YOUR GUIDE TO
WillcoxWineCountry.org
ADVERTISMENT
Explore the Land of Legends BENSON – 3:00 pm
TOUR THE BIG ROOM AT KARTCHNER CAVERNS Enjoy the wonders of a living cave named “Best Arizona Attraction” by USA Today Readers Choice Awards. Marvel at the extraordinary formations, like “Kubla Khan,” the largest cave column in Arizona. This tour is 1/2 mile in length and takes about 1.5 hours to complete. 520.586.4100
BENSON – 5:00 pm
DINNER AT THE HISTORIC HORSESHOE CAFÉ Since 1936, this quaint restaurant has greeted diners along Benson’s main drag. Cowboy artist Vern Parker (1899-1978) created murals inside and out, and wooden posts showcase brands from ranches across southern Arizona. You will enjoy stories of mysterious shadows and voices inside the café, friendly service, and hearty meals. 520.586.2872
SATURDAY
SIERRA VISTA – 9:00 am
HIKE WORLD-RENOWNED RAMSEY CANYON PRESERVE The Nature Conservancy’s 280-acres is a haven for 170+ varieties of birds, including 14 species of hummingbirds. It’s no wonder Sierra Vista is the “Hummingbird Capital of the United States”! The area’s unique interplay of geology, biology, topography, and climate create a diverse habitat for plant and animal life alike. Remember your camera the views are glorious. 800.288.3861
SIERRA VISTA – NOON
LUNCH AT OUTSIDE INN This fine dining place is tucked off Highway 92 in a converted ranch house. The rambling rooms make for intimate dining, where patrons enjoy out-of-this-world meals that could compete with big-city dining—and at just half the price! The lunch menu offers scaled down versions of the dinners with still-huge flavors. Start with marinated ahi tuna appetizer, served alongside sweet pepper slaw, then add a short rib Philly with slow braised beef, onions, mushroom ragout, and gruyere cheese; zucchini pappardelle (perfect for vegetarians); or mussels in white wine, house bacon, and garlic is a broth worthy of bread-sopping. Save room for dessert; the house-made treats are a slice of heaven! 520.378.4645
BISBEE – 3:00 pm
photo credit: Arizona State Parks
QUEEN MINE TOUR Retired Phelps-Dodge employees are your official tour guides as you head 1,500 feet into the mountain delving underground and back in time. Decked out in a hard hat, miner’s headlamp, and yellow slicker, you will discover daily tasks and risks that came with mining life. 866.432.2071
BISBEE – 4:30 pm
SHOPPING Spend a couple hours touring fascinating Bisbee. Swing by the infamous Brewery Gulch, once home to dozens of saloons during Bisbee’s mining heyday. Today, it buzzes with shops and galleries, and little pieces of art hidden between the houses. Plus, there is easy access to Bisbee’s legendary staircases.
DOUGLAS – 8:00 pm
HOTEL GADSDEN & ENJOY A DINNER TOUR Built in the early 1900s, the Hotel’s marble staircase, gold-leaf embellished ceilings, and 40-foot long Tiffany and Co. stained glass window the only Southwest scenes the company ever created will make your heart skip a beat. Legend holds that Mexican banditturned-revolutionary Pancho Villa once rode his horse up its marble steps. There is even a chipped stair to prove it! 520.364.4481
SUNDAY
DOUGLAS – 8:00 am
VISIT CHURCH SQUARE Located on East E Avenue, this is believed to be the only place in the world where four churches, of different denominations are situated on four corners of the same block. The architecture is worth the short trip.
WILLCOX - 11:00 am
WINE TASTING OFF RAILROAD AVENUE Willcox produces 75 percent of Arizona’s wine grapes! It is also the source of the most highly rated Arizona wines by Wine Spectator. You can bet there’s plenty of great wine to taste, especially with 11 wine tasting rooms in the Willcox area, and 5 of them near Railroad Avenue. Grab a glass and take a sip of something special.
WILLCOX – 1:30 pm.
