A Guide to Wine Tasting in Southern Arizona
The world of wine is incredibly diverse. While most people have tasted wine, few have truly experienced the wide spectrum of wines out there or had the chance to discover a personal favorite. There are thousands of types of wine-making grapes (known as varietals) grown all over the world. In the grocery store, common varietals like Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Zinfandel, and Riesling are easily found. However, a quick trip to your neighborhood Vail winery, Charron Vineyards, can introduce you to exciting new varietals, blends, and flavors that embody the heart of southern Arizona’s wine country!
Location Matters
Wine varietals take on characteristics of the region in which they are grown, known as terroir, which means the grapes have a “sense of place.” This includes factors like elevation, soil content, rainfall, sunlight, heat, and climate. Because these factors vary, each wine-growing region has a unique flavor – even if the varietal is the same. For example, a Merlot from Charron Vineyards will taste different than a Merlot grown in California, Washington, or France. This is why regional wine tasting is such an exciting experience! It has been said that “you can taste the struggle” the grapes experienced while growing here in Arizona, and this creates a bold and unique wine.
Wine Flavors
Every wine offers a unique balance of flavors. Even the same varietal, like our Merlot, will taste different from year to year due to factors such as rain, sun, and sugar content of grapes. The flavor can also change as the wine ages in the bottle. Wine tasting is subjective, and part of the fun is creating your own flavor descriptions. You may have wondered why wines are described as having notes of cherries, peaches, blackberries, or citrus – it’s simply an analogy. Sometimes people ask us if these flavors are added to wine, but wine is nothing but fermented grapes! Next time you taste a wine, try not to read the description. What notes do you taste?
The Wine Tasting Experience at Charron Vineyards
Interested in learning more about wine? Come visit us! Located in Vail, we offer personalized wine tasting experiences whenever the tasting room is open – no reservations required. You can come to the tasting room and select any six wines from our menu, which consists of eighteen different wines. While we only grow the Merlot varietal in our vineyard, we make the rest of our wines from grapes sourced in Willcox, Arizona – which offers a very similar terroir. We have something for every palate … including several dry whites, blushes, dry reds, sweet whites and reds, and even fruity wine slushies! If you bring your own glass from home, tastings are only $10, or you can get a tasting with a souvenir acrylic glass for $14 or a souvenir crystal glass for $16.
Unsure where to begin? No problem! In March, we run our “March Madness” wine flight, which consists of our six top selling wines and guests get to vote for their favorite wine from each “bracket” (category), making it a great way for novice wine drinkers to experience a variety of wines. Also, for our “I Drink and I Know Things Lecture Series,” vineyard owners Colton Noble and Sarah Wolff will discuss wine tasting, growing grapes in Arizona, how our wine is made, and give a ONE TIME ONLY mini-tour of the winery. This FREE talk on Saturday, March 30th from 1:00 – 2:00pm is open to everyone. Bring your questions and curiosity to this insightful talk and learn more about the wines and winemakers of southern Arizona.
By Sarah Wolff and Michelle Moll