Escape the searing summer desert this weekend in Pinetop Lakeside, AZ, and enjoy the remarkable Arizona produced wines at Wine in the Pines. This is an Arizona Wine Growers Association gathering at Charlie Clark’s Orchard, where winemakers from Arizona’s three wine regions—Verde Valley, Sonoita/Elgin, and Willcox— will be showcasing their juices on June 14, 15, and 16, noon till 5:00 p.m.

This AWGA event features the best wines from Arizona’s thriving wine scene and it promises to be a classic, held at the Charlie Clark Orchard at 1701 W. White Mountain Blvd., part of an original homestead.

Participating wineries include Alcantara Vineyards, Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, Carlson Creek Vineyards, Flying Leap Vineyards, Gallifant Cellars, Grand Canyon Cellars, Hannah’s Hill Vineyard, Javelina Leap Vineyard & Winery, Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Lawrence Dunham Vineyards, Page Spring Cellars, Pillsbury Wine Company, Pleasant Valley Winery, Saeculum Cellars, Sonoita Vineyards, Studo Vino Winery, Su Vino Winery, Wilhelm Family Vineyards, and Zarpara Vineyards.

Regular priced tickets are $30, if purchased by June 13, and $35 at the door. This gets you a commemorative tasting glass and 10 tasting tickets. Event is restricted to guests 21 and older; proper ID is required.

Chilling with music in Sonoita  

If music is your passion, head down to Kief-Joshua Vineyards in Elgin, AZ, for the summer concert series, every other Saturday, all summer long. Musicians will typically perform from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and food prepared by Chef Stephen will be available. Of course, there will be plenty KJV wines, too.

Last weekend, Blaine Long of Phoenix entertained a fine crowd with his original guitar music. The rest of the schedule looks like this:

June 22, Carlo, a sweetie with a voice like Elvis

July 6, Sage Gentle-wing performing many originals—known as one of the best jazz-style guitarists around

July 20, Tucson’s own AmoSphere jamming the vineyards

August 3, Bryan Dean Trio—original blues band, listed in the Arizona Blues and Tucson Musicians Hall of Fame

August 17, Gram & Krieger, also Arizona Blues Hall of Famers, playing originals and other music in the Americana style—Country, Bluegrass, Jazz, old-time Rock-n-Roll, Beatles, and more

August 24, the annual Magdalena bash will feature many of the above performers returning to celebrate Magdalena, Kief’s grandmother, turning 94—and you know she’s got a wine named for her…

CURRENTS connect arts and wines

TRUST Art & Design has pulled out all of the stops preparing for CURRENTS, a progressive event, Saturday, June 22, 2013. If you’ve ever been curious about the wine and/or the art scene in Willcox, this is the perfect weekend to check it all out.

This event is designed as a drifting, wafting, flowing summer art show. TRUST shows work by exceptional local artists in wine-tasting rooms and vineyards. CURRENTS opening day features three special events in three different Willcox Wine Country locations (Zarpara Vineyards, Flying Leap Vineyards’ Willcox tasting room, and Keeling Schaefer Vineyards’ tasting room). Meet the artists and learn about their work while enjoying a day in wine country, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

CURRENTS will feature new work by TRUST artists in each location. Many of the artists will be available to answer questions about their work. Thomas Ale Johnson and Kim Johnson, owners of TRUST Art & Design, will be the hosts at each space. Guests are invited to “choose their own adventure” and join the party at one, two, or all three locations. Winemakers/winery owners will be at each venue to talk about their wines and offer wine tastings.

Special hotel deals are available from Holiday Inn Express-Willcox and Quality Inn-Willcox. Stay the whole weekend and plan to check out the other Willcox area tasting rooms—Carlson Creek Vineyards, Coronado Vineyards, and Pillsbury Wines Vineyard. You’ll also want to assess those amazing pies and other items at the new Apple Annie’s Country Store.

Yum… and cheers!

New Sagrantino vine shows early growth inside its shelter. Photo by Sarah Hammelman, Sand-Reckoner Vineyards.

There’s always something going on with the grapes in the Willcox vineyards. Throughout April, everyone worries about their “babies”—just starting to show growth in the fields. A couple of days each week, concerns of freezing temps awakened me more than once—neighboring vineyards’ windmills sounded like distant helicopters ready to take flight each time the temps dropped to the low 30s. These propane-propelled wind machines help warm the ground in an effort to prevent freeze damage.

