Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means that the blog may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products or services that I believe will add value to my readers. Thank you for your support!
Scottsdale may not be the first place that comes to mind when going wine tasting…wine and deserts typically don’t go hand in hand. Despite that, downtown Scottsdale has become a hot spot for winery tasting rooms. Known as the “Scottsdale Wine Trail,” downtown Scottsdale presently has six different tasting rooms open to the public for wine tasting, each offering their own unique flavor profile and atmosphere. So if you’re looking to go wine tasting in Scottsdale, this is your ultimate guide!
Most vineyards in Arizona are located in the southeastern corner of the state, near Tuscon. This is the location of Arizona’s two American Viticulture Areas (AVA) - the Sonita AVA and the Willcox AVA. The terroir of Arizona is similar to that of Argentina. As a result, Spanish varietals, south of France varietals, and Argentinian/Chilean varietals perform well here. Arizona winnies have seen great growth over the years, from just 12 licensed wineries in 2006 to 90+!
Scottsdale Wine Trail
The Scottsdale Wine Trail is a cooperative of six wineries in the downtown Scottsdale area all within walking distance of each other. This wine trail was created to advance education and exposure for Arizona produced wines.
All of the winery tasting rooms within the Scottsdale Wine Trail produce award-winning wines. The Wine Trail is a perfect way to experience Arizona’s thriving wine culture and enjoy locally-produced wines.
Five of the six participating wineries are clustered together in Old Town Scottsdale. The 6th tasting room, Aridus Wine Company, is still within walking distance but further away, so if you had to cut out one due to time, this may be the one you’d skip.
Image courtesy of Scottsdale Wine Trail.
Scottsdale Wine Trail Passport
Image courtesy of Scottsdale Wine Trail.
If you’re planning to hit up the Scottsdale Wine Trail hard, you may want to consider purchasing a Wine Trail Passport, which offers discounts at participating wineries in Old Town Scottsdale. (At present, all of the wineries except Aridus Wine Company are participating.) The passport is just $5.00 at any of the participating wineries. With your passport, you can receive $2.00 off a wine tasting at each location.
If you plan to visit all 5 of the participating tasting locations, I think this Passport will be worth it. In my case, I only had time to visit three wineries, so it didn’t really justify the purchase of the Passport. In my opinion, three wineries was about the maximum wine tasting that I could handle in a single day but if you wanted to manage squeezing in a 4th, it’s doable.
The good news about purchasing a Wine Trail Passport is that you do not have to fill your passport in a single day. So if you’re in the area for 2 or more days and you’d like to spread out your tastings across the trip, this may be worthwhile. Plus you’ll have a fun souvenir to take home with you to remind you of your wine tasting in Scottsdale!
Wine Tasting in Scottsdale
1) Aridus Wine Company
Image courtesy of Aridus Wine Company.
Tasting Room
Open Daily at Noon
Previously this tasting room required reservations ahead of time and did not accept walk-in visits, however as of March 14, 2022, reservations are no longer required.
Aridus Wine Company Tasting Room has an inviting atmosphere with a good energy. Staff is friendly and relaxed.
Flights include 4 generous tastings for $20. You can try the white flight, mixed flight, red Bordeaux flight, or the big bold red flight. Cheese and meat platters are available for purchase.
Vineyard
Formerly used as grazing land for livestock, the Aridus vineyard is now 40 acres of land at 5,200 feet elevation in southeastern Arizona with oak trees and mountain views. At present, it falls under the Willcox Appellation, however Aridus Wine Company has proposed a new AVA - Chiricahua Foothills.
The Chiricahua are a band of Apache Native Americans based in Southwest Arizona.
Their first harvest of whites was ready in 2017 (Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Malvasia Bianca) and their first red harvest was in 2019.
Wines
Southeastern Arizona has been noted as having similar weather conditions as Argentina - semi-arid, desert-like, minimal rainfall, high average day temperatures and a drop in temperatures at night. As a result, Malbecs and Spanish wine varieties do well here.
Current white varietals, ranging from $28 to $48, include:
Malvasia Bianca
Fumé Blanc
Muscat
Viognier
Sauvignon Blanc
Current red varietals, ranging from $38 to $71, include:
Cabernet Franc
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Graciano / Graciano Port Style
Syrah
Malbec
Petite Verdot
Petite Sirah
Tempranillo
Montepulciano
2) Arizona Stronghold Vineyards
Tasting Room
Open Daily at 11:30 AM
The Tasting Room for AZ Stronghold just recently opened in Scottsdale in January 2022. Focused on crafting Arizona grown wines that express the highest quality and value of their “fierce” region, AZ Stronghold is true to their mission. I was surprised to find that I enjoyed every one of the six wines that I tried here.
A combo (mixed) flight was $14 and included two whites, one white blend, one rose, one red, and one red blend.
I like this particular tasting room so much that I joined their wine club, Archive Club!
Vineyard
AZ Stronghold is a large winery in Arizona with 180 acres of vineyards. They opened in 2007.
The AZ Stronghold wines are grown at the Bonita Springs Vineyard, near Willcox, Arizona. They also source fruit from other local vineyards located in Willcox, Elgin, the Young, Kingman, and the Verde Valley.
They use both hand-picking and machine-picking methods to harvest their grapes.