LUNCH AT LA UNICA Prepare your taste buds for an authentic Mexican dining experience, tucked next to a bona fide tortilleria. Enjoy a beautiful buffet lunch on the open patio with great prices and flavorful food. 520.348.0100
TOMBSTONE – 4:00 pm
TOUR TOMBSTONE COURTHOUSE HISTORIC STATE PARK Built in the shape of a Roman cross in 1882, this two-story Victorian structure once housed the sheriff, recorder, treasurer, board of supervisors, jail, and courtrooms of Cochise County. Today, the 12,000 square foot Tombstone Courthouse is a museum filled with the glitter and guns of those who tamed the territory. Get a glimpse of the true old West through its authentic interpretive exhibits. 520.457.3311
TOMBSTONE - 5:30 pm
TOMBSTONE BREWING COMPANY Kick back in the “Town Too Tough To Die” with a cool pint of a
world-class ale or lager. The brewery boasts an average of six new beers a month. 520.222.6781
VINTAGE Willcox wineries attract visitors who want to experience Cochise County’s wine country By ALYSSA TUFTS
S
urrounded by acres of land as far as the eye can see with no buildings in sight, it’s a welcome change to the bustling heavily-populated environment. In Willcox, Arizona, you may pass only a few cars on the road and buildings are few and far between. Driving to a winery in Willcox is a lengthy, but worthwhile trip. You’ll see at least a few wineries on your way and keep following the signs — they’ll guide you to turn down a seemingly endless road, and assure you’re going the right direction and a winery is ahead. After following the many signs, three miles down a dirt road surrounded by acres of a thriving vineyard, Pillsbury Wine Company comes into view. It’s isolated — save for the cottage tasting room, equipment and a few outdoor storage
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structures, one filled with barrels of aging wine, air-conditioned travel trailers filled with fermenting and boxed wine, and reds aging in oak barrels. The quiet atmosphere is part of its appeal — visitors can relax and enjoy the experience. Sam Pillsbury, owner of Pillsbury Wine Company, is a well-known winemaker and filmmaker. He is a character with enthusiasm for his craft and business. Since Pillsbury opened the winery in 2006, it has garnered critical acclaim, winning numerous awards and medals for his 20plus wines. “By far the biggest factor to making a great wine is where you plant your grapes,” says Pillsbury, who produces 22 wines under the Pillsbury Wine Company label at his 100-acre Willcox Bench Vineyard and
Winery. Pillsbury grew up in New Zealand, where he began his career as a filmmaker. He moved to Arizona after working on films in Los Angeles. He started looking for the right place to open a vineyard and after tasting a Chardonnay from a vineyard in Willcox, he knew it was where he would build his business. TASTY DESTINATION Willcox has become a destination for wine tasting. Residents and visitors can enjoy tasting various reds, whites and rosés at one of nearly a dozen vineyards, some within a few miles of each other. In addition to the tasting rooms and vineyards in Willcox, some wineries have tasting rooms in the Metro Phoenix area and their wines are sold at restaurants and stores
VISIT throughout the Valley. Pillsbury says each of the wineries is unique because each has their own farming techniques that work best for the wine they want to create. “I know what kind of wine I want to make,” Pillsbury says. “I think what I’ve learned both in filmmaking and winemaking is the most important thing is to be clear on what you’re trying to achieve and you can always figure out how to get there. I make food wines. I want them to enhance and pair with food. We make wine from grapes we grow, and ferment most of the wines with wild yeast that comes from here. We barrelage our reds, and ferment our whites in stainless steel and neutral oak. I want to make wines that are complex and nuanced rather than just big.”
To gain a full appreciation of the vineyard and Willcox, taking a day drive to taste local, freshly-made wine is worth the trip. “The perceived negative is that it’s a long way away,” Pillsbury says. “It’s actually no further than Sonoita, which has for many years been the wine destination in Arizona. There’s a whole cluster of vineyards and wineries here and some of them are making really fine wines and it’s a really great place to grow wine grapes.” The Willcox wine growing region of Southeast Arizona grows 74 percent of Arizona’s wine grapes. It was also recently granted AVA (American Viticultural Area) status, which means the area is now recognized as a unique and distinctive wine growing region in the United States.
