Much of the drive to Sonoita is along scenic state Route 83.

LEFT: Winemaker Fran Lightly of Sonoita Vineyards on the porch of the Elgin winery

Dos Cabezas WineWorks took two of the top four prizes, plus a bronze medal in the 2007 Governor's Choice Awards.

Dos Cabezas WineWorks won two of the top four Governor’s Choice Awards for Arizona wines for 2007.

In a recent competition sponsored by the Arizona Wine Grower’s Association and The American Wine Society Tucson Chapter, a panel of four judges chose winners in four categories, says AWGA President Rod Keeling.

The judges included Kathleen Carter, then of 58 Degrees & Holding Co., now sommelier for Bistro Philippe, and Doug Levy, chef-owner of Feast.

Several of the wineries will offer samples from the 22 winners at The Governor’s Choice 2007 Awards Presentation and Tasting March 22 (see box).

Taste Plus

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MARCH 22

2007 GOVERNOR’S CHOICE AWARDS PRESENTATION AND TASTING: At The Savoy Opera House, the Arizona Wine Growers Association and the American Wine Society honor Governor’s Choice Award winners, who will offer samples of their wines. A silent auction and live music also are part of the festivities. When: 6-10 p.m. Where: 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road Price: $75 Info: 520-455-0145 or jbileti@earthlink.net

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2007 GOVERNOR’S CHOICE AWARDS

Best of Winners
Best red wine: 2006 Dos Cabezas El Norte (Dos Cabezas WineWorks, Sonoita)

Best white wine: 2006 Dos Cabezas Viognier

Best Blush wine: Village of Elgin Winery NV Dry Rose (Elgin)

Best Dessert wine: Colibri NV Late Harvest Roussane (Colibri Vineyard & Winery, Portal)

Silver medal winner
Four Monkey Wines (Elgin): Four Monkey Wines NV Cabernet Sauvignon

Bronze medal winners
Callaghan Vineyards (Elgin): Callaghan 2006 Lisa’s Selection; Callaghan 2005 Claire’s; Callaghan 2006 Port

Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery (Elgin): Canelo Hills 2006 Syrah

Colibri Vineyard & Winery: Colibri NV Syrah

Dos Cabezas: Pillsbury NV Rose; Pillsbury 2006 Roan Red; Pillsbury 2006 Diva

Keeling-Schaeffer Vineyards (Pearce): Keeling-Schaeffer Vineyards 2005 Syrah

Kokopelli Winery (Chandler): Kokopelli NV Chardonnay; Kokopelli 2004 Merlot; Kokopelli NV Merlot; Kokopelli NV Rhinewine White; Kokopelli NV Sweet Lucy

Rancho Rossa Vineyards (Elgin): Rancho Rossa 2006 Rose; Rancho Rossa 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sarah’s Vineyard;

Sonoita Vineyards (Sonoita): Sonoita Vineyards 2006 Syrah

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ON THE WEB

ARIZONA WINE GROWERS ASSOCIATION: http://arizonawine.org

CALLAGHAN VINEYARDS: www.callaghanvineyards.com

CANELO HILLS VINEYARD & WINERY: www.canelohillswinery.com

DOS CABEZAS WINEWORKS: www.doscabezaswinery.com

KEELING-SCHAEFER VINEYARDS: www.keelingschaefervineyards.com

KOKOPELLI WINERY: www.kokopelliwinery.com

PAGE SPRINGS CELLARS: www.pagespringscellars.com

RANCHO ROSSA VINEYARDS: www.ranchorossa.com

VILLAGE OF ELGIN WINERY:www.elginwines.com

Key: $ $7-$15 $$ $15-$20 $$$ $20-$25

2005 Marchetti Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico, Italy ($12-$15) The color is golden straw yellow with a silver hue. The aroma is soft citrus and a hint of orange zest. The taste has crisp structure, nice minerality and soft fruit concentration to tie it together.

Mionetto Rosato del Veneto, Italy ($13-$15) This is not a Prosecco but a vino Frizzante from west of Venice in northern Italy, The color is a bright clean rosé. The aroma has pleasant red fruit and a certain cushy quality. The taste is lightly sparkling, really quaffable and simple. The good news is that all you need is a beer-bottle opener and you’re in!

