Arizona Via - Summer 2019 - A4

BEST OF ARIZONA

Verde Valley

Ribboned by creeks and rivers, this fertile valley just south of Sedona is the
state's up-and-coming wine region.
Vineyards stripe steep, volcanic slopes
that concentrate the grapes and often
infuse them with spice. Tasting rooms
are scattered throughout the valley.
You'll find them in the artsy former
mining town of Jerome and in foodiefriendly Cottonwood, in the riverside
hamlet of Cornville and in Clarkdale,
the home of the Southwest Wine
Center, a teaching (and tasting) winery.
● Chateau Tumbleweed in Clarkdale
is the kind of easygoing place where
you could spend hours sitting at the
simple wood bar, chatting with the
barkeep about how mischievous the
woman on the hand-drawn labels
looks, and how the rosé tastes remarkably like a red Jolly Rancher. "We don't
take ourselves that seriously," says coowner Kris Pothier. "Well, we take the
wine seriously. We try to just let nature
speak for itself, to bottle what happens
in nature to make delicious wines."

At D.A. Ranch, a 130 year-old retreat
in the tiny town of Cornville, giant
grandfatherly cottonwoods gather
round the lodge, and a graceful willow
sways over a pond. All the wines are
made from grapes grown right here,
in the 250-acre estate's spring-fed soil,
making it an ideal place to taste the
Verde Valley's terroir. The tasting
room is typically open Wednesday
through Saturday, but the bucolic
backdrop attracts many events, so
call ahead to confirm that it's open.

Flatiron steak at Up the Creek. top: Chateau
Tumbleweed's crisp, dry rosé. middle: L. Jay
Morton harvesting grapes at D.A. Ranch.

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● At Dead Horse Ranch State Park
in Cottonwood, three lagoons fringed
by cattails and cottonwoods invite
leisurely strolls. Turtles laze on warm
logs, while deer wander in the forest.
The area is also a bird-watcher's paradise, home to more than 100 species

TOP TO BOTTOM: JENELLE BONIFIELD; KERRICK JAMES; GRACE STUKOFSKY

●

5/14/19 1:32 PM
Arizona Via - Summer 2019

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