A Map to all the Wineries of Sonoita / Elgin
      & Vacation Guide is on the Map Page. (PDF File)

Come here to find the newest Arizona wineries, where you can taste and buy their wines, where you can live a "vineyard" lifestyle and even where you can buy your own vineyard land or existing vineyard. Arizona's wine industry is booming - be sure to read the articles on the transformation of the desert into "wine country". Southern Arizona has even been quoted in a local Investor Magazine as the new "NAPA-ZONA"!

We are currently under construction - so be patient with us while we get all the pages up and all the links working. Feel free to email me with your ideas of how this website could best help you enjoy wine in our beautiful, sunny state. For now, though, grab a glass of wine, sit back and enjoy the site as it's being built. Ciao!

                     
Wine...in Sonoita / Elgin, ARIZONA?

Yes. Many varieties grow well in Arizona, among them: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sangiovese.

A Berry Good Place for Wine

The Mountain Empire's terrain offers the juicy little berries warm days and chilly nights, which are considered ideal conditions for growing certain wine grapes. And, research by soil scientists has shown that the soil temperatures in Sonoita, Arizona are the same as they are in Sonoma, California.

Area Vintners Carry on a 17th Century Tradition

The history of viticulture (the production of wine grapes) in Arizona dates back to the late 17th century. Franciscan missionaries planted vineyards here nearly 100 years before the California missions were settled. Today, more than ten vineyards and wineries dot the Arizona landscape, and the products they produce get better each year. In fact, Arizona wines have been served at the White House, and both Dos Cabezas WineWorks and Elgin's Callaghan Vineyards received high marks in a 2002 issue of Wine Spectator magazine.

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Callaghan Vineyards

# 6 on our Vacation Guide

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Founded in 1990 by Kent Callaghan and his parents Harold and Karen, Callaghan Vineyards quickly established a reputation for producing outstanding wines. Robert Parker, editor of The Wine Advocate, has recommended over 20 Callaghan wines in the last six years. Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher of The Wall Street Journal recently listed the Callaghan 1996 Fume Blanc as one the twelve most impressive wines of their last two years of tasting. In his CD/ROM on winegrape varietals, English writer Oz Clarke listed the Callaghan Zinfandel as an excellent example produced outside California.

For more info   www.callaghanvineyards.com   

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Open 7 days A Week

Sonoita Vineyards

# 10 on our Vacation Guide

Estate Wines from Appellation Sonoita

Sonoita Vineyards offers an array of award winning wines ranging from crisp and fruity to bold and complex. Our tasting room and gift shop are open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m daily. Sonoita Vineyards is located approximately one hour southeast of Tucson just off of scenic Hwy 83. We invite you to partake in a truly unique wine tasting experience with a picturesque view of hillside vineyards, rolling grasslands and scenic mountain ranges. As the first winery established in Sonoita, Arizona, our history is as rich as our wines and a great place to start your wine tasting adventure

Dr. Gordon Dutt, owner and winemaker at Sonoita Vineyards and now retired soil scientist from the University of Arizona, and A Blake Brophy established the first experimental vineyard on the Ignacio de Babocomari Ranch in Southern Arizona back in 1973. The results of their tests were very compelling. Dr. Dutt, expected the grapes for red wine to bleach in the intense Arizona sun and produce wines with poor color and low acidity. But much to his delight, the results were quite the opposite, resulting in red wines with brilliant color and acidity. Dr. Dutt attributes much of that success to the soil found in the area. "This part of Arizona is a lot different than most folks imagine--we're at an altitude of 5,000 ft., set in rolling grasslands dotted with white oak, and the soil is nearly identical to that of Burgundy, France. You'll find the results of our efforts, and what great terra rosa (red clay) soil can produce in our estate bottled wines."

For more info  www.sonoitavineyards.com

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Rancho Rossa 

# 5 on our Vacation Guide

Rancho Rossa Vineyards is one of the largest, family owned wineries in the Sonoita area. We specialize in Ultra-premium varietal bottlings from our 17 acres of estate plantings.

Our first vines were planted in 2002, and our second vineyard in 2003 We have 12.5 acres of red varieties and 4.5 of white varieties.

Our 2004 Syrah won the 2005 Governor's Choice Award for Best Red Wine in the state.

Contacts

32 Cattle Ranch Ln. Elgin , Az 85611

520-455-0700

Ranchorossa@aol.com

Mail: PO Box 1295 Sonoita,AZ 85637

Business Hours

We are open Saturday and Sunday 10:30-3:30

And by appointment.

More Info  www.ranchorossa.com

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                # 7 Flying Leap

Winery Open 7 days a week...Distillery Open Fri-Sat-Sun

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Village Of Elgin Winery  

# 9 on our Vacation Guide

Village of Elgin Winery was our next stop. The winery is located in Elgin, about 55 miles from Tucson and about 5 miles from Sonoita. The vineyard uses classic Claret varietals and Syrahs. Elgin Winery uses traditional techniques and is the only winery that still stomps the grapes and uses only wood casks. It is a family owned winery, and the capacity is only 120,000 bottles. The Elgin Winery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily for tasting and purchases.
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The varieties of wines here are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Colombard, Merlot, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah. There was a small charge for wine tasting. At this winery we purchased a bottle of Old World Cuvee, a blend, said to be fermented and aged in fine Italian Chestnut barrels.

