Two Northern Arizona Wineries: Alcantara Vineyards and Page Spring Cellars

Well, we've returned from northern Arizona with about half a case of wine in tow. This is what we found. We stopped at three wineries, two of which we bought stuff at. Those two wineries were Alcantara Vineyards and Page Spring Cellars.

Our first stop was Alcantara Vineyards, near Camp Verde, Arizona. The grounds were surrounded by vines ripe with fruit, all covered in netting to keep the birds out. The tasting room itself looked a little like an Italian villa. As we wandered inside, we were greeted by a young woman who ushered us over to the tasting counter. There, we tasted eight wines. The whites were nothing to write home about. However, some of the reds were quite good, particularly the Syrahs, which were lush a spicy, the way we like them. We bought four wines there: a 2004 Syrah, a 2005 Syrah, and two bottles of Chaparral, a blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, and Pinor Noir.

The young woman working there was very friendly, and spent a great deal of time with us. In fact, after the tasting she followed us outside and took our picture. She even encouraged us to try a grape or two growing on the vines near the tasting room.

Julie and I standing in front of the Alcantara Vineyards tasting room.

Julie and I at the edge of the vineyard near the tasting room at Alcantara Vineyards (Yes, I'm wearing a AHA t-shirt)

Page Spring Cellars, in Cornville, Arizona, was our third stop (the second stop was no good, so I will not write about it here). Unlike Alcantara, there were no vines planted in front of the building; they were all behind it. However, when we walked in, you could see the workers below tending the fermenters.

We did not spend as much time with the tasting room staff, as it was pretty crowded and busy. That is the way it goes sometimes -- enjoyable nonetheless. Even so, we tasted another eight wines. Again, the whites fell a little flat, but like Alcantara, the Syrahs were nice, so we bought two of them: 2005 Syrah from the Rio San Lucas Vineyard, and 2005 San Antonio Valley Sarah from the Lockwood Oaks Vineyard. It seems as though the Syrah grape is the one that does the well in northern Arizona.

After we were done with our tasting, I remembered why we love wine tasting so much. It is not just about the wine; it is about the people, the land, the vineyards, and the wine, and that feeling that you are visiting someplace special. All-in-all, it was a successful tour of northern Arizona wine country.

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