Now that the frost fears are past, vineyard workers are thinning, tying, and pruning—training the vines into canopies. Most of the vineyards are in full bloom and the grapes are starting to form. They are in the phase of growth called “grape set.” The flowers from the grapevine have bloomed, and are forming small (and hard) grapes. They will grow in size until véraison (the onset of ripening) occurs and then start to get sweeter until harvest, which typically occurs in Southern Arizona around the middle of August through the end of September. Winemakers are counting the weeks till harvest with one eye on the vines and the other on the weather.

Where it all begins—planting

In mid-April, I eagerly signed up to help two different vintners plant some vines (I call this part of my journey Vineyard Immersion 101). Both Carlson Creek and Sand-Reckoner Vineyards were adding new varietals to their existing acres of hearty grapes. Over the course of one weekend, I learned that planting grapevines ranks up there as one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done.

The lure—Muscat and music

At Carlson Creek Vineyards, a couple dozen volunteers armed with shovels and buckets full of new baby vines soaking in water spent the morning planting 3.3 acres of Muscat of Alexandria—a sweeter grape, destined to become a new varietal in the winery’s Sweet Adeline series. Robert Carlson and family turned community planting into a major event, complete with a tented gathering area and plenty of carbs, coffee, juice, and soft drinks to get all excited about the task at hand. The promise of live music, more food, and a taste of their newest release, Carlson Creek Riesling 2011, after our hard work, sweetened the draw.

My partner, Don from Orange County, CA, did the digging and I held each small shoot of a vine at the appropriate height as he shoveled dirt in the vine’s direction (typically toward my face). We added more dirt by hand and foot to surround the vine and secured it within its hole, with a final tug to lock in its roots. Then we moved on to the next hole… and the next… and the next, planting nearly three rows as a team.  I completed a personal record number of squats and deep-knee bends, plus inhaled a lot of red dirt that day. I can only hope this red Willcox soil is as beneficial for me as it is for the grapes.

I must add—that Carlson family really knows how to throw a party.

The Sagrantino saga

The following morning, another planting ‘party’ began bright and early at the Sand-Reckoner Vineyards, just down the lane from my home. No tent, no music, just a group of eager workers straggling in. That day we were under the able tutelage of Don Sobey, who has helped other Willcox vineyards plant their fields.

As two able-bodied males dug holes with post-hole diggers ahead of the planting crew, Sobey instructed on the proper way to position the vines in the deep holes and secure their roots properly for a healthy start. The method involved lowering oneself to the ground about a zillion times, reaching deeply into each hole to set the roots, working gingerly to pack dirt all around, then staking and sheltering each plant. It became apparent that gloves were more of a hindrance than help, so I quickly tossed them aside and began plying the dirt bare-handed—a truly earthy experience. It took at least three weeks for my hands to regain softness.

For a small crew of fewer than 10—friends of Sand-Reckoner Vineyards owners Rob and Sarah Hammelman—it took the better part of the day to plant an acre of Sagrantino, described in Jancis Robinson’s Guide to Wine Grapes as a “lively, somewhat tannic red grape, grown in Umbria in central Italy.” I wonder who I must contact to get that updated to “now growing in Willcox in southeast Arizona.”

The added benefit was plenty of Levi-time—the Hammelman’s 2-month-old son—and a nourishing Sarah-home-cooked lunch.

I had to call it a day midway through the afternoon when the body refused to follow the mind’s directions to rise once again to a standing position and lug the bucket of vines to the next available hole. I left the planting of the last rows to my younger, heartier cohorts, who did an admirable job of establishing every last vine. Hammelman reports 100% growth from our efforts.

And why do we do this?

I asked two planting partners, Tucsonans Ashley Victoria Drake and Brad Swepson, to sum up what draws them into such intense work for no monetary reward.

Drake responded, “We met Rob and Sarah through mutual friends and told them we would love to help out (picking grapes sounded easy—ha ha). The first time, we helped put up bird netting. (Zarpara Vineyards’) Mark (Jorve) and Rhona (MacMillan), the Carlson boys, and others were there, and we worked our butts off! Sarah cooked a feast after we worked, and everyone drank wine and shared stories.

“We keep volunteering because the community of wine-making in Southern Arizona is too romantic not to. Our first experience is re-created every time we go, with people we have come to think of as our friends. Both Brad and I crave tight-knit, ‘locally produced’ community, and Willcox offers us that and so much more. The wine is a big plus, too.”