Distillery Open Fri-Sat-Sun

520-455-09309  Web Site:   http://elginwines.com

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Open 7 days A Week

Welcome to Kief-Joshua Vineyards 

# 8 on our Vacation Guide

www.Kj-Vineyards.com

520-455-5582

Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Arizona wine country's newest winery and tasting room, located in the town of Elgin, just celebrated their grand opening weekend on October 20th & 21st, 2007. Stop by this 20 acre vineyard, located less than one hour south of Tucson off Route 83, to taste their new full-bodied releases, which include Sauvignon Blank, Ciognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Also meet the winemaker, Kief Manning. Kief, a graduate of Chapparral High School in Scottsdale, earned a degree in Wine Technology and Marketing from Monash University in Victoria, Australia. He will have completed his graduate degree in Viticulture and Oenology at the University of Melbourne in the fall of 2007. Their website is currently under development. Please call (520) 455-5582 with any questions and for more information.

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# 4 on our Vacation Guide

www.WilhelmFamilyVineyards.com

520-455-9291

Hello! Welcome to Wilhelm Family Vineyards-home of Kevin and Karyl, our children Kristian and Kassandra, and over seven thousand glorious grapevines. Kevin and I planted our first little dreammakers, one year old Syrah and Tempranillo plants, on July 27, 2005; our 14th wedding anniversary! Today those little foot-high baby-vinesare mature and producing quality wine grapes for our winery.
Now that's an anniversary gift that keeps on giving.
After the first season’s plantings, we decided to really jump in with both feet and planted five more varietals; some I plan to blend and some will stand alone to show off their individual varietal characteristics. Check out the “Vineyard” tab to learn more about each varietal, and how they’re doing here in Arizona soil.
Each year, Kevin and I learn more about the vines and their wine potential, so I believe each year will be a positive step forward for both our vineyard and winery. We’d like you to be part of the growth. Please come sample our wines now and let me as the winemaker hear your thoughts.
I’m currently neck-deep in the U.C. Davis Winemaker’s Certificate Program, and it’s a tough program, I’ll admit, but I have learned one important thing: people each enjoy different aspects of wine, and regardless of how much experience or science goes into the wine bottle, the bottom line is still…”Do you like it?”
Please feel free to talk to me about your wine thoughts, likes & dislikes, recommendations, and so on. Believe me, I’ll be listening.
Open Week ends 11:00 am to 4:00 pm & Appt.

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# 11 on the Vacation Giude 

Lightning Ridge Cellars... Lightning Ridge Cellars, a small family winery established in 2005, represents years of personal endeavor from the ground up. We're proud to offer wines based on our Italian heritage. Our estate wines are made from classic Italian varietals: Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Montepulciano, Primitivo, Malvasia and Muscat Canelli. Clay soils, long warm summers, cool nights and an old world style of winemaking provide the perfect combination to produce rich, full-bodied wines. Our Tuscan-themed winery and tasting room is now open Friday thru Sunday, 11am to 4pm Arizona Wine Country

Phone (520)678-8220       e-mail: Ann@LigtningRidgecekkars.com

www.LightningRidgeCellars.com

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# 1 Charron Vineyards

Our Tasting Room on scenic Highway 83 between Vail and Sonoita is open Friday through Sunday, 10 till 6

Directions From Tucson:
∙ Take Arizona Hwy 83 South, Sonoita Hwy, (Exit 281) from Interstate 10 (approx 25 miles East of Tucson).
∙ Follow 83S approx 6 miles, watch for mile marker 53. About 7/10 of a mile past the mile marker, on the east (left) side of road, you will see a large pull-off with several mailboxes and orange newspaper boxes.
∙ Turn left into the pull-off and follow the dirt road 3/4 miles to the gates of Charron Vineyards.

www.CharronVineYards.com

Contact: Milton and Susan Craig
Telephone: 520-762-8585
Email: info@charronvineyards.com
Mailing Address: 18585 South Sonoita Highway, Vail, AZ 85641

Directions From Sonoita:
∙ Take Arizona Hwy 83 North approximately 19 miles from the intersection of Hwy 82 and 83 in Sonoita..
∙ Watch for mile marker 52. About 2/10 of a mile past the mile marker, on the east (right) side of road, you will see a large pull-off with several mailboxes and orange newspaper boxes.
∙ Turn right into the pull-off and follow the dirt road 3/4 miles to the gates of Charron Vineyards.

GPS coordinates: 31° 55.019N 110° 38.766W

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Check us out
When considering the great wine grape growing regions of the world, Arizona probably doesn't make the top ten. But you might be surprised to know that there are several varieties of wine grapes that do very well in Arizona, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sangiovese.

Vineyards were first planted in Arizona in the 17th century by Franciscan missionaries. Today there are thirteen active wineries in the state, with over 650 acres of grapes being grown for the purpose of wine production.

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Welcome to WineTrailsUSA.com !

WineTrailsUSA.com is your information source for wine travel and all the interesting local wineries and wine trails across the U.S.
Twice a month, we'll explore a new U.S. wine region and wine trail, giving you an insiders look at unique wineries and travel highlights along the wine trails. We'll introduce you to local specialties, places to stay, things to see, places to eat, and of course we will talk about all the interesting wine being produced across the country.
Did you know that all 50 states have at least one winery? Many are clustered in geographical wine producing regions, where the climate and topography is ideal for producing wine. These clusters of wineries are often linked in a wine trail, making visiting several local wineries an ideal relaxing weekend excursion.