A recent Thursday night wine tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton highlighted wines from southern Oregon, specifically from the Applegate Valley AVA. Area wineries produce mostly a modest volume from a large range of wine varieties. Interesting wines.
Karyl Wilhelm, winemaker at Wilhelm Family Vineyards, is a woman on a mission. She makes an astonishing number and variety of wines. Her husband, Kevin, is the vineyard manager. They planted their vineyard in 2005. The quality and quantity of their vineyard has improved every year as Kevin learns what works best in the vineyard.
We recently participated in an online tasting of 2012 Finger Lakes Rieslings. It was an informative conversation with the winemakers who talked about the vintage and the production of their Riesling. We were sent five 2012 Rieslings to taste as we listened to the winemakers and tweeted our thoughts and questions. It was a fun and informative format.
This was our second visit to Dos Cabezas WineWorks. In 2011 it was the first Arizona winery we visited on our first tour of the Sonoita wine area. Six wines were on their tasting sheet that August, all red, one a fortified dessert wine. This year we enjoyed tasting through the since-expanded tasting sheet, eleven wines in all.
Kent Callaghan listens more than he talks. He’s reserved and unassuming. He’s had his hands in the dirt of his Elgin vineyard since at least 1990. I’m guessing he has learned something about that vineyard every day since. It’s reflected in the wine he makes. If you have visited his winery and tasted his wines, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Pete discovered a hybrid Bed & Breakfast called Xanadu Ranch GetAway located just south of Sonoita. We decided to spend two nights in Sonoita to be close to area wineries. We were able to book two nights in the Bunk House at Xanadu. I’m so glad we did.
A day and a half in Willcox was not enough. It gave us just enough time to get the lay of the land, explore the historic downtown portion of Willcox and make a couple of winery visits. We weren’t able to visit all of the wineries we wanted to. That leaves us lots to do on our next visit to Cochise County. Here’s a wrap-up of our wine tasting trip to Willcox, Arizona.
Pillsbury Wine Company recently opened a tasting room at their vineyards in Willcox. They call it their Vineyard Cottage and Tasting Room. Sounds cute, doesn’t it? Well it is. Not only that, the drive provides a great sense of what the Sulphur Springs Valley is like.
Curt Dunham and Peggy Fiandaca have transformed their appreciation for good wine into Lawrence Dunham Vineyards. They could not have chosen a more scenic location than at the foot of the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona.
Where is Willcox and why did you go there, you might ask. We love wine and we love visiting Arizona. Turns out, those two things are not mutually exclusive. Join us as we explore this picturesque town located in Cochise County in the southeastern corner of Arizona.
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.