Christina Barrueta - Arizona Wine: A History of Perseverance & Passion

Published by American Palate
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC
www.historypress.com

Copyright 2019 by Christina Barrueta
All rights reserved

Front cover, top, left to right: The Carlson men harvest at sunrise. Jenelle Bonifield, courtesy of Carlson Creek Vineyard; Wine grapes. Callaghan Vineyards; Waverly Brown pours her familys Callaghan wine at the Arizona Wine Collective. Authors photo; bottom: Coronado Vineyards in Willcox. Michelle Jonas.

First published 2019

E-Book edition 2019

ISBN 978.1.43966.807.8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019943523

Print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.084.3

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

To my husband, Ernesto, who is eternally encouraging and unfailingly supportive of all my endeavors.

Contents

Foreword

I f I had been asked who might best write Arizonas wine history, Christina would have been at the top of the list. A longtime proponent and promoter of the food and wine culture in Arizona, she has documented through her writings and prolific social media presence the renaissance thats quietly changed our state over the last few decades.

This book is the culmination of years of travel throughout Arizona, of relationships with the hardworking winemakers whose challenges and triumphs she has witnessed firsthand and of meticulous research into the past. Although there had been winemaking here for years, it wasnt generally recognized and certainly not appreciated. I remember that seminal moment when Kent Callaghan grabbed some national attention from Robert Parker in 1994. Before this, Arizona wine was considered a joke; people thought of us as a desolate terrain hostile to vines. There was no understanding at all of the multifaceted climates and soils we have to work with. It took smart, tenacious and dedicated winemakers to look specifically at those facets and figure out what they could do with them. Just as California started as one giant wine state and slowly divided into the complicated regions and subregions that now define it, Arizona has been carving out the identity of its own regions that represent an enormous variety. Our passionate and daredevil vignerons are doing amazing things with Malvasia, Tempranillo, Grenache, Syrah, Viognier and Nebbiolo (to name but a few).

My passion for wine started as a culinary student in Paris in the early 80s when, for a hobby, I attended lAcademie du Vin. This experience ignited my passion for wine, which, combined with my love of food and hospitality, has made for a wonderful journey. I have tasted Arizona wine with growing interest since moving to the state in 1986. Watching the development of Arizona winemaking has been fascinating, and Im so excited about our states wine industry. Im confident in stating that it will be different than any other wine-growing state in our country. As a longtime champion of all things local, I couldnt be happier to see the history and the future of Arizona wine captured by one of our own in Christinas tribute to what perseverance and passion can attain.

Mark Tarbell, chef and restaurateur

Acknowledgements

I m grateful for my loving family and for my husband, Ernesto, who supported me in the many hours I devoted to researching this book and sampling the vintners wares. I would also like to thank Rhonni and Josh Moffitt, who invited me more than a decade ago to write for their just-launched magazine, Arizona Vines & Wines, which introduced me to the wonderful world of Arizona wine and the inspiring people behind it. Finally, a heartfelt thank-you to the passionate winemakers and winegrowers who welcomed me into their homes, their businesses and their lives. I hope I have shared your voices of passion and determination in a way that did you justice.

Chapter 1

The Vineyards of Arizona

I n the high-elevation grasslands of Sonoita and Elgin, pronghorn antelope roam and cattle graze. An hours drive brings you to the Willcox basin in southeastern Arizona surrounded by the picturesque ranges of Dos Cabezas, Dragoon and Chiricahua Mountains. Head north to the highlands of central Arizona and youll find yourself in the lush canyons of Verde Valley fed by the Verde River.

What these three distinct Arizona regions have in common is wine award-winning wine.

Unbeknownst and still a surprise to many, a confluence of factors contributes to Arizonas rise as a rapidly maturing winegrowing region, bringing in $56.2 million in wine tourism in 2017, according to a study by the Arizona Office of Tourism. Traversing the varied topographical regions of the state, scenic tasting rooms can be found perched on mountainsides with majestic valley panoramas, nestled alongside burbling creeks underneath the dappled shade of desert oak trees or set on grassland plateaus with sweeping views of desert plains and rocky peaks.

Visitors will discover over one hundred bonded wineries producing a diverse range of wines, from Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay to Tannat and Malvasia Bianca. We have great photosynthesis, a nice dry climate and good elevation, says Michael Pierce, winemaker at Bodega Pierce and director of enology at the Southwest Wine Center at Yavapai College. We have all the aspects to grow wine grapes, so the list of varieties that do well in Arizona is very long. The list that dont do well is pretty short, which, as a winemaker, is exciting.

The view from Rune Wines tasting room in Sonoita. Authors collection.

ARIZONAS WINE REGIONS

Sonoita, located approximately fifty miles south of Tucson in southeastern Arizona, lays claim to receiving Arizonas first designation as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1984. Initial inhabitants were Native Americans, and over the centuries, Spanish explorers and Jesuit priests who may have planted Mission grapes arrived, along with miners and cattle ranchers who settled in the area with the building of the Santa Fe Railroad. Here, in the 1970s, soil scientist Dr. Gordon Dutt founded the modern-day winemaking era, paving the way for Arizonas now-thriving industry. At an elevation of five thousand feet, Arizonas first AVA is currently home to over fifteen tasting rooms and wineries.

Nearby Willcox received its AVA title in 2016 and has continued to flourish, now producing approximately 75 percent of the grapes grown in the Grand Canyon State. Boasting alluvial deposits, volcanic soil and an elevation to 4,500 feet, the vineyards of the Willcox Bench are turning out some of the most awarded wines made in Arizona. Circumscribing a 526,000-acre area within Graham and Cochise Counties, the basin is a large valley surrounded by striking mountain ranges with more than a dozen tasting rooms drawing visitors to this expanding wine region.