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EXPLORING Arizona’s unique terroir produces some great wines

BY SUSAN LANIER-GRAHAM

Grapes have grown in this area since flights, but a tasting menu of delicious the Hohokam cultivated native varietals. apps and stone-fired pizzas. If you visit on By the 1500s, the Spanish introduced a weekend, you can catch live music, take European , many of which thrived a winery tour, or book a massage or yoga in the Southwest. However, the state’s session in the vineyard. Most of the wines industry disappeared almost over- at Page Springs are blends of several night during Prohibition. southern Rhône varietals, such as Petite Arizona’s modern wine industry has Sirah, , and Mourvèdre. evolved slowly since about 1973. It got a Try the 2014 La Serrana, a blend of shot in the arm in 2006, when the Arizona Roussane, and Marsanne. Wine Growers Association helped craft new legislation that allowed Arizona win- Alcantara Vineyard & Winery (www. eries to sell and ship direct to consumers. alcantaravineyard.com) has been a major Today, there are more than 100 wineries player in creating a viable wine industry statewide, each of which celebrates in the state. The tasting room is open Arizona’s terroir, or the unique soil, topog- daily. For a truly unique experience, you raphy and climate that imparts taste and can tour the winery and vineyard with flavor to wines. owner Barbara Predmore every Friday or There are three primary growing Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Alcantara offers regions in Arizona: the Verde Valley north several wines made from 100 percent of Phoenix, Sonoita in Southern Arizona, locally grown grapes, including a and Willcox in Southeastern Arizona. Rosé, Mourvèdre and .

HEAD NORTH TO THE Caduceus Cellar (www.caduceous.org) VERDE VALLEY is the brainchild of musician Maynard The Verde Valley is in Northern Arizona’s James Keenan. From the Steampunk- red rock countryside and canyons sur- esque tasting room in Jerome you can rounding Cottonwood, Jerome and sample wines from both Caduceus Sedona, about 90 minutes north of Cellars and Merkin Vineyards. The tasting Phoenix. Arizona winemaker (and lead room, which also serves up coffee dur- vocalist for metal band Tool) Maynard ing the morning hours, is open daily. The James Keenan favors Northern Arizona’s Caduceus wines reflect Keenan’s adora- “harsh yet mystical” terroir. The area is tion for Northern Arizona and his ability to now home to more than 30 wineries and finesse the state’s terroir to create wines tasting rooms. These are a few of the most often found in arid parts of Spain favorites, and you can find more online at and Italy. White lovers should sample www.vvwinetrail.com. the Viognier and , while red lovers must try Oneste, a Barbera-Merlot Page Springs Cellars (www.pagespring- blend. For something really unique, check scellars.com) is a wine oasis. The tasting out the 2013 Lei Li Rosé, room is open daily and offers not only wine which the tasting room staff describes as