MORE THAN JUST WINE Although it’s a little more than a threehour drive and 192 miles from Phoenix and 81 miles from Tucson, there’s plenty to keep you occupied once you’ve visited the vineyards. Willcox brings to life its rich western history as it’s the hometown of television, movie and radio star Rex Allen. Willcox celebrates “Rex Allen Days” in October with a parade, country fair and rodeo. Willcox also hosts the Wings over Willcox nature festival that celebrates the great outdoors, The Willcox West Fest Chuckwagon Cook-off and Ranch Rodeo in May, and the annual Willcox Western Christmas Festival in December. In addition to celebrating its western roots, other things to do and see that can only be found in Willcox include the
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Chiricahua National Monument, Apple Annie’s Orchard, and the Rex Allen Cowboy Museum. You can also try local dining — the Mexican gem is La Unica Restaurant & Tortilleria or try a visit to Tapas Lounge at Coronado Vineyards. “Coming to Willcox is an amazing experience with its legendary history — from Cochise and Geronimo to Wyatt Earp and more,” says Alan Baker, executive director of the Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. “The area is an American Viticulture Area. Not only are most of Arizona’s grapes grown here, but there is incredible agriculture all around. Willcox is the world’s second-largest producer of pistachios.” In addition, specialty crops such as apples, peaches and pecans thrive in the Willcox basin. “Combine all of this with scenic beauty and a temperate climate to explore the wineries and tasting rooms and Cochise County is an amazing adventure to experience,” Baker adds. VISITORS LOVE WILLCOX Willcox wineries have increased tourism in the area and draw people to the city to visit. Willcox Wine Country, a committee of the Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture that was created in 2012, is a resource and directory for wineries and festivals. The proceeds from the wine festivals go into marketing for Willcox Wine Country, says Baker. “Having Willcox Wine Country has increased tourism by hundreds of fold,” Baker says. “The change is absolutely stunning. One cannot overstate the economic impact the wine country has brought to us. This industry has brought enthusiasm and new energy to the area. Willcox Wine Country is a major tourism driver and it is growing, bringing excitement about this Southeastern corner of Arizona.” According to a 2017 Arizona Wine Tourism Industry study, the wine industry in Arizona creates an estimated $56,178,643 in total economic output, 126
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Carlson Creek Wines creates an estimated 640 full-time equivalent jobs, and approximately $3.6 million in local and state taxes are generated from Arizona wine tourism expenditures, indirect effects and induced effects. The study also found Arizona wine tourism is largely driven by in-state visitors, with approximately 58 percent of all Arizona wine tourists traveling from somewhere within the state. Wine visitors from the greater Phoenix and Tucson Metro areas comprise more than 77 percent of wine tourists originating from Arizona. Per the study, the Arizona wine visitor population is 600,000 visitors at Arizona wine establishments per year. THE WINE EXPERIENCE Visiting a tasting room can be intimidating if people aren’t familiar with wines or the wine industry, but Pillsbury says not to worry. “When people walk into our tasting rooms, I want them to feel comfortable and relaxed,” Pillsbury says. “Wine has tended to become a refuge for people who make you feel inferior and make you feel like you don’t know enough about wine and they’re the experts. We won’t let that happen. I want wine to be something to drink and get pleasure from and have with food, share with your friends. It’s to be enjoyed. It’s a magical potion that tastes great and makes you feel good.” Pillsbury says Willcox’s tasting rooms are inclusive and informative. Those who work in the tasting rooms pouring and selling the wines are involved in every aspect of the winemaking process: from picking the grapes, pruning and harvesting, to blending and winemaking. “They know what we’re trying to achieve and why we’re doing it, and they can talk to people about that,” Pillsbury says. “I think it’s a way of educating about wine, which shouldn’t be a mystical refuge of a few experts. So I think you’ll find us friendly and open.” “All of us at Pillsbury enjoy pouring wine for people and watching their face
Sam Pillsbury light up when they taste and sniff it. Watching them get great pleasure from it makes you feel good that you’ve made something people like. It’s a nice feeling making people happy.” Baker hopes Willcox Wine Country will continue to boost Cochise County in the future through its ongoing development of tourism and economic strength. Willcox Wine Country has brought investment and some of the supporting infrastructure will come in time and people will follow, Baker says. “I have seen an exponential growth in the wine industry in the last 10 years,” he says. “One of the great things about this ongoing benefit is that it preserves the hometown and rural lifestyle that Cochise County is. One can still get in on this industry here because it is so new and has reasonable investment costs. It is not very often that rural America gets an opportunity like this and I hope we embrace it for all that it can be for the generations to come. One of the vineyard owners said to me, ‘Having a vineyard takes old money and young enthusiasm.’ That is the hope it brings now and in the future.”
