Wine Tasting around Sedona

Thursday Oct. 29

We decided to take a break from hiking and go wine tasting. There are actually quite a few wineries within 40 minutes of Sedona.

When we first arrived in Sedona, we needed a bottle of wine quickly...so we visited the "Art of Wine" tasting room located next door to the Hyatt where we are staying.... We know we were in trouble when the sparkling wine was flavored with almonds and sweet. The next wine was an oxidized Sauvignon Blanc.... and I wondered if any good wine was made in Arizona...

So we began our search to see if our experience at the "Art of Wine" was typical of Arizona wine.....We decided to taste at 3 wineries clustered together on Page Springs Road.

After the snow on Wednesday, it was a bright sunny day with temps in the mid-60s.

Javelina Leap Vineyard:

Well we didn't learn anything about Arizona wine here as all their wines were made from grapes from Santa Barbara and made there as well as a "partnership" with a Santa Barbara winery.

None of the wines were that good, just OK.

We did learn that tasting in Arizona was going to be expensive as a tasting of 5 wines cost $12!! But you got a glass...just what we needed..

Notice the barber's chair in the bottling line...to shave off the hair on the corks??

Javelina is a kind of feral pig like a peccary?

Oak Creek Vineyard:

Taste of 8 wines with cheese and crackers $19!

Some of the wines were at least were from Arizona. The wines from Arizona tended to be light in body and flavors, e.g. you could tell the wine was a Viognier, but just barely. The viognier was their best wine. Grapes from southern part of Arizona near Tuscon. $26

The Zinfandel reminded me of the old green pepper Monterey character...and I learned later that local wineries are getting grapes from Monterey county.

The cheese wasn't even that good. Who serves a pepper jack for wine tasting!

Page Springs Cellars:

We could/should have started and ended at this winery. By far the west wines of the day, and the most interesting.

Taste 5 wines with glass $10..

2008 Vino Del Barrio Blanca: $15 {the neighborhood white}

A blend of SB, Malvasia, Gewurztrainer, and Viognier

And you thought I was the only one that made and blended Malvasia!

Light clean fresh, nice!

2007 Painted Lady Gewurtrainer {Monterey Co.} light and spicy $24

2008 Vino De La Familia Blanca 100% Malvasia $20. Light clean, good acid. Floral. Much lighter than my 2007 Malvasia.

2008 PSC Arizona Stronghold Chardonnay: from "Stronghold" vineyards southern Az near Wilcox. $35. Very very nice wine. in the light crisp style.

2008 "La Serrana" $30 a blend of Viognier and Rousanne: another very nice wine. Elegant light complex, crisp and lemony.

Doris tasted the "Pure" flight of reds. Most of the reds were from California grapes, thought there was a pleasant Grenache from Cochise Co. grapes.

So, yes Virginia, there is good wine made in Arizona...stick with the whites, light in body and varietal character, crisp.