Canelo Hills Vineyards & Winery in the Sonoita/Elgin region announces its winery is now under contract to Flying Leap Vineyards, one of the state’s newest domestic wineries.

Canelo Hills’ owners Tim and Joan Mueller tell their story on their website: “In 2003, a doctor, a counselor, and a classical singer, in true pioneering spirit, moseyed on down to the rolling ranchlands of Sonoita to plant some wine grapes. Now they harness Arizona-grown grapes to make award winning, old-world style wines.”

For 10 years, they’ve enjoyed the successes and challenges (freezes, frosts, hail storms, etc.) of running a family winery and producing fine Arizona wines; they are now ready to move on to other ventures.

The Muellers, owners of Canelo Hills Winery—l-r, Kathryn, Tim, Joan—embarking on new ventures.

Tim has been the winemaker at Canelo Hills. A Harvard and Stanford-educated doctor, he enjoyed turning his scientist’s mind to the art of wine making. Luckily, he liked to be busy—in addition to making the wine, he  served as handyman in his ‘free time’ from a full-time position as a psychiatrist at the VA Hospital in Tucson.

Joan has served as the business manager and farmer of Canelo Hills. She left a successful private practice in mental health counseling to tend to the needs and whims of the grapes and to run the tasting room; she generally ran the family farm.

Daughter Kathryn, has served the business as director of marketing while pursuing her professional singing career.

Flying Leap to take over

Canelo Hills is now under contract to one of the newest Arizona wine ventures, Flying Leap Vineyards. The owners of Flying Leap, Mark Beres and Marc Moeller, both 1991 graduates of the US Air Force Academy and seasoned pilots, are committed to the success of their business and brand. With the help and support of their families, they have made this the primary focus of their lives.

Mark Beres, hard at work in the Flying Leap vineyards.

“With developed acreage in both Sonoita AVA and Cochise County, Flying Leap will now offer a diverse portfolio of ultra-premium, carefully crafted wines from tasting rooms at its newest estate vineyard on Elgin Road along the Sonoita Wine Trail and its newest tasting room in historic downtown Willcox, opening in March,” said Beres.

Beres, a retired Special Forces pilot in two theaters of war, most recently worked in the engineering and system integration business at Raytheon. He grew up in the Walla Walla valley of southeastern Washington State and spent his formative years working in local vineyards and cattle ranching. He has enjoyed several years of successful large-scale commercial viticulture experience including all phases of vineyard development.

Marc Moeller tending to the weeds in the Flying Leap Vineyards

Among his many aviation achievements, Moeller served as an instructor pilot for Air Force II, which transports the Vice President of the United States. Moeller is a first-generation American who grew up with deep and diverse connections to his European family that owns a private vineyard, grows wine grapes, and has produced wines for many generations—he learned the wine-making craft first-hand.

These former pilots have more recently been flying much closer to the ground, plying their talents as farmers, engineers, and managers to the literal roots of establishing Flying Leap Vineyards in their Willcox vineyards, planted in 2011. Their humble mission: To be the Southwest’s most successful commercial vineyards and winery by sustainably producing premium wines from the highest quality Arizona-grown wine grapes.

It’s no mistake they chose to buy this winery ‘next door’ to Callaghan Vineyards; owner Kent Callaghan, their mentor and consultant hand-crafted Flying Leap’s 2011 vintage.

Stop in to say good-bye… and hello

Joan, Tim, and Kathryn (and their shop dogs) are winding down their stay in the Canelo Hills tasting room on Fridays and Saturdays for the rest of this month. Saturday, January 26 will be your last chance to stop by and wish them well and pick up some of the classiest wines in the region.

Beres said, “We are working like crazy to get everything ready to open. A massive sandblasted HDU Flying Leap sign—8-feet wide and almost 50-inches tall, weighing several hundred pounds—will be erected so visitors to the beautiful southern Arizona wine country can find us.”

This winery is located at 342 Elgin Road in Elgin, 7.5 miles southeast of the Sonoita Crossroads.

Cheers to the Muellers, Moellers, and Beres on their new ventures!

Heading east on I-10 a windy Sunday, our target was to explore Willcox, Arizona wine region wines.

Mark Jorve showcases Zarpara Vineyards 2007 Origen in their new tasting room in Willcox, AZ

First stop, the newly opened Zarpara Vineyard’s tasting room, located on the Willcox Bench off Kansas Settlement Road, nestled in Arizona’s largest grape growing region. The directions claimed it was a few minutes south of historic downtown, but I found myself thinking they possibly could paint the road yellow to make it a bit easier to find. Once arrived, I discovered that Zarpara’s tasting room was well worth the search.

Friendly Mark Jorve (owner) explained the selection we were about to taste: “We feature carefully selected, hand-crafted, and hard-to-find wines from our Willcox Wine Country neighbors.” Pourings included wines from Sand-Reckoner (a sweet, herb-y Malvasia and 2, a red blend), Sierra Bonita (Syrah), Golden Rule (Sangiovese), and Lawrence Dunham Vineyards. All were delightful ‘finds’ among Arizona wine offerings.

I discovered that the 2009 Lawrence Dunham Vineyards Petite Sirah, 100% Cochise County grown grapes, particularly pleasing to my palate. A beautiful nose, the mouth-feel and finish was peppery and spicy with big tannins—just as expected from a classic Petite Sirah. This wine would be perfect with pizza or spaghetti and meatballs, or to share with a romantic steak dinner.

