If you want to enjoy lunch at a winery, Page Springs Cellars is your best choice in Cornville. They have the perfect patio with a good variety on the menu with wine to go with it, of course. Simply order lunch in the tasting room at the beginning of your visit and they will have it ready to take out on the patio when your favorite tasting flight is complete.
Their operation, one of the oldest in the Verde Valley, has been in the same spot, along North Page Springs road, since about 2001. Because Page Springs Cellars’ earliest vintage was in 2003, their wines have continued to evolve and now a larger portion of the fruit is estate grown in the Verde Valley.
One of their white blends is quite similar to the popular Italian or Spanish white wines. They simply call it “Vino del Barrio Blanca”. It contains Malvasia, Chenin Blanc, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat and Pinot Gris. The combination gives it more body than a pure Sauvignon Blanc with a distinctive balance of floral and mineral in the bouquet. It has a good acid base similar to many European white blends and definitely will work with a lightly dressed tossed salad and trout.
The “La Serrana” white wine is made from a blend of Viognier and Rousanne grapes from southeast Arizona and is a much richer wine. Its honey-like finish and bigger body make it the perfect mix with strong cheeses and pear appetizers.
If you like a Petite Syrah like those from France’s Northern Rhone, try their “Petite Sirah – Ranchita Canyon Vineyard” (you can only get it at the winery). It is sourced from Paso Robles grapes and exhibits a big dark fruit and dry grassland bouquet that culminates in a very full Syrah experience. Wines like this always go well with braised lamb or broiled pork.
Enjoy the shaded patio for lunch and be sure to order a bottle of wine along with it. Page Springs has a nice selection of half bottles (375 ml) for those who don’t want to over-do it for the remainder of the day.
Be sure to walk down to the creek flowing behind the building. Their gardens are very well done and it provides an excellent opportunity to relax in a truly Arizona setting created by a streambed flood plain in the Cornville area.
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.
