During the past several years, something has changed in Jerome, AZ to make the visit that much more enjoyable for wine lovers. Yep, you guessed it, wine tasting and winery-direct to boot! Now, you can skip the brew and taste the grape in our not so deserted ghost town.
One of these is just down Main Street (158 Main) from a popular biker gathering spot, Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards’ “high altitude” tasting room provides a wide variety of possible wine combinations and bottle purchases. Caduceus and Merkin are owned by the front man of the rock groups “Tool” and “Puscifer”, James Keenan, and the ambience of the tasting room goes right along with that spirit, intriguing.
If you pick a tasting flight that starts with white wine then goes to red wine, you will be able to get a fairly good idea of what the Cochise County fruit is all about. Some of the blends push the flavors to the extreme while some of the others remind of good Italian or Spanish wines.
There are also perfect examples of the remarkable progress Arizona vintners have made working with the Chardonnay and Malvasia grapes. Be sure to try the Dos Ladrones white blend. The Sangoivese and Tempranillo based wines are also quite interesting and are excellent examples of why Arizona’s vintners are stacking up well against European competitors in formal tastings.
If you take any of these home, try them with Tapas, a super way to get the party going. Of course, in Jerome, this isn’t the only wine game in town, there’s more just up the hill.
Article by Tom Peiffer, Phoenix Wine Shopping Examiner at Examiner.com
View more of Tom’s articles on Examiner.com by visiting his writer’s page.