I agree. There is something very humbling and fulfilling about working in the vineyards with like-minded souls. As you plant each vine, you sense that you’re part of a much bigger process that cannot be defined. The work can take its toll on a body, but it entrenches the soul. Just think, in three years, we will be enjoying these incredible new Arizona wines—the fruits of our labor.

Cheers.

Willcox Wine Country

Make your way to Willcox this coming weekend—an hour’s drive east from Tucson—to the town’s quaint historic Railroad Park. You’ll feel as if you’ve stepped back in time—when days were slower, air was fresher (and 10-degrees cooler), people were friendlier, music was meaningful, art was spectacular, and the wines were, well, these wines ARE amazing!

The Willcox Wine Country Spring Festival  will take place this Saturday and Sunday, May 18 and 19, 10:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. The event will include food, live music, arts, crafts, and wine tasting with 16 featured Arizona farm wineries.  

About those wines

Arizona winemakers will be on hand to serve more than 70 local Arizona wines for your tasting. The wineries scheduled to showcase their wines include Arizona Stronghold, Carlson Creek Vineyard, Coronado Vineyards, Gallifant Cellars, Golden Rule Vineyards, Keeling Schaefer Vineyards, Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Kokopelli Vineyards, Lawrence Dunham Vineyards, Page Springs Cellars, Pillsbury Wine Co., Sand-Reckoner, Zarpara Vineyard, Flying Leap Vineyards, Dos Cabezas featuring Cimarron, and Rolling View/Saeculum Cellars.

As you enjoy your wine and browse the vendors, entertainment kicks off Saturday with V Lundon and Tell Me Something Good providing vital energy to the new voice of local folk/rock—a new sound that is comfortable and distinctly Arizona. Sharing the first music segment of the festival will be the Tucson-based folk/rock/pop group Roll Acosta.

Saturday afternoon, you’ll hang with tunes by 13 to the Gallows. This group mixes classic country style with contemplative lyrics and a self-described “spaghetti western” vibe. The Peoria, AZ based band is a gem shining from the dust of the Arizona desert.

On Sunday, Buzz and the Soul Senders with Nowhere Man & a Whiskey Girl will entertain the crowd all day. Buzz and the Soul Senders is a versatile group of talented musicians from southern Arizona with a strong background in blues and funky soul.  Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl will play as part of Buzz and the Soul Senders, occasionally adding their own critically acclaimed songs to the mix.

Food will be provided by Cocina Antigua and Dragoon Cafe.

Attendance and parking at the festival is free and open to the public. Wine tasting will be $15 for patrons over 21—which includes eight tasting coupons and a commemorative Willcox Wine Country glass.

More reasons to hang out…

TRUST Art & Design will give away an original artwork by a local artist and a one-night stay at beautiful Sunglow Ranch. Everyone who buys a bottle of wine can enter the drawing; winner must be present to accept the prize. Drawing will take place in the park on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.  

A movie and live auction will take place immediately following the festival on Saturday, beginning in the Keeling Schaefer Vineyards tasting room—directly across the street from the wine festival. Join Willcox winemakers Rod Keeling and Sam Pillsbury for a live auction and film showing, to benefit the non-profit Willcox Historic Theater Preservation. There will be no admission charge. Donations will be accepted. Wine & B&B packages will be auctioned prior to the movie screening.

Sam, the director, will speak informally prior to the screening of his 2001 film Crooked Earth. Set in New Zealand, it portrays the forces of tradition and tribal pride colliding with government authority, when Will Bastion returns home from the army after an absence of 20 years to bury his father, the former chief of the Maori tribe. Note: This movie is not rated, but contains language and subject matter consistent with an R-rated film.

Make it a weekend!

You may want to stick around to check out other things happening about town. For example, Apple Annie’s new Country Store will be opening on May 18 as well. Located just off of I-10 exit 340 where Stout’s Cider Mill used to be, the store will be open year-round—offering their famous pies, apple bread, fudge, jarred goods, gifts, and other Apple Annie’s goodies.

To the south of town, I will be hosting the grand opening of the Pillsbury Wines Vineyard Tasting Room to tasters from 11:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m. all weekend. Hope you’ll come out to see me, too.

Visit Arizona Vines & Wines for a list of other places to stay and activities for the whole family.

Quality Inn Willcox and Holiday Inn Express Willcox offer special rates for wine festival attendees.

Cheers to a laid-back and lovely weekend away from the big city!