So it came as quite a surprise to find that Arizona, or at least southern Arizona, is a hotbed of food and wine production. Right next door to where we're staying, in fact, is a pecan orchard. In fact, they're everywhere. Even the Holy Trinity Monastery down the road has one. It supplements their income from the trailer park they own.
Wintering pecans
We also went past a pistachio orchard on our travels, tho' we didn't stop for photos.
Somewhere along the way, we picked up a brochure (actually a small tome) on Arizona's wine industry. Say what? Disbelieving, we ignored it until we arrived at a day when, having nothing planned, we thought, Why not? and headed for the closest wine tour to our temporary residence
The Sonoita/Elgin area is located in the mountains south and a bit west of Tucson. In the 1970s, Gordon Dutt, Ph.D., a soil scientist from the University of Arizona was intrigued with the similarity between the soil of the area and that of Burgundy, France. He and a partner developed an experimental winery that later developed into the Sonoita Vineyards and that encouraged other vineyards in the area. Presently, growers in the area produce Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Mission, and Syrah grapes.
Somewhere along the way, we picked up a brochure (actually a small tome) on Arizona's wine industry. Say what? Disbelieving, we ignored it until we arrived at a day when, having nothing planned, we thought, Why not? and headed for the closest wine tour to our temporary residence
The Sonoita/Elgin area is located in the mountains south and a bit west of Tucson. In the 1970s, Gordon Dutt, Ph.D., a soil scientist from the University of Arizona was intrigued with the similarity between the soil of the area and that of Burgundy, France. He and a partner developed an experimental winery that later developed into the Sonoita Vineyards and that encouraged other vineyards in the area. Presently, growers in the area produce Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Mission, and Syrah grapes.
This vineyard, Kief Joshua, has approximately 25 acres in vines. And counting.
So, what about the wine? You might well ask. I was prepared for plonk. Or turpentine. And was pleasantly surprised to find that several of the ones I tried (Mr. T opted out on the grounds he was driving. Probably a good thing) were quite acceptable, even tasty.
The wineries on this tour offer tastings for $3 to $5 and you take the glass with you when you leave. They discount the tasting fee if you bring a glass from another winery. Most of them are only open weekends, tho' there were 3 open on Monday when we went. Good thing -- tho' we only came away with 3 bottles of wine, we spent much, much more on trash and trinkets!
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