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!

Tucsonans won’t have far to travel to celebrate North American Wine Tourism Day this weekend.

First stop: Festival in the Foothills

Bear Track Winery

Bear Track Winery is hosting its Grand Opening Festival in the Foothills beginning this Friday, May 10th from 5:00-10:00 p.m. and Saturday, May 11th from noon-10:00 p.m. on the NE corner of Swan and Sunrise. For an entry of $30 at the gate (see below about advance sale), patrons receive a festival glass, 8 wine tastings, and a food voucher.

According to owner Rick Riddle, Arizona wineries will be pouring, and you’ll get the opportunity to taste wines from New Mexico and other parts of the world. You may also buy wine by the glass and/or case. If you’re game for wine tasting, wine education, entertainment, and local food trucks, I’ll see you there.

A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit The Humane Society and The Optimists Club.

Stop by the wine bistro at 4743 East Sunrise Drive, Tucson AZ, to purchase $25 advance sale tickets or call (520) 975-0050, or email beartrackwinery@gmail.com for further questions.

Second annual Bacchanal Festival at AZ Hops & Vines
Those crazy girls are at it again—yep, it’s time for the second annual Bacchanal Festival at AZ Hops & Vines, featuring wine music, food, and beer. That’s this Saturday, May 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  at the winery near Sonoita, only an hour from Tucson.

Look at that vineyard view!

Owners Shannon and Megan will bring together their great wines, micro-brewed beers, The Sober Shack, family crafts and activities with a whole bunch of great food and marvelous people. Looks like the weather is going to be perfect as well, so guests can enjoy the patio, pet and feed some goats, and gather with the like-minded for some good ol’ fashioned fun and debauchery. No doubt, a good time will be had by all—so don’t miss out!

It’s up to you to find the best direction to head to celebrate this first North American Wine Tourism Day this weekend. Check the Arizona Vines & Wines website for an event scheduled near you. Or just head out in nearly any direction to discover local wine industry folks who are ready to share some mighty fine locally produced wines.

Cheers!

At the Arizona Southeast Wine Festival in mid-April at the Kief Joshua Vineyards, it was my pleasure to meet a long-time Facebook friend, well, face-to-face. Imagine my joy when my new ‘old’ friend JD Marshall, gifted me with a bottle of Stetson Winery Hop In The Cab Darlin’—a 2008 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

According to the Stetson Winery website, it was a beautiful spring evening when Don and Jo Stetson were sitting with friends on their patio, enjoying the sunset and sipping on a glass of wine, when their vision was born. Someone said: “Can you picture this valley planted in grapes with all of us on the veranda of a tasting room enjoying a sunset like this one?” The next day they were digging for a soil sample to send for testing to assess how well wine grapes might grow there— the sample showed the soil to be ideal for cultivating a vineyard, and their dream of a winery and event center took flight on 11.11.2012.

Today, the Stetson Winery and Event Center is located 15 miles north of Kingman, AZ, and just a few minutes from historic Route 66—the only winery and event center in northwestern Arizona.

New lodging

After a long day of standing on my feet pouring Pillsbury Wines with owner Sam Pillsbury for nearly 1,500 people at the wine festival, I retreated to what I recalled as a ruggedly charming but run-down Stage Stop Inn in Patagonia. The 30-minute drive was actually relaxing, as I maneuvered the amazingly beautiful sun-kissed hills and valleys along Route 82W, with that bottle of wine from the north in my thoughts. You see, on a day of pouring wines, most of us don’t drink wine at all, so I looked forward to uncorking this sexy looking bottle of Hop In The Cab.

I was thrilled to discover that the Stage Stop Inn hotel is now under new ownership and undergoing renovations—and I was the first patron to enjoy a newly refurbished room, just off the handsome courtyard with pool. The room was decked out with stunning new floor tiles, spotless everything, even brand-spanking-new sliding glass entry doors—double pane, of course.

Before settling in, I took a short walk to the Wild Horse Restaurant—about 100 paces from the hotel’s entrance, where I ordered my first good meal of the day. At this spotless and friendly restaurant, I was hoping for comfort food to soothe my tired and hungry soul.  I chose the grilled beef tenderloin medallions. Well worth the $15 and 20-minute wait to get my order to-go.

Back in the room, before digging into the fork-tender beef topped with a very light and tasty rich mushroom sauce, I popped the Hop In The Cab Darlin’ cork to enjoy as I dined. The garlic mashed red potatoes and the seasoned cauliflower and peppers were both fresh and savory. My small house salad featured fresh dark green veggies and mushrooms. The Cab was a delightful accompaniment to every last bite.

Made with Napa grapes and master-crafted by award-winning Arizona vintner, Eric Glomski, this Cabernet Sauvignon is classic—complex, lots of body, and well-balanced, with a slight hint of chocolate on the finish. The label suggests: “Just like that beautiful old pick-up truck that always turns your head.”

I confess, I was much too tired to even enjoy a second glass—it was early to bed with an early return to the second day of pouring wines at the festival in Sonoita. However, I’m happy to report that the Cab held up to further enjoyment once I returned to Willcox late the following evening.

Looking forward

I can’t wait to savor more of the wines made from the grapes grown in the Kingman valley by the Stetson Winery.  Stay tuned for a follow-up, sometime after Don and Jo bottle their first harvest.

I am delighted to have re-discovered the renewed Stage Stop Inn in Patagonia as a choice place to stay next time I head to the Sonoita/Elgin region for some more wining. And that happens a lot.

Also hoping to share many more thoughts on other Arizona wine discoveries with my ol’ Facebook buddy JD. Thanks, man!

Cheers!