This is the wine festival by which all other wine festivals will be measured for me going forward…read more Admittedly this is more expensive than other wine events held here in the valley (between $55-$75/person depending on when you buy tickets). But what you get for the money far exceeds any wine festival I've experienced here in the valley. It didn't hurt that this year's Grape Arizona Wine Event was held on a crystal clear 70 degree day, but this is truly the biggest and best wine event I've been to anywhere in the Phoenix area. My only criticism would be that this event should be held on a Saturday (rather than Sunday) to maximize exposure for the event and its vendors. Other than that, I have almost nothing but positive things to say for this fantastic event.
I bought my ticket about a month in advance so I only had to pay $55 (rather than the door price of $75). With that ticket came a goody bag containing a wine glass, event program, 20 wine tasting tickets (that's not a typo) and 10 food tasting tickets. I counted 15 Arizona wineries at this event and 7 restaurants offering food tastings. Most of the wineries this year hailed from southern Arizona (particularly the Willcox and Sonoita areas) but also with a few from the Verde Valley area as well. Restaurants participating in this year's event included Beckett's Table, Thirteennorth, Match, Leona's Foccacia, Herb Box, Modern Round, and Vincent's Bistro. Additionally there were miscellaneous vendors selling everything to chocolate, to wine glass charms, to olive oil, to home decor.
With so many tickets to use, I wanted to make sure I made use of them all. So I employed a balanced strategy. 2 wine tastings, then 1 food item, then 2 more wine tastings, then another food item, then...well, you get the picture. Thankfully a number of the food vendors had some hearty food samples to help soak up all of that wine. From Beckett's muffuleta sandwich, to Modern Round's beef sliders, to Thirteennorth's turducken meatloaf, and even Vincent's roast beef slider. Though I have to admit my favorite of the food offerings at this event was Leona's cannoli. It was so good I got two helpings.
As for the wines, most the wineries were here earlier in the month at the Grand Arizona Wine Festival so I was somewhat familiar with the offerings. Alcantera (my favorite from the Grand AZ Fest) was unfortunately not one of the wineries on hand this time around. That said I still found plenty of wine varieties to love. My favorite this time around was probably from Carlson Creek (a Willcox winery with a tasting room in Scottsdale). Their Rule Of Three wine is a perfectly well balanced mix of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre. A full bodied but smooth wine that went perfectly with all those food bites.
The crowd at this event, while impressive, was smaller than the Grand Arizona Wine Festival earlier in the month. No doubt in part because this event was more expensive and because this event was on a Sunday rather than a Saturday. But for me that was a good thing as I had room to move about the wine and food booths quite easily and there was plenty of tables and chairs to station myself at any given time. And unlike the Grand AZ Festival, there was an abundance of food offerings to help balance out all the alcohol. The entry price may not be cheap, but what you get for the money is truly worth every penny. I was able to make use of all my tickets in just over two hours, though I could have easily spent more time here if I were hanging out with a big group.
Fantastic event showcasing both Arizona's growing selection of wineries as well as some of the Phoenix area's diverse culinary treasures. Hoping to see even more offerings the next time this event comes around as there's plenty of room for even more vendors should they decide to come to this event next year. A quick note that a portion of the proceeds from this event also goto the Phoenix Rotary 100 Club. So to recap: Drink wine, eat good food, support a good cause. Any questions?
