Over 20 wines from eight Arizona wineries have scored at least an 88 rating from Wine Spectator and Arizona wines have been served in the White House. Our spectacular wines warrant some sort of celebration, so this year the first-ever Arizona Wine Week will bring Arizona’s best wines and winemakers to the valley for eight days of festivities.
Arizona Wine Week, set for October 30th through November 6th is hosted by the Arizona Wine Growers Association and will feature a series of events including the much-talked-about ‘Festival at The Farm’ on November 6th.
The festivities will include:
Saturday, October 30th:
The week begins with the final 5K race in the Great Arizona Grape Stomp series in Phoenix. Three previous races took runners through the state’s wine growing regions.
Monday, November 1st:
Governor Jan Brewer will proclaim “Arizona Wine Week.”
Throughout the Week:
There will be events happening throughout the week from wine tastings at the Phoenix Public Market, to dinner pairings at local restaurants. Follow this link for updates.
Friday, November 5th:
At the Celebration of the Arizona Growers Reception, guests can meet and mingle with winemakers from across the state, including Arizona Grower’s Cup and Winemaker’s Medal award winners. The casual celebration takes place at Quiessence Restaurant at The Farm at South Mountain where guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and sample top scoring wines from the 2010 competition.
Saturday, November 6th:
End the week with The Festival at The Farm, where the state’s top wine growers will gather to showcase their finest wines at The Farm at South Mountain. Vino lovers from amateurs to aficionados will love the outdoor activities, educational seminars, live music, lunch, live auction and, of course, wine tasting.
The Festival at The Farm is expected to have more than 20 representative from Arizona wineries on site and will include:
- The opportunity to taste wines from more than 20 Arizona wineries.
- A picnic lunch from Santa Barbara Catering, included in the ticket price. There also will be delectable bites from several local businesses.
- A high-energy live auction for packages that include access to top Arizona chefs and winemakers.
- Live music.
- Seminars with limited attendance that will offer a chance for wine lovers to be the judge and pick their favorite local wine, and take a closer look back at the “Judgment of Arizona Wines’’ event where Arizona wines beat notable competition from around the world.
The festival is preceded by Celebration of the Arizona Growers Reception on Friday, November 5th when guests can mingle and meet with winemakers from across the state, including Arizona Grower’s Cup and Winemaker’s Medal award winners. There will also be an opportunity to sample top scoring wines from the 2010 competition. The event will take place from 6-8pm at Quiessence Restaurant at The Farm at South Mountain.
Tickets for each event are $65, or $120 to attend both events. Event details can be found at AzWineFestivalAtTheFarm.com. For more information on “Arizona Wine Week” and the week’s activities, visit arizonawine.org.