By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern
What better time to pop open a bottle of wine than during the holidays? Rather than just opening any bottle of wine from the store, consider really impressing your guests with some wine produced right here in Arizona with locally grown grapes!
Photo: Golden Rule Vineyards
While wine grapes might not be the first crop that comes to mind when you think about Arizona agriculture, our state does produce its fair share of grapes which are used to make lots of different kinds of wines! And, to top it off, some of our Arizona-produced wines are also award-winning wines! A few of the wines that we produce here in the state include varieties of Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot.
Most Arizona wine grapes are grown in the Southern part of Arizona, with wineries found mainly in Willcox and Sonoita. This area has a climate and soil comparable to that of California and Argentina, and the grapes grown in this region make up about three-quarters of all Arizona grapes. But Southern Arizona isn’t the only area that produces wine grapes. Central and Northern Arizona also produce wine grapes as well, but in a climate that favors Mediterranean wine regions. You can find wineries in Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Cornville, Camp Verde, and Sedona.
Fill Your Plate has a list of many of the wineries located here in Arizona! Check them out here!
Interested in reading more about Arizona wine? Take a look at these past articles from Fill Your Plate!
- Celebrate Arizona’s Sparkling Wine this Christmas! – Fill Your Plate Blog
- The Vintage Date on a Bottle of Wine – Fill Your Plate Blog
- Arizona’s Wine is Award-Winning – Fill Your Plate Blog
- Celebrate the Holidays with Arizona Wine! – Fill Your Plate Blog
- Arizona is Full of Wonderful Wine Grapes! – Fill Your Plate Blog
- Let’s Talk About Wine – Fill Your Plate Blog
- Have You Tried any Arizona Wine Lately? – Fill Your Plate Blog
- Wine Country May Be Closer than You Think (fillyourplate.org)