1. Kokopelli Vineyards
Contact: Dennis Minchella
Tasting Facility: 35 West Boston St. (Downtown) Chandler, AZ 85225
Two blocks South of Chandler Blvd. off the West Side of Arizona Ave.
Hours: Open 7 days a week: Lunch; Mon-Thurs 11:30 - 3:00 & All Day Fri, Sat & Sunday Wine Tasting & Noshing 11-6:PM
Telephone: (480) 792-6927
Email: dennis@kokopelli.com

Website: www.kokopelliwinery.com
Best Time to Visit: All Year!
Best Bit: Wonderful Arizona made wines minutes from Phoenix.

The Story:
Nestled in the Bonita Valley, Kokopelli vineyards produces 15 organic grape varietals. The vineyard is quenched by an aquifer fed by the local mountains. The rich soils and day-night temperature differential provide excellent conditions for growing wine grapes. In late August, Kokopelli Vineyards host a wonderful Wine Field Trip to its vineyards. Participants inspect and sample 15 different varietal wine grapes grown in the vineyard as well as numerous wines made from each grape. The trip is a chance to see, touch and taste wine grapes and wines in their most natural setting, a real vineyard.

2. Dos Cabezas Wineworks
Contact: Mr. Al Buhl
Tasting Room Hours: Tasting by appointment only: Wayward Winds Road, Kansas Settlement, AZ 85643.
Mailing Address: HCR Box 12 Kansas Settlement Elgin, AZ 85611
Telephone/Fax: 520-455-5389
Email: doscabezas@theriver.com, spillsbury@aol.com
Website: www.doscabezaswinery.com
Best Time to Visit: Spring, Summer & Fall
Best Bit: A Dos focused dinner: A shrimp appetizer with the Pinot Grigio, a Filet made perfect by the Toscano, washing the Tiramisu down with the Malvasia dessert wine and relaxing on the patio with your favorite cigar a soupcon of Tawny Port.


The Story:
Dos Cabezas Wineworks is bases in Kansas Settlement just south of Willcox. The operation is the mistress of three devoted wine lovers of very different backgrounds, a Hollywood movie director, a retied Car Dealership Executive and a Sr. Civil Servant. Combined the Dos Cabezas team produces award winning wines and fantastic fruit. Dos Cabezas grapes seem to have a magic quality as they all but ensure award-winning wines. The Wine Spectator recently rated a Callaghan Vineyards wine made with Dos Cabezas Petit Syrah grapes 89 out of 100 points. The Arizona Republic named the Dos Cabezas 2000 Toscano Wine of the Week in November 2002. Dos Cabezas wines are served all over the world from New Zealand to our nations capital. In February 2002, The Dos Cabezas Pinot Gris was served along with Crab Cakes at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to the President of the United States, George W. Bush and 50 of the nations Governors. Tours are by appointment only. However, one can sample Dos Cabezas wines in Phoenix at Cave Creek Winery, SPORTMAN'S Fine Wine and Spirits and at AJ's Markets throughout the state. The wines can also purchase online at www.doscabezaswinery.com

3. Ft. Bowie Vineyards
Contact: Ms. Cody Eastman
Tasting Facility: Bowie, Arizona on the north side of the interstate I-10, directly behind the Post Office.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 68 Bowie, Arizona 85605
Tasting Room Hours: Monday through Saturday from 8:30am to 4:00pm
Sunday 10:00am to 3:00pm
Telephone: 1-888-299-5951
Fax: (520) 847-2593
Email: nuts4u@vtc.net
Website: www.fortbowievineyards.com
Best Time to Visit: Spring, Summer & Fall

Best Bit: Pecan Delight Sparking Wine + Hot Tub = So Right

The Story:
Established in 1988, Ft. Bowie Vineyards was named after the US military outpost that made the Apache Chief Cochise a legend. Historians and military scholars have studied the fascinating story of Cochise and the1861 incident at Ft. Bowie for over a century. It has become a lesson in diplomacy and how to avoid military conflict (www.cochisestronghold.com). Ft. Bowie Vineyards is home to over 40 acres of wine grapes ranging from Merlot to Chardonnay. These grapes are used to make a selection of nine different wines including Bowie Blush. This light, sweet and fruity wine is best for summer picnics. Another crowd favorite is Bowie Red, rich, fruity, semi-sweet with black cherry and berry flavors perfect with pasta or pizza. The Pecan Delight is amazing! It's an uplifting sparkling wine with the essence of pecans. It pairs well with any graduation, promotion, birth or New Years celebration.
The vineyard is a real working farm with 450 acres of Pecan trees, 30 acres of walnuts, peaches and sweet cherries all basking in the brilliant Arizona sunshine. We recommend visiting Ft. Bowie Vineyards for wine tasting and stocking up with wines, fresh fruit, nuts and home made peach pie for a picnic at the Ft Bowie Historical site just south of the vineyard. http://www.nps.gov/fobo/

4. Location: Hot Wells Dunes
Website: www.recreation.gov/detail.cfm?ID=2034

The Story:
Take your sandrail, ATV, motorcycle or four-wheel-drive truck to its max in 2,000 acres of rolling dunes, then relax by soaking in hot mineral water. Sound like a day on the beach? The sands at the Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area were part of a beach surrounding a lake approximately two million years ago. What remains today offers one of the most unique recreation spots in Arizona. All types of vehicles including sand rails, ATVs, motorbikes and four-wheel-drive trucks are allowed to ride within the fenced boundary.