A GUIDE TO
WILLCOX
WINERIES
Arizona’s wine industry is flourishing in Cochise County with the opening of new vineyards and tasting rooms. The majority of Arizona’s wines are produced from Cochise County grapes. Here is a guide to Cochise County’s amazing wineries, in alphabetical order. 4. ARIDUS WINE COMPANY Aridus has two tasting rooms where you can sample their award-winning wines. The first is at its custom crush facility on Haskell Avenue, where other area wines are made, and the second is its own tasting room on Railview Avenue. The Haskell Avenue tasting room also features the portfolio of local wines made at the facility. Cochise County tasting room: 145 N. Railview Ave., Willcox, AZ Information: ariduswineco.com Phone: (520) 766-9463 8. BODEGA PIERCE Bodega Pierce highlights wines made exclusively from grapes grown at the family’s estate vineyard in Willcox. The wines are designed to express the high desert terroir of the Willcox Bench that are unsurpassed in producing spectacular world class wines. Bodega Pierce aims to provide Arizona wine drinkers with a consistent product that over-delivers on quality. Cochise County tasting room: 4511 E. Robbs Rd., Willcox, AZ Information: bodegapierce.com Phone: (602) 320-1722
2. KEELING-SCHAEFER VINEYARDS Keeling-Schaefer Vineyards offers exclusively estate grown and bottled wine from its 21-acre vineyards in the Chiricahua Mountain foothills. Keeling-Schaefer opened its tasting room in downtown Willcox in February 2010 and is open Thursdays through Sundays. Cochise County tasting room: 154 N. Railroad Ave., Willcox, AZ Information: keelingschaefervineyards.com Phone: (520) 766-0600
5. KIEF-JOSHUA VINEYARDS Kief-Joshua Vineyards offers a magnificent view of the beautiful mountain ranges of Sonoita and is the perfect setting to taste their acclaimed wines. Public tastings are offered daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its Elgin tasting room. Kief-Joshua offers five wines for tasting at a cost of $10, which includes a 3. CARLSON CREEK VINEYARDS souvenir glass with your wine or $7 if you bring a glass. Carlson Creek features wine varietals from the Carlsons, a family owned and operated business. Family members have Cochise County tasting room: 4923 E. Arzberger Rd., Willcox, AZ completed viticulture and winemaking classes at University Information: kj-vineyards.com of California-Davis. Their varietals include syrah, sauvignon Phone: (520) 455-5582 blanc, sangiovese, chardonnay, and a red blend. 6. PILLSBURY WINE COMPANY Cochise County tasting room: 115 N. Railview Ave.,Willcox, AZ In a quaint vineyard cottage on a rustic working vineyard Information: carlsoncreek.com in the Sulphur Springs Valley, Pillsbury Wine Company’s Phone: (520) 766-3000 tasting experience at their tasting room is as unique as its 1. CORONADO VINEYARDS Coronado Vineyards’ winery and on-site vineyard offers daily tasting hours in its wine and tapas lounge. Coronado Vineyards has a variety of unique wines, from a sweet white table wine to a dry red wine, all from Arizona-grown wine grapes. Cochise County tasting room: 2909 E. Country Club Dr., Willcox, AZ Information: coronadovineyards.com Phone: (520) 384-2993 9. GOLDEN RULE VINEYARDS Golden Rule Vineyards, nestled along the eastern edge of the Gunnison Hills and at the northern tip of the Dragoon Mountains, is a part of the Willcox Wine Country. It offers guests an opportunity to indulge in premium Arizona wine and experience authentic naturally produced Arizona pistachios. Cochise County tasting room: 3525 N. Golden Rule Rd., Cochise, AZ Information: goldenrulevineyards.com Phone: (520) 507-3310
rural locale. Pillsbury’s crisp, light, and refreshing wines are all made in the Rhone style. The wide-open spaces surrounding the tasting room are perfect for hanging out and enjoying mountain views. Cochise County tasting room: 6450 S. Bennett Place, Willcox, AZ Information: pillsburywine.com Phone: (520) 384-3964 or (310) 508-3348 7. ZARPARA VINEYARD Zarpara Vineyard is located on the “Willcox Bench” – an Arizona premier wine-growing region just 15 minutes from downtown Willcox. Zarpara Vineyard began planting vines in 2010. Its tasting flight features exceptional, hand-crafted wines. Zarpara Vineyard has breathtaking views of the Dos Cabezas Mountains. Cochise County tasting room: 6777 S. Zarpara Lane, Willcox, AZ Information: zarpara.com Phone: (520) 222-7114 Learn more at azBIGmedia.com
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