Of the many surprises that Arizona had in store for me, the fact that an “Arizona wine country” exists was near the top of the list. Looking around the dry, dusty landscape, it’s hard to believe there are any Tucson wineries growing and producing local wine. What’s even more surprising is that Arizona actually has three designated American Viticultural Areas and two of them are quite close to Tucson.

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If a wine is designated with the name of an American Viticultural Area (AVA), federal regulations require that 85 percent or more of the wine is derived from grapes grown within the boundaries of that TTB-established AVA and that the wine is fully finished within the state or one of the states in which the AVA is located.  – WineInstitute.org

Arizona Wine Regions

Arizona is home to three AVA’s or American Viticultural Areas, which are specially designated wine-growing regions within the state. The three AVAs in Arizona are the Sonoita region south of Tucson, the Willcox AVA in Southeast Arizona, and the Verde Valley AVA in Northern Arizona. The best-known Arizona wine country is probably the Verde Valley, thanks to its proximity to Sedona. Wine tours from Sedona are very popular. Verde Valley is also one of a few places where you can go whitewater rafting in Arizona.

Tucson Wineries: Sonoita

When someone refers to Tucson wineries, they are most likely referring to the Sonoita AVA. The Sonoita AVA was the first designated wine region in Arizona. Located about an hour south of Tucson, there are now twelve different Sonoita Vineyards. There are several Tucson wine tours that will take you from Tucson to Sonoita and back again, or you can plan your own wine-tasting road trip in Southern Arizona.

Arizona Hops and Vines

Arizona Hops & Vines is woman-owned and has a funky, eclectic atmosphere. Outside, you’ll find a variety of farm animals roaming the property, although on our visit, there was some hubbub around the licensing/regulation of vineyards and we were not allowed to bring any alcohol outdoors. Hopefully, that gets resolved soon, as it’s a great property to explore. Inside is equally fun, and you’ll want to check out the details, including the bathroom!

At Arizona Hops & Vines, we had 6 wine tastings, though they were pre-determined, unlike the other tasting rooms. This allowed the server to better explain each wine as it is being served, and the best part of this stop was the food pairings. In addition to funky labels and fun names like Ro-Sham-Bo, each wine was paired with a fun snack like pork rinds, cheesy poofs, and cocoa puffs! It sounds weird, but they all paired really well. Our tour voted this as the tasting room with the best snack pairings.

Arizona Hops and Vines: 3450 AZ-82 Sonoita

Charron Vineyards

Our last tasting of the day was at Charron Vineyards, one of the oldest Southern Arizona winemakers. Charron has an interesting mix of wines, including white merlot and others, which all have a history. The server here was super informative and had lots of stories about the history of the vineyard and the various wines. Best of all, we were able to enjoy our tastings from a beautiful patio overlooking the vines. Because of that, our group voted this stop as the best setting and best view. We sampled several wines before hopping back in the van for the ride back to Tucson.

Charron Vineyards: 18585 S Sonoita Hwy, Vail

Dos Cabezas

The first stop on my Tucson wine tour was Dos Cabezas Wineworks. We received tasting glasses to use for the rest of the day and we were given a menu, from which we chose 6 wines to sample. They also had a great selection of T-shirts available. Of the 3 stops on our wine tour, we all agreed Dos Cabezas had the best wine, and several bottles were purchased before moving on to the next vineyard.

Dos Cabezas Wineworks: 3248 AZ-82, Sonoita

Other Sonoita Vineyards

• Callaghan Vineyards, Elgin
• Copper Hop Ranch, Elgin
• Flying Leap, Elgin
• Hannah’s Hill
• Kief-Joshua Vineyards, Elgin
• Lightning Ridge Cellars, Elgin
• Rune Wines, Elgin
• The Village of Elgin Winery, Elgin
• Wilhelm Family Vineyards, Elgin

Things to Do in Sonoita

While most will visit Sonoita as a day trip from Tucson on a wine-tasting tour, you can extend your stay overnight and explore a few other options in the area.

• The Sonoita Cafe is a great stop for lunch between wine tastings. The chipotle caesar salad is really good!
• The Wild West town of Tombstone is less than 45 minutes from Sonoita; you can still catch a shootout on Main Street every day!
• Kartchner Caverns State Park is only 30 minutes from Sonoita; they have awesome cave tours, but make sure you reserve your tour in advance!
• Madera Canyon is just under one hour from Sonoita and offers a cooler respite from the desert heat.
• There are a few Sonoita Elgin Hotels if you want to make it an overnight trip!

Book a Tucson Wine Tour Today!

No time for a day trip? Head to Tucson’s Fourth Avenue for wine tasting!

Willcox Wine Country

A bit farther east from Tucson, Willcox Wine Country is another Arizona AVA. It will take about 80 minutes to reach Willcox from Tucson, and there are nine vineyards and tasting rooms that await you in Cochise County. This Southern Arizona AVA hosts two Willcox Wine Festivals per year: one in May and the other in October.

• Birds & Barrels
• Bodega Pierce
• Carlson Creek Vineyard
• Coronado Vineyards,
• Golden Rule Vineyards
• Keeling Schaefer Vineyards
• Pillsbury Wine Company
• Strive Vineyards
• Zarpara Vineyard

There are a handful of hotels in Willcox, and you’re just 20 minutes from a super cool museum. The Amerind Museum is located in Dragoon and has one of the best privately maintained collections of Native American art and artifacts from all over the Western Hemisphere. Chiricahua National Monument is also just 40 minutes from Willcox.

Verde Valley AVA

The most popular wine tours in Arizona are located in the Verde Valley AVA. Verde Valley. Clarkdale, Cottonwood and Jerome are all located in Verde Valley, so if you are looking for Sedona wine tours, this is the spot! Verde Valley has 17 vineyards and tasting rooms spread throughout Jerome, Cottonwood, and Clarkdale. If you are following my Northern Arizona road trip itinerary, you can easily add wine tasting to the schedule! Not to mention, the amazing Verde Canyon Railroad, which celebrates events like the Uncorked Wine Festival, with wine tastings for the entire month of May!

Guided Tours of Sedona Vineyards

Of course, you will never run out of fun things to do in Tucson...such a great city!