This week is the continuation of Food, Wine, Relaxation and Fun in Sedona Arizona, part-2!
Up first is Aaron Douglas to talk about the healing and relaxation offered by the High Vibe Collective in Sedona.
Aaron is a certified 500 hour Yoga instructor, CranioSacral bodyworker and Peaceful Body wellness practitioner. His mission is to anchor a large population into their bodies to allow create new generational patterns.
High Vibe Collective is the concierge of retreat experiences in Sedona, customizing synchronistic alignment for the highest good of all. Drop into the local frequency of the healing vortex of Sedona for customized retreat experiences, created for your specific journey in this place in your timeline.
After a relaxing and healing visit to High Vibe Collective, let your new found energy propel you to the quaint and welcoming tasting room for AZ Stronghold Vineyards in Old Town Cottonwood.
Guy, Terry and Winemaker Jason
We had the opportunity to sit down in the tasting room with proprietor Terry Glomski and winemaker Jason McCluskey of AZ Stronghold Vineyards. If you have never visited Arizona’s Verde Valley AVA you’re missing some fine wine. While grape growing in Arizona is not new, the growth in vineyard land and producing wineries is fantastic in the last decade. Terry Glomski has a lot to do with that. He says…
“Arizona Stronghold Vineyards’ wines are the expression of the fierce and wild Arizona terrain. We pride ourselves on being pioneers and farmers first, who use the landscape of Arizona to produce unique and prized wine that will compliment any occasion or collection. Each harvest is meticulously cared for year-in and year-out and every wine and blend is treated as an individual. We recognize that quality fruit is the key to all winemaking endeavors. Our wines showcase the originality of the southwest highlands and accent the terrain, which can be enjoyed in each glass of Arizona Stronghold’s amazing Site Archive wines as well as our signature, regional blends. The varietals are grown near Willcox, Arizona at our Bonita Springs Vineyard as well as fruit sourced from various other local vineyards. We are focused on crafting Arizona grown wines that express the highest quality and value our wild and fierce region has to offer.”
At the Bonita Springs Vineyard in Willcox, they grow: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Malvasia Bianco, Malbec, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Semmion, Pinot Noir, Mourvedre, Petite Sirah, Cab Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Trebbiano, Marsanne, Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Muscat, and Norton.
In addition, they also source fruit from their neighbors from vineyards across Arizona including Willcox, Elgin, the Young, Kingman, and the Verde Valley.
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2019 AZ Stronghold Lozen Red Blend
This year is a blend of two varieties, cabernet sauvignon and malbec. It’s effusively aromatic, with blueberries, blackberries, Rainier cherries, leather, cedar, and baking spices. On the palate, the tannins are well-integrated and support flavors of Rainier cherries, cacao, blackberries, black currants, and vanilla. This wine is as age worthy as any other vintage of Lozen but is also drinking incredibly well now. Enjoy within the next 15 years.
While you can’t get this wine here now, visit azstronghold.com and order some…or better yet, plan a trip to Sedona and visit the tasting room 🙂
For those who crave a recent arrival here in the Flat Lands, check out this wine at Jacob’s on North Rock Road:
2021 Bull by the Horns Paso Robles Cabernet
The fruit was destemmed, 3-5 day cold soak, followed by pump-overs and punch-downs 3 times a day during fermentation. Aged 10 months in stainless steel tanks, and French barriques, 20% new oak. Offers sugar-dusted black currant and cherry, birch beer, espresso, chocolate mint, black licorice, maple candy. Classic, authentic Cabernet structure, true to varietal, fine tannins that stretch to a long, refined, and graceful finish. ABV14.5%
WA94 Points – Robert Parker
WE90 Points – Wine Enthusiast