Wines
Arizona Stronghold describes their wines as approachable, and I’d have to agree with that statement. I found all six wines that I tried very enjoyable and easy to drink alone and paired with food.
White wines produced are ready for purchase earlier while the red wines are bottle-aged for at least six months before being listed.
Small plates and snacks are available for purchase.
White grapes grown include:
Chardonnay
Malvasia Bianco
Sauvignon Blanc
Gewurztraminer
Riesling
Muscat
Semmion
Trebbiano
Red grapes grown, include:
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Sangiovese
Nebbiolo
Pinot Noir
Mourvèdre
Petite Sirah
Cabernet Franc
Zinfandel
Norton
3) Carlson Creek
Image courtesy of Carlson Creek Vineyard.
Tasting Room
Open Daily at Noon
There’s an art deco tin ceiling as well as bistro table and couch seating. The tasting room is casual and chill with good music and friendly service.
Tastings are $12 per person which includes 5 wines. You can keep your glass for a small extra fee. There are 13+ varietals on rotation. Cheese boards are $15 and include artisan cheese, meats, olives, nuts, and dried fruits.
Vineyard
Also near Willcox, Carlson Creek Vineyards is a family-owned vineyard spanning 280 acres at 4,200 feet. It’s the third largest vineyard in the state of Arizona.
The elevation provides warm days and cool nights, similar to regions found in Argentina, Chile, and Rhone in the south of France. The vineyard’s first 7 acres were planted by the Carlson family in May 2009. In addition to producing their own wines, they sell grapes to 10 other Arizona wineries every harvest.
Wines
Carlson Creek offers red wines, white wines, and sweet wines. They are described as boutique wines for a value price.
Current white varietals include:
Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Riesling
Muscat
Malvasia Bianca
Current red varietals include:
Syrah
Sangiovese
Cabernet Sauvignon
Grenache
Malbec
Mourvèdre
4) LDV Winery
Tasting Room
Open Daily at 11:00 AM
This Scottsdale tasting room is near the South Bridge on the Scottsdale Waterfront. Opened in 2014, the storefront is small but also has a nice wrap-around patio, great for people watching. The fence that borders the patio is made of whole barrels and barrel staves.
You can try three wines for $15 each. I tried the 2018 Sky Island Viognier, the 2018 Rosé of Grenache, and the 2015 Sky Island Grenache. I found them all to be quite pleasant and easy to drink.
Nibbles are available for purchase.
Vineyard
They have 40 acres of land, set at 5,000 feet of elevation, in the southeastern corner of Arizona near the Chiricahua Mountains.
Wines
LDV Winery specializes in producing wines with Rhone-varietal grapes - Viognier, Grenache, Syrah, and Petite Sirah. They focus on single varietal wines but also have some blends to offer. They note that you can taste the volcanic soils and the mountain influences in their wines.
Current white varietals include:
Viognier
Current red varietals include:
Grenache
Petite Sirah
Syrah
5) Merkin Vineyards
Tasting Room
Open Daily at 11:00 AM
Merkin had to be on my tasting list because it’s owned by none other than Maynard James Keenan, Grammy award winning vocalist for the bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer. I grew up listening to Tool and APC so I was excited to visit this tasting room in Scottsdale.
You can try the Merkin Mix mixed flight for $9, the Trial Series mixed flight for $14, or the Caduceus Exclusive red flight for $15. Each flight comes with 3 wines to try.
Though the wines I tried were not my personal favorite of the day, I loved the tasting room that had open air windows, a circular bottle display above the bar, and a delicious full food menu.
This would be the tasting room to stop at for lunch or dinner - the food menu features a locally-grown vegetable-driven tapas menu.
Vineyard
Merkin wine is produced from 110 acres of sustainably-farmed grapes on the Estate Vineyards, located in Verde Valley and Willcox, AZ. The wines are produced by Maynard James and Jen Keenan and Tim White.
Wines
For a 100% Arizona experience with both wines and food, Merkin Vineyards is a must-visit.
6) Salvatore Vineyards (Passion Cellars)
Image courtesy of Tripadvisor.
Tasting Room
Open M-F at Noon; Open Saturday & Sunday at 11:00 AM
You can try a Passion Cellars flight of 5 for $12 or a Salvatore flight of 4 for $25. Cheese platters are available for purchase.
Vineyard
Passion Cellars was established at Salvatore Vineyards in 2013, located in Willcox, AZ. Salvatore Vineyards is named after the grandfather of the winemaker, Jason Domanico. There is a tasting room onsite and offers a view into the barrel room.
Wines
Salvatore Vineyards specializes in fruit-forward, crisp white wines as well as complex red blends. They are small-batch, meticulously made wines, many of which consist of a single barrel. In addition to wines, Salvatore Vineyards (Passion Cellars) offers olive oils and balsamic vinegars.
Are you ready for some wine tasting in Scottsdale?! If you’ve been to any of these tasting rooms, which was your favorite? I’d love to know! Drop them in the comments below!
Author bio
Known as The Jet Set Blonde, Brittany Ryan inspires others to add more adventure to their childfree travel experiences. Brittany has visited 23 countries (and counting!) Connect with her to get access to detailed childfree travel itineraries, travel guides for weekend getaways, and updates on adult-only hotels, resorts, cruises, and other travel amenities.
