Try being a grump in the aisles of AJ's when you come across a display for Bitch wine, an Australian grenache from the Barossa Valley. I spotted this last night, and got a laugh like I always do when I see some kind of cheeky wine label. (Seems like a lot of winemakers are hams!) Apparently the name was inspired by the grenache grape itself, which is supposed to be a bitch to grow.
Here's something you don't see very often, if ever -- a special event at the highly acclaimed Binkley's.
On Monday, March 23, the Cave Creek fine dining destination will be hosting a six-course winemaker dinner to showcase Frank Family Vineyards, a boutique winery in Napa Valley. AZ Wines Company's Carefree location is also involved in hosting the event, where Todd Graff, winemaker for Frank Family Vineyards, will be on hand to present the pairings.
Get a look at this
Lauren GilgerVoters tasting the local wines on Saturday at the Arizona Wine Consumer Choice Awards at Whole Foods Market in Chandler.Move over, Napa. Arizona's young wine industry is currently undergoing a growth-spurt akin to a 12 year-old basketball player. For proof, see Michele Laudig's cover story from last year, all about former Tool frontman and owner of Stronghold Vineyards in the Verde Valley.
More evidence was available this past Saturday at Whole Foods Market in Chandler, where the s
It's 110 degrees here today. It's 83 up in Jerome. Sounds like a good time for a road trip, no? Oh, if only there weren't that four-letter word called WORK to deal with.
Well, if you can play hooky -- or hold out 'til the weekend -- I already have something to add to your itinerary. It's the Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room, owned by winemaker Maynard James Keenan. It just opened for business last week.
World famous as the frontman of the rock band Tool, Keenan has c
The folks behind Crave Arizona set the bar really high with the event's debut last year (it was originally dubbed Eats3), but round two, set for October 22 to 24, promises to be an even bigger culinary blowout, featuring 50 high-profile Arizona chefs and a handful of celebrity guests who'll lure Valley foodies to SouthBridge and various locales in Old Town Scottsdale.
Among the food and beverage experts involved in the festivities, look for national luminaries like Michael Mina and Dou
Wine? Did somebody say wine?
If your ears perk up at the sound of a cork popping out of a bottle, then this weekend's First Press events are for you.
Friday night kicks off with the First Press Grand Tasting at the Hotel Valley Ho, presented by National Bank of Arizona.
As you'd expect, there will be plenty of gourmet nibbles -- which is a good thing, considering that there will also be more than 100 wines from some of the country's top wineries.
Justin Baldwin of JUSTIN Vineyards &a
This Sunday, November 22, is the day to get out and drink some delicious homegrown wines at the Arizona Wine Growers Festival at the Farm.
First of all, do you really need any excuse to go to the Farm at South Mountain? It's one of the prettiest places in the Valley, and feels a millions miles away from the city, even though it's not far off the highway on South 32nd Street.
The afternoon festivities in the pecan grove ($65 a head) will include wine tastings (with dozens of A