SO SCOTTSDALE! | 68 | SEPTEMBER 2015

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“eating watermelon on blend of and A Certified DualSculpting Center a friend’s shady porch Symphony. The rare on a summer day.” one here is Imbibe.2—a fun blend of varietals Pillsbury Wines from several years, (www.pillsburywine. including a 2006 Call for Special Offer! com) is the vineyard Petite Verdot, 2007 of New Zealand-born Syrah, Tempranillo and 480.767.1900 filmmaker-turned-wine- Graciano. maker Sam Pillsbury. Pillsbury grows all of Flying Leap Eliminate fat with Coolsculpting - The #1 non-invasive fat removal treatment. his grapes in Southern Vineyards (www. Arizona (Willcox), but flyingleapvineyards. And with DualSculpting (2 machines) we can remove twice the fat in half the time! has a tasting room com) specializes in You’ll love the result every time you look in the mirror. in Cottonwood. You ultra-premium, propri- will be able to choose etary wines. The winery Proven, Long-Lasting Results Without Surgery or Downtime from 14 different is actually in Elgin, wines, mostly Rhône with tasting rooms in blends, served daily in the tasting room. Willcox, Bisbee, Elgin and Tucson. You Be sure to check out the WildChild must sample the estate-grown Tempranillo. Red (, Grenache, Shiraz This oak-aged Spanish wine is medium- and Merlot), WildChild White (, bodied with a smooth finish. Another great Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Symphony) Rhône varietal blend is Escape, a Viognier- and Roan Red, a Mourvèdre blend. Marsanne blend that is reminiscent of BEFORE 10 WEEKS AFTER BEFORE 16 WEEKS AFTER COOLSCULPTING® TREATMENT Procedure by Eric Bachelor, MD, FACS honey and summer peaches. SINGLE COOLSCULPTING TREATMENT (Single side treatment, +2 pounds) HEAD SOUTH TO SONOITA AVA Procedure by The SHAW Center AND WILLCOX Lawrence Dunham Vineyards (www. The Sonoita/Elgin Wine Trail is about 45 lawrencedunhamvineyards.com) is an Why Choose The SHAW Center minutes south of Tucson and is home estate wine grower in Pearce. They grow For Your CoolSculpting? to Arizona’s only designated American Sunday. Two favorites are the El Norte, a those same Rhône varietals that thrive • 25 years of body contouring experience means sound advice on Viticultural Area (AVA). USA Today named somewhat spicy red blend of Grenache, here in Arizona—Petite Sirah, Syrah, the best option to reach your aesthetic goals. the Sonoita/Elgin Wine Trail one of the Mourvèdre, Syrah and Counoise. The Grenache and Viognier. You can make • A Certified CoolSculpting Center since 2011 with over 2,500 top 10 wine trails in the U.S. Another hour Pink, perfect for those lazy September an appointment to visit the winery in treatments to date! past Elgin is Willcox. Nearly 75 percent of afternoons in Arizona, is a lovely rosè Southern Arizona, but the tasting room in • Experienced, Trained Medical Staff - Graduates of CoolSculpting all of Arizona’s wine grapes are actually blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah Old Town Scottsdale is open Wednesday University! grown here, even for many of the winer- that smells like summer—watermelons and through Sunday. LDV recently started • Directed by Lawrence Shaw, MD, a Board Certified Plastic ies elsewhere in the state. You can find strawberries with a touch of an Arizona pouring the 2012 Syrah—the winery’s first Surgeon who has performed thousands of surgical and everything from bold reds to crisp whites desert after the monsoon rains. 100 percent estate-grown Syrah. The non-surgical body contouring procedures. to sweet dessert wines in Willcox. Below vines are babies, only a couple of years • DualSculpting! - Two is better than one. 8913 E. Bell Road Suite 201 are a few of the Southern Arizona favorites, AZ Hops & Vines (www.azhop- old, so this is a chance to experience the Scottsdale, AZ 85260 • We offer all the newest applicators including the new but you can find more, plus a great tasting sandvines.com) is a small winery operated birth of a new Arizona industry. There is CoolSmooth™ hand piece which allows us to remove outer www.theshawcenter.com map, online at www.willcoxwines.com and by two sisters in an old converted farm- also an estate-grown Viognier that is simi- thigh fat and other non-punchable fat from almost anywhere in at www.sonoitawineguild.com. house. The tasting room, open Thursday lar to a or dry Riesling. only an hour! Coming Soon: Cool Mini for under the chin! through Sunday, is fun, quirky and • The SHAW Center offers a unique CoolCredit pricing structure. Dos Cabezas Wineworks (www. family-centric, complete with a petting Susan Lanier-Graham is a Certified Save hundreds of $$$ with your advance CoolCredit purchase! doscabezaswinery.com) in Sonoita has zoo and outdoor games. The wine labels Appellation Specialist and a been producing wines since 1995. The here are as much fun as the wines. For member of International Food, Wine & Travel Reserve Your Spot On Our Priority Treatment List tasting room is open Thursday through something light and fresh, try Verena, a Writers Association. Call Today For Details 480.767.1900 Lawrence W. Shaw, M.D. SO SCOTTSDALE! | 70 | SEPTEMBER 2015

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