2006 Lambrusco “Gasparossa di Castelvetro,” Pezzuoli, Italy ($13-$15) Long before sparkling shiraz became popular, there was Lambrusco. They’re not all the same, and there are some lesser known producers who make tasty wines like this one. The color is deep, dark and bright cherry. The aroma is focused, hard sour candy. The taste is slightly fizzy, dry and freshvery much like a good Beaujolais in character.

2004 Di Arie “Rose di Arie,” Sierra Foothills, Calif. ($11-$14) The color is a muted onion peel, a classic look of wines from France’s southern Rhone region, with a shot of light cherry tones. The aroma is spicy and warm. The taste is lush and full with a hint of spice and a creamy finish.

2006 Siduri Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Ore. ($17-$20) A rich, dark pinot with a purple hue and cherry in the core, this wine’s aroma is fruit-forward with blackberry and spice. The taste is consistent with the nose: good berry flavor up front and baking spice in the long finish.

1997 Argyle “Extended Tirage,” Willamette Valley, Ore. ($34-$44) On the high end of the price scale, this first-class American sparkler is a great value amid the skyrocketing prices of Champagne. It appears fine and delicate, with slow-moving mousse. The color is full, with golden hues. The aroma is creamy and toasty with focused soft green apple. The taste is rich and supple with great balance, toast and a long finish.

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SPECIALTY SHOPS

Any beer, wine or spirit available in Arizona, but not on the shelves at your liquor or grocery store, can be special ordered. See store for details.
Here are details on the Tucson liquor stores that stock specialty wines, beers and liquors.

Taste Plus

AJ’S FINE FOODS 2805 E. Skyline Drive, 232-6340

ARMITAGE WINE LOUNGE & CAFE 2905 E. Skyline Drive, 299-1728

THE BEVERAGE HOUSE • 6250 N. Oracle Road, 219-6424, • 4231 E. 22nd Street, Suite 141, 323-6566, and • 8660 E. Broadway, 296-9933

CATA VINOS WINE SHOP 3063 N. Alvernon Way

58 DEGREES & HOLDING CO. • 5340 E. Broadway, 747-5858 and • 4280 N. Campbell Ave., 529-2020

MAGEE ROAD LIQUORS 7980 N. Oracle Road, 297-9113

PASTICHE WINE SHOP 3025 N. Campbell Ave., 325-3333 pasticheme.com

PLAZA LIQUORS AND FINE WINES 2642 N. Campbell Ave., 327-0452

RUMRUNNER WINE & CHEESE CO. 3131 E. First St., 326-0121

WILKO 943 E. University Blvd., 792-6684

VINO 100 10110 N Oracle Road, 575-8466 vino100.com

Scott Yarosh, owner of Sonoran Brewing Co. in Scottsdale, holds a handful of hops at his brew pub. A global shortage of hops, combined with a run-up in barley prices, is sending a chill through Arizona's craft-beer industry.

PHOENIX – A global shortage of hops, combined with a run-up in barley prices, is sending a chill through Arizona’s craft-beer industry.

The hops shortage threatens to boost prices, cut into profits and close down brewpubs. It could change the taste and consistency of treasured local ales.

In Bisbee, “hop heads” already are weaning themselves from Electric Dave’s India Pale Ale. Dave Harvan closed his 7-year-old Electric Brewing Co. in November, citing the scarcity and high cost of ingredients. Anthony Canecchia, owner and head brewer at Santan Brewing Co. in Chandler, spends hours on the telephone daily, scouring the world for hops.

“I get a pound here and a pound there,” he said.

Canecchia, who opened his brewpub in September, acknowledged, “I couldn’t have picked a worse time to go into business.”

Brewers are dealing with a 10 percent to 15 percent shortfall in the worldwide supply of hops, largely caused by farmers cutting back on the crop and recent yields diminished by rain and drought. Prices have jumped as much as 10-fold and created severe shortages of popular varieties such as Cascade, Centennial and Chinook.

The shortages are expected to last through 2008, and some don’t expect the market to return to normal until 2011.

