Vineyards and Winemakers

Sam Pillsbury Spills on the Reason He Landed in Arizona, and Launches a Wine Column for Chow Bella

This week we introduce a new, occasional wine column by one of the best-known Arizona winemakers, Sam Pillsbury. Welcome to Spillsbury. When managing editor Amy Silverman asked me to write for Chow Bella and New Times, I had to stop and think how that was going to work. I think that will evolve. I ... More >>

Arizona WIne at Devoured 2013

Pavle Milic knows his way around a bottle of Arizona wine, so when he graciously offered to give us the rundown on the local wine showcased last weekend at Devoured, we jumped at the chance. Full disclosure: As co-owner of FnB in Scottsdale, Milic serves AZ wine and he's in the process of making his ... More >>

New Online Wine Retailer Cuts Out the Middleman for Savings on Top-Notch Wine

The folks at Nakedwines.com, a British online wine retailer that recently launched in the United States, say they have some bad news for wine lovers. "When you spend $50 on a bottle of delicious Napa Cab, you are spending about $7 on wine," the website says. "And $43 on sales, marketing and other s ... More >>

Maynard James Keenan: Biodynamics For Dummies

With few exceptions, knowing is better than not knowing. As they say, "Knowledge is power." If you believe this as much as I do, then you can understand why some of our historic monsters went to such great lengths to eliminate knowledge and why forward thinkers and the socially conscious would die ... More >>

Four Wines Under $6

Feeling thrifty? Good, because this week we explore wines under $6-$7. You know, the ones no one really boasts about buying....but admit it, you do. These bottles cost less than an entire glass of wine a nice wine bar, so you pick one up at the grocer's in hopes you'll be pleasantly surprised. Whet ... More >>

Local and Online Wine Clubs to Try

Thinking of starting 2013 with a wine club membership for yourself or as a gift for a fellow wine lover? Afraid of commitment? Looking for special access to members only wines? Discounts? Today, we compare some online and local options, all of which have free membership. See also: - Shit Wine Snob ... More >>

Yavapai College Launches Associates Degree in Enology -- the Science of Wine

Love wine? You can get a degree in it for real here in Arizona. Did you know enology is the science and study of wine and wine making while viticulture is a subfield specializing in vine-growing and harvesting? If you're looking for a new career or are just really into learning more about wine, you ... More >>

Maynard Keenan, Sam Pillsbury, Todd Bostock and other Wine Experts Give Pavle Milic Advice on Designing Wine Labels -- and Pavle Finally Names His Wine

"Los Milics" In this occasional series, Pavle Milic (co-owner of FnB, Baratin, Bodega and AZ Wine Merchants in Scottsdale) will spill about his current mission to learn how wine is made -- literally from the Southern Arizona ground up. Today: What's in a name? And some advice from the pros on label ... More >>

Amazon.com Will Start Selling Wine

The internet's monolithic online retailer, Amazon.com, is poised to begin selling wine through their Marketplace sometime later this month. See Also: --Pavle Milic's Wine-Making Adventure --5 Ways to Open a Bottle of Wine (Without a Corkscrew) We can only imagine how handy Amazon.com's customer r ... More >>

Pavle Milic Harvests the Grapes for His Still Unnamed Wine

In this occasional series, Pavle Milic (co-owner of FnB, Baratin, Bodega and AZ Wine Merchants in Scottsdale) will spill about his current mission to learn how wine is made -- literally from the Southern Arizona ground up. Today: the harvest. Momentary Suspension of Reality I have made the drive t ... More >>

AZ Hops & Vines in Sonoita Grows Arizona's First Commercial Hops Crop

See also: Ten Favorite Arizona Summer Festivals and Adventures for Food, Wine and Beer Lovers Nowadays, the rolling grasslands of Sonoita and Elgin are better known for wineries than big cattle ranches. But apparently, grapes aren't destined to be the only gold in them thar hills. Shannon Austin ... More >>

Get Thirsty: Chef Gabriele Bertaccini Introduces BACCHUS MISCHiEF

MISCHiEF maker and il Tocco chef, Gabriele Bertaccini is at again, and this time, he brought the wine. BACCHUS MISCHiEF will make its premiere (and already sold-out) appearance at an undisclosed location on July 28. Bertaccini's new event is the new younger sibling of the three-year-old CULINARY M ... More >>

Wine Regions 101: Sonoita/Elgin

Welcome to Vine Geeks, where Brian Reeder and Pavle Milic of AZ Wine Merchants take the drinking game quite seriously. Pay attention -- you might just learn something. One of the consistent columns I'll be writing as the resident 'vine geek' will be about different wine regions around the state, n ... More >>

Pavle Milic's Quest to Make Wine: A Quixotic Exploit?

