Sip, Swirl, and Explore: Where to Find the Best Arizona Wineries

When you think of Arizona, wine probably isn’t the first thing that pops into your mind. Once you take that first sip of an Arizona-grown red or white, you’ll understand why wine lovers across the country are making their way to the Southwest. Arizona has three official American Viticultural Areas and over 100 wineries. And if you’re ready to raise a glass, I’ll share some of my favorite wineries, and vineyards.

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Whether it’s National Drink Wine Day, National Wine Day, or just a random Tuesday—there’s always time for wine. Grapes used in Arizona wines are often grown in southern Arizona near Sonoita. Some grapes are also grown in Payson.

Where to Find The Best Arizona Wineries and Vineyards

Arizona has three regions to explore wineries.

• Verde Valley
• Wilcox
• Sonoita

Next time you are visiting southern Arizona or the Verde Valley try a glass of wine from grapes grown here in the southwest.

Verde Valley Wineries: Wine Trail

The Verde Valley Wine Trail is two hours north of Phoenix. Sip your way through the charming towns of Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Camp Verde, Page Springs and Cornville. If you’re staying in Sedona there are several tour companies that will pick you up to take you on the wine trail.

Wine Tasting in Sedona

Are there vineyards in Sedona? No, there are no vineyards in Sedona, however they are nearby. You can stay in Sedona and easily visit vineyards in the nearby towns. There is also several nice wine tasting places in Sedona and Oak Creek.

Sedona Winery Tours

You can take several winery tours out of Sedona. These include:

Camp Verde Wineries & Tasting Rooms

• Alcantara Wineries & Vineyard – dog friendly patio
• Clear Creek Vineyard – dog friendly patio
• Salt Mine Wine – dog friendly patio

Clarkdale Wineries & Tasting Rooms

• Chateau Tumbleweed – dog friendly patio
• Southwest Wine Center -dog friendly patio
• Bodega Pierce Winery

Cottonwood Wineries & Tasting Rooms

• Arizona Stronghold – dog friendly patio
• Burning Tree Cellars – dog friendly patio
• Cellar 433
• DaVines Bistro
• Four Eight Wineworks – dog friendly patio
• Merkin Vineyards Hilltop
• Tantrum Wines – dog friendly patio

Cornville Wineries & Tasting Rooms

• Cove Mesa Vineyard – dog friendly patio
• DA Ranch – dog friendly patio
• Javelina Leap – dog friendly patio
• Oak Creek Vineyards – dog friendly patio
• Page Springs Cellars

Jerome Wineries & Tasting Rooms

• Cabal Cellars – dog friendly patio
• Caduceus Cellars
• Four Eight Wineworks
• The Original Jerome Winery

Sedona Wine Tasting Room

• Winery 1912
• Decanter Tasting Room.
• The Art of Wine.

Wine Tours in Verde Valley

If you don’t have a designated driver there are several tour companies in the area.

• Bliss Wine Tours
• Private Wine Tours

Verde Valley has some fantastic wines and the scenery is beautiful in this area as well. Take some time to explore the little towns while you are here. Find out the best time to visit the Verde Valley.

Cottonwood Wine Trail

To help plan your day you can download the Verde Valley wine trail map.

Walking around downtown Cottonwood is a quaint place to grab a bite to eat and try out some of the local wines. There are several wineries within walking distance of each other. At the wineries you can order a white flight, red flight or a combo flight of reds and whites.

Arizona Stronghold

We enjoyed the Arizona Stronghold winery in downtown Cottonwood. It was hard to choose a favorite, but I really liked Bruzzi Vineyard Vidal Blanc.

Burning Tree Cellars

Burning Tree Cellars had a nice red wine called “The Bear.”

Clarkdale Wineries

Southwest Wine Center

The Southwest Wine Center is a short drive in Clarkdale. I chose a combo flight and my favorite red wine was Big Red. The wine was named after a local wolf.

Page Springs Wineries

Page Springs Cellars

Page Springs Cellars has amazing wine and one of the prettiest settings. My favorites are Vino Del Barrio Blanca and Yavapai County Cabernet Sauvignon. Enjoy the beautiful scenery while sipping on some local Arizona wines.

Guests can also view Oak Creek from their deck.

Cornville Wineries

Cove Mesa Vineyard

We tried a Sweet Wine flight here. Our favorites were Vidal Blanc Tierra Madre and Riesling Carl Creek.

Jerome Wineries

The Original Jerome Winery

While visiting Jerome we stopped in at the Original Winery for a glass of Petite Sirah and Riesling.

Verde Valley Wine Festivals

The Verde Valley has several wine festivals including the Verde Valley Wine Festival in May, and the Sedona Winefest in September.

My Favorite Wineries

If you can only go to one winery in Verde Valley I would choose Page Springs Cellars because I think they are in the prettiest location. My second favorite for ambiance was the Southwest Wine Center in Clarkdale. My personal favorite Arizona wines are from Coronado Vineyards, which I discovered on a trip to Wilcox.

Wilcox Wineries & Vineyards

Wilcox is 80 miles southeast of Tucson. With an elevation around 4,000 feet, Wilcox enjoys mild weather and fertile grounds for grapes, 74% of Arizona wine grapes are grown here. Many of the wines you may taste in the Verde Valley are made from grapes grown in Wilcox. You can view the Wilcox Winery Maps here.

Taste wines from nine wineries and vineyards in Wilcox.

1. Birds & Barrels
2. Bodega Pierce
3. Carlson Creek
4. Coronado Vineyards
5. Golden Rule
6. Keeling Schaefer
7. Strive Vineyard
8. Pillsbury Vineyard
9. Zarpara Vineyard

Sonoita Wineries

1. Sonoita Vineyards
2. Callaghan Vineyards
3. Flying Leap Vineyards

Wilcox Wine Festival

Each year they celebrate with two wine festivals, one in the fall (October) and one in the spring (May).