The higher prices have led many microbreweries and brewpubs to raise prices from 25 cents a pint on tap beer to $1 or more on a six-pack. Some suppliers estimate as many as 20 percent of recently opened brewpubs and microbreweries could fail in the interim.

For the small craft brewers, the issue is not price so much as availability. Many of the most popular varieties of hops are simply not available to them, prompting brewers to change venerable recipes and experiment with lesser-known varieties and Old World beer-flavoring herbs such as spruce tips, mugwort and dandelions.

“It’s not how much you have to pay for hops, it’s whether you can get any at all,” said Scott Woodcock, owner of Flagstaff’s Home Brewer’s Outpost, a mail-order beer-making supplies business. “I get calls all day long from brewpubs and microbreweries all over the country looking to buy a pound or anything we have available.”

“IPAs are going to get a lot mellower,” Woodcock said.

IPAs or India Pale Ales use more hops than many beers and have garnered an intense following of beer geeks who are as passionate about their pursuit as any wine connoisseur.

Many, such as Rex Rathbone of Phoenix, are former wine aficionados who discovered the intricacies of craft beers and got hooked. For them, the thought of a mellower IPA is horrifying.

“It would be an incredible bummer,” said Phoenix resident Maxwell Higgins, a devotee of Trooper IPA made at the Sonora Brewhouse in Phoenix. “I don’t know what I’d do,”

Sonora brewmaster Uwe Boer signed a year contract with his hops supplier in April and expects to be able to make Trooper until at least the spring. He has been brewing for 15 years and has never seen any shortage of hops, let alone one this severe. “It’s something that has really hit us all,” he said.

Boer has held off raising prices, but his customers say they wouldn’t mind paying a bit more.

“If you worry about the price, you’re setting yourself up to drink cheap beer,” said Mark Serfling of Tempe.

Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association trade group in Boulder, Colo., said hops prices have risen in the past year from about $4 per pound to more than $25 per pound, with some varieties increasing as much as 1,000 percent. Meanwhile, the price for barley, the main ingredient in beer, has almost doubled.

A high hops content is what sets so-called craft beers apart from mass-produced varieties.

“Hoppiness” is measured in International Bitterness Units, or IBUs. Mainstream brewers such as Anheuser-Busch Inc. brew mellower beers with less hops. Budweiser has an IBU rating of 11. But the big breweries are still being hurt by the high cost of barley and looking at raising prices.

“Like all brewers, we are experiencing cost increases due to the rising prices of brewing ingredients,” Michael Owens, vice president of business operations at Anheuser-Busch. He said the company has an ample supply of hops.

Papazian attributed the barley prices to ethanol subsidies that have raised the price of corn, the main ingredient in the alternative fuel. As a result, farmers have switched to barley for livestock feed, which has pushed up prices.

The hops situation is more complex. Years of overproduction and low prices led farmers to replace hops fields with more profitable crops. Add to that corn subsidies that have caused farmers to replace hops fields with corn, a drought in Australia that affected yields and heavy rains in Europe that ruined much of this year’s crop.

The exchange rate between the dollar and the euro is making the situation worse for U.S. and Arizona brewers.

The weak dollar makes U.S. hops a bargain for European breweries, which are bidding up prices.

“Local crops that we previously had access to got sold this fall to the European market,” said Ralph Woodall, director of sales at Hopunion LLC, a Yakima, Wash., hops supplier.

Washington produces 77 percent of the U.S. hops crop and about 25 percent of the global supply.

Bobby Marmion (left), a foreman with the Henden Corp., and Eleno Castro install footings for a patio at Jeff's Pub, 112 S. Camino Seco. The addition, where patrons will be able to drink and smoke, is expected to cost about $60,000.

Patios are being built, bartenders are breathing easier and even smokers don’t seem to mind waiting to inhale.

Although a group is seeking to reverse a voter-approved ban on smoking in bars and restaurants that took effect May 1, many are taking the changes in stride.

“I’m a smoker and I like it because I have cut down a lot,” said Christy Stutler, a bartender at the Bay Horse Tavern, 2802 E. Grant Road.