While Zarpara hopes for its first harvest this year, Mark proudly pours us a sampling of their first offering, 2007 Zarpara Origen, a blend of Cochise County Grenache and Syrah grapes. This wine is complex and mature—having aged for 3 years in neutral oak and a year in the bottle. Fabulous just for sipping, I enjoyed it with a salmon salad this week. The tasting notes suggest pairing it with lamb, thin sliced flat-iron steak, or pork tenderloin. Look for great things to come from this new vineyard.

On to Coronado Vineyards, I once again enjoyed the winery’s 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon and Two Heads Red (two of my all-time everyday favorite affordable Arizona wines). I finally took the challenge to try the Coronado Vineyards Conquistador Red, a dessert wine (well out of my comfort zone). Amazingly, it was not too sweet—instead, it was full of berries and cherries with sort of a green tea finish. Big, sweet, smooth, and easy-drinking. I bought a bottle to take home, knowing I will enjoy this some evening soon with a great chocolate-inspired dessert.

We headed about 25 miles east of Willcox to the Fort Bowie Vineyards. The modest tasting room is located behind this little town’s post office (don’t blink!) but it offers about a dozen of some of the most surprising Arizona wines you’ll find—at amazingly affordable prices—from Sweet Water (white) to Syrah and everything in between. The Fort Bowie Pecan Delight is a distinctive sparkling wine with the essence of pecan for only $9/bottle.

Fort Bowie Vineyards is a family-owned and operated farm in Bowie, Arizona. In addition to the vineyards, they grow pecans, walnuts, peaches, and cherries.

Southeast AZ Wine Growers Festival Features 17 Wineries at Kief-Joshua

Looking forward to tasting even more Arizona wines on April 14 and 15, at the Southeast Arizona Wine Growers Festival at the Kief-Joshua Vineyards, 370 Elgin Road. Tickets ($15/person) are on sale now or can be purchased the day of the event. Ticket covers wine tasting and a souvenir glass.

Here is your chance to learn more about the wines grown throughout Arizona by 17 Arizona wineries, including:

Sedona/Verde Valley/Cottonwood Region: Arizona Stronghold, Page Spring Cellars, Jerome Winery, Dribble Creek

Urban Wine Region: Kokopelli, Su Vino Wineries

Willcox Region: Keeling Schaefer Vineyards, Golden Rule Vineyards, Coronado Vineyards, Carlson Creek Vineyards, Zarpara Vineyards, Gallifant Vineyards

Sonoita/Elgin Region: Charron Vineyards, Wilhelm Family Vineyards, Kief-Joshua Vineyards

In addition to wine tasting (11am to 5pm), the expanded festival will include sensory wine-tasting and wine-pairing seminars. Buzz and the Soulsenders will be singing the blues from noon to 5 pm. Locally Arizona and Sonoita’s very popular Steak-Out Restaurant will be on site selling chicken wings, pulled pork sandwiches, sirloin steaks, and much more for your enjoyment.

Only about an hour from downtown Tucson, this will be a most gratifying way to spend a day outside the hub-bub of Tucson.

Cheers!

Running through the Keeling-Shaefer Vineyards in the 2010 Grape Stomp 5K

We’re heading to Willcox, AZ for the the first leg of the 2011 Grape Stomp 5K, series sponsored by the Arizona Wine Growers Association on Saturday, September 10 to participate in a 5K jaunt through the beautiful Coronado Vineyards. What better way to enjoy Arizona’s beautiful wine regions than with your family and friends than running, jogging, or walking with other wine lovers through the vineyards? Well, wine tasting at the other wineries in the Willcox growing region will be a perfect follow-up to a fun morning.

This year, the 5K races are set for the following dates and locations:

Race 1: September 10th at Coronado Vineyards, Willcox in Southeastern Arizona. Racers will be able to run through the vineyards at this award-winning winery. Following the race enjoy wine tasting at the area wineries in Willcox.

Race 2: October 1st in Historic Downtown Cottonwood in Northern Arizona. Racers will begin in Old Town, run to Dead Horse State Park, crossing the Verde River, and finishing back in Old Town. After the run stay, relax, eat, shop and enjoy the wine tastings rooms. Then take in some music and food at the Rhythm & Ribs Festival in Old Town or venture out to the wonderful and scenic wineries in the countryside surrounding Cottonwood. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what Cottonwood and the Verde Valley have to offer its visitors.

Race 3: October 22nd in the Sonoita/Elgin area in Southern Arizona. Racers register starting at 7:00 a.m. at Callaghan Vineyards and the course runs through Rancho Rossa’s Vineyard, along scenic Elgin Road with views of the Huachucca Mountain range, the Biscuit, and rolling grasslands. The finish line is at Callaghan Vineyards with refreshments and an awards ceremony. Childcare provided for children under running age (limited space available, RSVP to kelly@doscabezaswineworks.com).

Race 4: November 5th at the Fountain Park in Fountain Hills in Central Arizona. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. with race start at 9:00 a.m. The race course traverses Fountain Hills Park with beautiful views of Four Peaks, Red Mountain, and the park’s centerpiece fountain. A mini-wine garden will be open from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. where non-racers can enjoy a taste of Arizona wines for a fee (wine tasting for racers is included in their registration), an art fair, and special Fountain Hills Cultural Council docent-led public sculpture tours will follow the race.

To register for any or all of the races, go to at the Arizona Wine Growers Association website. The registration fee of $35.00 includes a runners’ tote bag, event t-shirt, wine glass, and discount coupons. The wine glasses can be used at local wineries for discounts. Many of the wineries have formed teams so join your favorite winery team to receive a discount of $5 dollars for teams of 10 or more.