Earlier this spring, we launched Vine Geeks -- in which AZ Wine Merchants' Brian Reeder and Pavle Milic share advice, news and a little levity from the world of wine. Today, we bring you Romancing the Grape. In this occasional series, Milic will spill about his current mission to learn how wine is ... More >>

Five Ways Not to Buy Wine

Vine Geek Brian Reeder co-owns AZ Wine Merchants in Scottsdale. Wine is subjective. Every wine is different. It all depends on your taste. Price doesn't equal quality. It's all the same anyway. Just drink what you like. Blah. Blah. Blah. We've all heard the nomenclatures. The bullshit lines that e ... More >>

Meet the Vine Geek (Part Two)

On Tuesday, you met Brian Reeder, co-owner of AZ Wine Merchants and one of our new wine columnists. Today, his story continues. When we left off, Pavle Milic (in the photo above, from left, it's Reeder and Milic) had opened a little restaurant in Scottsdale and Brian had decided resort life at the M ... More >>

Drink Wine with NPR's Peter Sagal and Support KJZZ's Youth Media Center

​First Press Arizona is throwing its 10th live fine wine auction and dinner on February 11 at Kierland Resort and Spa to benefit KJZZ's Youth Media Center. The smart and witty Peter Sagal, of NPR's game show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, will be the evening's host. Guests will live it up with liv ... More >>

Purple Drank

Blueberry Pinot Noir, Green Apple Riesling, White Chocolate Ale and Other Sips of the Kokopelli Wine Festival

"Going once....going twice...sold!" Kokopelli winemaker Dennis Minchella auctions off one of the 1,000,000th bottles.​We spent more time (okay, all of our time) sipping at grapes rather than crushing them over the weekend at the 10th Annual Kokopelli Krush, a wine festival put on by Kok ... More >>

Bottling Wine with Sam Pillsbury and Co.

Nicole Whittington and James Waldron​When I went up to the Verde Valley to bottle wine with winemakers Eric Glomski, Tim White and Sam Pillsubry, I kept hearing that "wine making isn't as romantic as everyone thinks." Maybe the guys were afraid that I would find the monotonous assembly of bottl ... More >>

Follow Friday: Twitterers of the AZ Wine World

It's that time again. We've compiled a small but meaningful list of great Twitter-ers for any Phoenix foodie to follow. This week we're giving Arizona grapes the glory. http://www.arizonawine.org/growingRegions.html Arizona Wine Map​Arizona Wine Growers Association (@AZWineries) This non-pr ... More >>

Are Women Better Winemakers?

UNCORK THE ISSUE: "Are women better winemakers than men?" was our question of the night during AZ Wine Co. Winemaking Ladies tasting last Thursday. On the tasting menu at the South store were wines crafted by famed female winemakers Heidi Peterson Barrett, Celia Welch and Kathryn Hall. SPILL THE JU ... More >>

Why Arizona Wine Isn't a Non Sequitur

Growing grapes and making wine in Arizona? Is that even possible? Better question: Is that even drinkable? If you've been around the block to Sonoita, Willcox and the Verde Valley, you know that the answer to both of those questions is an overwhelming affirmative... but if you're like us, we're stil ... More >>

This Bites

Caffe Boa Winemaker Dinner and Blondies in Today's Eater's Digest

Bakergirl​Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Winemaker DinnerGet naked with Caffe Boa and winemakers Tony Coturri from Coturri wines and Olivier Cousin from France for a special evening of naked food and wine Saturday March 12. The Naked Winemake ... More >>