“Going outside is also a nice environment. It can get depressing sitting inside a bar all night It is really surprising how good just stepping outside can make you feel.”

Bay Horse owner Susan Compton isn’t as positive.

“When people get off of a long day of work, sometimes they want to reward themselves,” Compton said. “We’re getting a loss of revenue from bars because smokers stay half as long.”

The Pima County Health Department has not issued any fines in connection with the statewide ballot initiative, which bans smoking in most indoor public places and within 20 feet of building entrances.

It has received 68 complaints about bars and restaurants and 237 total complaints. Typically, they involve smokers who are too close to entrances, or no-smoking signs that aren’t visible from the street, as required by the new law.

Some bars are building or expanding patios where patrons can drink and smoke at the same time. Jeff’s Pub, for instance, is building a $60,000 patio at its 112 S. Camino Seco location.

“I’ve seen a half-dozen applications so far,” said Ernie Duarte, director of development services for the city. “You basically need to watch how much parking an extension will add. It is about one parking spot per 200 square feet of structure added.”

Some bar patrons seem to be enjoying the change, and it shows in tips, said Larry Horvath, a bartender at the Hotel Congress.

“The first week the ban went into effect was the best week I’ve ever worked,” Horvath said. “I’m in a band, though, and the only time it bothers me is when I have to play for an hour without a smoke.”

The Shelter Cocktail Lounge, a self-proclaimed “swanky” lounge at 4155 E. Grant Road, is awaiting approval of permits to complete its outdoor patio. The bar provides an outdoor area where patrons can smoke, but can’t bring their drinks, said Titus Edler, a bartender.

“It mainly slows down in here during the day, but it is also slow season,” Edler said. “Other than that, business has pretty much stayed the same.”

John Althoff, who has been a regular at The Shelter for the past month, since his move from Portland, Maine, said that, as a smoker, he is used to the restrictions. He said such measures have been in effect on the East Coast for the past four years.

Althoff said people there have dealt with the issue for so long that a system has developed to help keep customers’ seats at the bar when they get up for a smoke.

“Basically what you do is put a coaster on top of your drink. I’ve even seen people use the method in New York City. I haven’t seen anything like that here yet,” Althoff said.

At Che’s Lounge, 346 N. Fourth Ave., customer Derek Miller said that he used to smoke when he drank, but since the ban has quit completely.

Yvonne Grace-Draman, who was drinking a Guinness at The Shanty, 401 E. Ninth St., said that bars used to be rough on her respiratory system.

“I’m really thrilled because I have asthma and I can really feel the difference when I go home,” Grace-Draman said. “It sounds silly, but the air feels cleaner when you walk in the bar.”

Ed Abrigo, a regular at O’Malley’s, 247 N. Fourth Ave., said the ban does not make sense because all it takes is common courtesy to avoid offending nonsmokers.

“Normally, if someone sits down next to you at the bar, they will ask if it is all right to light up,” said Abrigo, an occasional smoker. “I mean, it is almost worse to walk into an elevator and have to deal with overpowering perfume.

“Don’t get me wrong, smoking isn’t good for you, but what is these days? If you go to a bar where people are smoking and don’t like it, go somewhere else where there is less smoke,” Abrigo said.

Sullivan’s Steakhouse, 1785 E. River Road, used to have an indoor cigar bar. Now, cigars and cigarettes have been relegated to the patio.

“I have mixed feelings,” said bartender Marin Friedman. “Customers should be able to smoke cigars in a cigar bar.

“I like not ingesting smoke though, and smelling like it, but I get less business, because customers get drinks on the patio and I work behind the bar,” she said.

Glenn Gifford, co-chairman of Tucson-based Arizona Alcohol Service Providers Association, which formed after the law went into effect, is against the law. Gifford, who is a smoker, is retired, but his partner, Steve Ross, is a nonsmoker and manager at Daniel’s Refrigeration.

From Ross’ perspective, if the ban hurts bars, it will also hurt him because Daniel’s Refrigeration caters to bars and restaurants. Ross is exploring ways to overturn the ban.

According to Karen Martin, Health Promotion and Education Division manager at the county Health Department, the department is in its “education phase” and has not imposed fines. The maximum fine is $5,000.

