I recently took a road trip to Sedona, Arizona for a few days of hiking, beautiful red rock scenery and a lifting of spirit I always seem to find in this magical place. What I didn’t expect to find was a serious emerging wine culture. On a previous journey, in January of 2016, I bellied up to the bar at a couple of tasting rooms and found them somewhat kitchy, touristy and fun. My recent experience, however, was different.

Page Springs Vineyard January 2015

The Verde Valley sits in Northern Arizona about 100 miles north of Phoenix at an elevation of 3,300 – 3,900 feet. A land of four seasons, surrounded by mountains and irrigated by the Verde River and many creeks, it is a rich verdant farmland. In 2003, Eric Glomski planted the first vineyard along Oak Creek on Page Springs Road. That was one of my stops in January 2015, and the snow was piled high, but I was on a mission to taste wine that was actually grown in the Verde Valley, where I could see the grapevines. It was the estate 2011 Petite Sirah that caught my attention – and I ha d to beg the tasting room host to sell me a bottle (apparently it was a wine club only selection). I still have it in my cellar and should probably plan a meal around it soon.

Bodega Pierce 2015 Malvasia Bianca at The Art of Wine, Sedona

Anyway, back to my recent adventure…
After a day of hiking to the energy vortex spots, I decided I would stop in at The Art of Wine, located in the Hyatt Pointe shopping center at the intersection of 179 & 89A. A wine bar solely dedicated to wines from Arizona, I figured this would be a good place to start my exploration. My sommelier, an adorable & bubbly young woman was more than happy to create a mixed flight for me. She was passionate about wine and a student in the Enology & Viticulture program at Yavapai College in Cottonwood. I told her I was a Somm, and the geek speak began. I thought, wow, they must be serous about wine here if the local college has its own Enology & Viticulture program. The first wine she poured was the Bodega Pierce 2015 Malvasia Bianca, a stunningly pretty, floral, easily quaffable version of the Mediterranean native grown in the Pierce family vineyard in Wilcox in the south eastern part of the state. She confided that the winemaker, Michael Pierce was one of her professors. Now I’m thinking – this is a serious, but small knit community. As I tasted through the rest of the flight – Chateau Tumbleweed 2015 Arneis, Merkin Vineyards “Chupacabra”, Purple Nipple Arizona Red Blend & Keeling Schafer Reserve Syrah – I struck up a conversation with the other woman at the bar, Susan, who turned out to be the servers mother, and a wine & beer tour guide. Very knowledgeable about the area, she said that the winery tasting rooms themselves could use a little more professional help. Although they are staffed with friendly locals, they are lacking in serious wine education, she said, and she finds herself correcting them for her clients. If that is the case, I’m sure it will evolve, as the area becomes more of a wine destination. Susan gave great recommendations on wineries to visit.  They also told me about a great place for dinner, the Merkin Osteria in Cottonwood.

33 Degrees Wines, at Merkin Vineyard Osteria, Old Town Cottonwood

Leaving downtown Sedona after the wine flight, I drove west about 20 miles on 89A to Old Town Cottonwood. In the 20+ years that I have been coming here, this strip of old west style buildings & antique shops, has become the heart of the Verde Valley Wine Trail. Pillsbury Wine Co., Burning Tree Cellars, Arizona Stronghold are bustling places with live music, events and dining. Cute, cozy dining spots have sprung up along side the wine & craft beer places. Merkin Vineyards Osteria is on a corner, the tunes were cranked up with music that suited my personal taste. The place was packed with the tattooed & pierced generation, a few of whom were working behind the long “old west style” bar. I pulled up a barstool and struck up a conversation with the couple next to me. Not a minute later, the super friendly barkeep handed me the wine menu with the new releases from 33 Degrees, a side label of Merkin Vineyard’s owner, Maynard James Keenan. I decide to try three $3 tastes before deciding on a glass. I tasted the 33 Degrees 2014 Sangiovese,  2014 Mourvedre and 2014 Syrah and chose the Sangiovese. The Osteria’s chef Chris Smith is known for his fresh homemade pasta and there are even a few seats in the back set up like a sushi bar where patrons can watch the process and taste. True farm to table, all ingredients are sourced “from Arizona’s premier farms, fields, pastures and trees”. The women at Art of Wine raved about the homemade gnocchi, and the couple sitting next to me at the bar said that was definitely the dish I needed to try… so  on their advice, I ordered the Gnocchi with sage and prosciutto di parma cream sauce. They were amazing “little pillows of love” and paired perfectly with the Sangiovese.

The one name that enters most of the conversations about Arizona wine and articles I’ve read about Arizona wine is Maynard James Keenan. Front man of the bands Tool, A Perfect Circle and Pucifer. Keenan started making wine in 2004 under the Caduceus Cellars label with vineyards on the step slopes above the Verde Valley while living in the old ghost town of Jerome. Since then he has partnered on the Arizona Stronghold label with grapes grown in the Wilcox area, and started another label Merkin Vineyards. It seems he is the poster boy for Verde Valley wine and as a rock star winemaker, a great marketing “tool” with two tasting rooms in the area.

Curious to learn more, I approached a bearded gentleman, well dressed in a steampunk/goth style, and asked why he was carrying a camera – a real camera. Turned out I had just met the Arizona Wine Monk, Cody V. Burkett. A writer, blogger (azwinemonk.com), photographer and string advocate for Arizona wines. We talked terrior, wineries to visit, the players & history of Arizona winemaking and that’s when I came to the conclusion – Arizona winemaking is serious business!

Tips, tidbits and locations:
Up the Creek Bistro – Wine Bar | Page Springs Road, Cornville | Convenient food stop if you’re staying or wine tasting nearby. Beware – closes early.
Wine & Beer Tours by Sedona Delivers, ask for Susan | sedonadelivers.com
* The Art of Wine | 101 N. 89A, Sedona | artofwinesedona.com
* Merkin Osteria | 1001 N. Main Street, Cottonwood | merkinvineyardsosteria.com
Page Springs Cellars | 1500 Page Springs Road, Cornville | pagespringscellars.com
D.A. Ranch | 1901 N. Dancing Apache Rd, Cornville | daranch.com
recommended by the AZ Wine Monk
Clear Creek Vineyard & Winery | 4-53 E. Hwy 260, Camp Verde | rioclarowines.com, recommended by Susan of Sedona Delivers Wine Tours
* Town of Jerome – artist community, tasting rooms & ghosts | Hwy 89A
* The Mine | Jerome | excellent breakfast spot