Directions: Hot Well Dunes is located 32 miles from Safford. To get there, go about 7 miles east on Hwy. 70, turn south on Haekel Road, and drive another 25 miles. Hot Well Dunes has been designated open to off-road use. More information about Hot Well Dunes may be obtained from the BLM by calling 928-348-4400 or on their website at www.safford.az.blm.gov

5. Location: Fort Bowie National Historic Site
Website: www.nps.gov/fobo/
Fort Bowie commemorates in its 1000 acres, the story of the bitter conflict between the Chiricahua Apaches and the United States military. For more than 30 years Fort Bowie and Apache Pass were the focal point of military operations eventually culminating in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of the Chiricahua's to Florida and Alabama. It was the site of the Bascom Affair, a wagon train massacre, and the battle of Apache Pass, where a large force of Chiricahua Apaches under Mangus Colorados and Cochise fought the California Volunteers.

Hours: Visitor Center: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daily. Ruins Trail hours are from sunrise to sunset. Peak season is from March until May. Admission is free.

6. Location: Chiricahua National Monument
Website: www.nps.gov/chir/

The Story:
Twenty seven million years ago a volcanic eruption of immense proportions shook the land around Chiricahua National Monument. One thousand times greater than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, the Turkey Creek Caldera eruption eventually laid down 2,000 feet of highly silicious ash and pumice. This mixture fused into a rock called rhyolitic tuff and eventually eroded into the spires and unusual rock formations of today.The 18-square-mile Monument is a mecca for hikers and birders. At the intersection of the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, and the southern Rocky Mountains and northern Sierra Madre in Mexico, Chiricahua plants and animals represent one of the premier areas for biological diversity in the northern hemisphere. There is an 8-mile scenic drive to 7,000-foot Massai Point. Chiricahua features 17 miles of maintained trails in a monument that is 90% wilderness. Trails vary in degree of difficultly. The Echo Canyon Trail (3.5 miles) and the Heart of Rocks Trail offer spectacular views of balanced rocks, spires and pinnacles. A picturesque pioneer homestead, the Faraway Ranch, offers daily tours of the house and a chance to learn about the Swedish immigrant family that was one of the first to settle in the area.
Entrance Fee: $6.00 per vehicle; $2.00 per motorcycle, bicycle, or hiker.
Hours: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM year round. Peak season is from March to May.
Directions: Chiricahua National monument is located 120 miles east of Tucson. Exit Interstate 10 at Willcox, and follow Arizona Route 181, 36 miles south to the Monument.

7. Colibri Vineyards
Contact: Mr. Robert Johnson
Tasting Room Hours: Tasting and Tours by appointment for private wine club members
Mailing Address: 2825 W. Hilltop Rd, Portal AZ, 85632
Telephone: (520) 558-2401
Email: azvino@aol.com
Website: www.colibrivineyard.com
Best Bit: Rhone style wine fans have yet another reason to celebrate. Wonderful blends from a mystical landscape.

The Story:
Colibri Vineyards sprawls out at the end of White Tail Canyon at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains. An ideal location situated in a bowl is topped by an old mine that still percolates ample fresh water from miles below earth up to the hearty vines. Colibri's robust Rhone grapes give birth to exquisitely blended and single verital wines. The vineyard is home to scores of humming birds for which the wines are named after. Colibri's "Black Chinned" wine is 100% Mourvedre. This dark purple wine is full bodied with soft tannins and the scent of leather. It turns chewy and firm on the finish, making it a great candidate to match with a fine steak. The vineyard and winery are private and open only for special events to Colibri's exclusive private wine club. However, one maybe able to locate the wines for tasting and purchase in Sedona at Made in Arizona or in Phoenix at Cave Creek Winery best to call ahead. To join Colibri's private wine club go to www.colibrivineyards.com

Best of the Rest:

8. Location: Cave Creek Ranch B & B
Website: www.cavecreekranch.com
Ideal accommodations and location
Contact: Innkeepers; Terrie & Larry Gates: 520-558-2334

9. Location: Newton Observatory Bed & Breakfast
Website: www.jacknewton.com
Wondrous place where Astronomy meets Birding.
Contact: Jack Newton: jack@jacknewton.com
Arizona Sky Village
Box 16413, Portal, AZ 85632
(520) 558-1143

Printable Versions: Norhtern Trail Southern Trail South East Trail