The highest fines would be reserved for establishments that are “blatantly not adhering to the law.”

Eat Tucson: Our blog chews over the local dining scene. TODAY: New UA-area coffeehouse

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COMPLAINTS FILED
Number of complaints* (“other” indicates business offices, for the most part)

Open cases
Other 51

Government building 4

Coffee shop 3

Bar/restaurant 7

Grocery 0

Closed cases
Other 56

Government building 18

Coffee shop 15

Bar/restaurant 61

Grocery 14

In progress
(reinspection scheduled)
Other 0

Government building 0

Coffee shop 0

Bar/restaurant 0

Grocery 2

Unable to investigate (insufficient information)
Other 4

Government building 2

Coffee shop 0

Bar/restaurant 0

Grocery 0

*Through June 21. Source:Pima County Health Department

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WHAT THE NEW LAW STATES
The Smoke-Free Arizona Act prohibits smoking in most indoor public places and places of employment. No-smoking signs are also required in all places where smoking is prohibited.

WHERE YOU CAN SMOKE
Private residences, retail tobacco stores that are physically separated and independently ventilated, veterans and fraternal clubs when they are not open to the public, hotel rooms designated as smoking rooms, outdoor patios, religious practices under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, casinos on tribal lands, and a theatrical, film or television performance if smoking is part of the performance.

WHERE YOU CAN’T SMOKE
Offices and retail businesses, restrooms, restaurants, health care facilities, bars, entertainment venues and sports facilities, airports and other transportation facilities, private residences that are used as day care or health facilities, 20 feet or less from the entrances of any of the above.

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GOT A COMPLAINT?

To make a complaint about non-compliance with the law:

● Contact the Pima County Health Department, (888) 221-0011 or smokefreepimacounty@pima.gov.

● Outside Pima County, contact Smoke Free Arizona, (877) 429-6676, or nosmokingarizona@azdhs.gov.

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In its June issue, the mag wrote that Le Gitana, 17201 W. Fifth St., is cheap, rowdy and great for daytime drinking, though you can find “bloodstains on the floor and bullet holes in the walls.”

It was the only bar in Arizona to make the list.

In its June issue, the mag wrote that Le Gitana, 17201 W. Fifth St., is cheap, rowdy and great for daytime drinking, although you can find “bloodstains on the floor and bullet holes in the walls.”

It was the only bar in Arizona to make the list.

In its June issue, the mag wrote that Le Gitana, 17201 W. Fifth St., is cheap, rowdy and great for daytime drinking, although you can find “bloodstains on the floor and bullet holes in the walls.”

It was the only bar in Arizona to make the list.

The glassy winged sharpshooter is considered a threat to the region’s fledgling wine industry’s grapevines and to oleanders and other landscaping ornamentals, nut orchards and, if it spreads elsewhere in the state, stands of citrus trees, officials said.

The insect, a half-inch leafhopper, is a problem because its saliva infects plants with Pierce’s disease, an infection for which there is no cure.

The disease devastated California vineyards in the late 1990s.

Treatment efforts were conducted last fall in the Sierra Vista area after the sharpshooter was found at a nursery. However, the insect burrows during the winter months, department spokeswoman Katie Decker said.

“Then you find out in the spring whether you really killed the little sucker. Apparently we didn’t,” she said. “Is this a problem? Yes it is.”

Decker said the department, nearly halfway through its two-year budget cycle, is seeking a supplemental appropriation of $700,000 to pay for treatment that would involve hiring commercial firms with long wands and other equipment.

“This isn’t just backpack sprayers,” she said.

Without eradication, “you’re looking at dead citrus, you’re looking at dead oleanders and there’s nothing that can be done about it,” Decker said.

Rod Keeling, president of the Arizona Winegrowers Association, said the industry group supports the department’s request.

The current infestation is about 30 miles from vineyards in the Sonoita and Elgin areas of eastern Santa Cruz County, he said.

“They can fly a mile a day,” Keeling said.

Arizona has 22 licensed wineries and 30 vineyards, said Keeling, who with his wife owns a red wine vineyard in Cochise County.