Winemaker Dinner at Crudo Cafe and "The Most Dangerous Appetizer" in Today's Eater's Digest

Allen Salkin​Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Winemaker DinnerTonight Old Town Scottsdale's Crudo Cafe welcomes you to join them for a special Winemakers Dinner with John McLoughlin of Dribble Creek Wines. The local wine-man will be talking abo ... More >>

Pavle Milic Pours His Heart Out at Ignite Phoenix 9

Photo courtesy of virtualwayfarer via FlickrIgnite Phoenix 9 happened a week ago, and we at Chow Bella are still aflame about the food-related topics discussed.  As food writers and lovers of fermented liquids, we were most excited about the presentations of Maureen Basenberg, founder of the A ... More >>

Wine, Winemakers and Winos: What You Missed at the Paso Robles Winemaker Dinner

Where there is wine and winemakers, you can be damn sure there will be winos, which is why we hit the trifecta at the Paso Robles winemaker dinner at Petite Maison this Monday. The winemakers of Paso Robles showcased their signature Rhône varietal blends with a five-course meal Chef James Porter s ... More >>

Is it Bad to Shop for Wine By the Label?

UNCORK THE ISSUE: Is it bad to shop for wine by label? SPILL THE JUICE: "No!" says Stephanie Caraway, the southwestern regional manager at Terlato Wines International. "We all do it. The way I see it is if the aesthetic on the front of the bottle matches my aesthetic, I'll probably also like the aes ... More >>

FnB Wine Dinner and BBQ Chicken Tacos in Today's Eater's Digest

cakebatterandbowl.com​ Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?FnB Wine DinnerNeed a post holiday pick me up? Treat yourself to FnB's Javelina Leap Winemakers Dinner Tuesday, January 4th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.. Enjoy a four-course dinner specially pre ... More >>

Winemakers Dinner, Udder Delights, and Mummy Meatloaf in Today's Eater's Digest

www.theknead4speed.com​Hungry for your early morning serving of food news, with no preservatives or additives?Wine Dinner at The BouldersLatilla at The Boulders Resort is hosting a Winemakers Dinner this Thursday, October 14. The recently overhauled restaurant's Executive Chef, Michael Pieton will ... More >>

This Weekend: Pillsbury Wine Tasting Room Grand Opening

Meet winemaker Sam Pillsbury (above, center) and taste his new releases at this weekend's tasting room shindig.​Looking for a weekend road trip idea? I suggest a jaunt up to Cottonwood, where winemaker Sam Pillsbury is hosting a grand opening party for his new wine tasting room and gallery ... More >>

Wine Talk: David Johnson of Oakville Grocery Co.

David Johnson, the wine director at Oakville Grocery Co., dispenses unpretentious wine advice as a bonus to this week's Chef Talk with his business partner, Chef Walter Sterling.

Book Week: The Battle for Wine and Love

​Wine writer Alice Feiring's The Battle for Wine and Love: Or How I Save the World From Parkerization, my food-centric book club's latest pick, was a fitting summer read, serving up a lot of insider wine world info in the form of a personal narrative that sees the author visiting winemak ... More >>

Wine Tasting

Feast of Love

Food freaks unite in central Phoenix

This Weekend: Devoured Phoenix Culinary Classic

Jason Silva A year ago, I sipped some wine at West of Western culinary festival with entrepreneur and small business advocate Kimber Lanning of Local First Arizona, chatting about boosting the profile of local restaurants. If only I'd brought a crystal ball with me. ... More >>

Make Your Own Wine, Quick & Easy!

​ ​Famed director Francis Ford Coppola did it. So did Sam Neill and Olivia Newton-John and Tool's Maynard James Keenan. If they can get into the wine business, so can you! All you need is a large grape arbor, some vats, processing equipment, oak barrels, bottles, massive amounts of tim ... More >>

Free Wine Tastings Tonight at Phoenix Public Market

A delectable red from Pillsbury Wine Company.​We're headed into Wednesday night, and that means the Downtown Phoenix Public Market on Central Ave. will be opening in less than an hour. From 4-8 p.m. this evening, the market is hosting two free wine tastings. Sam and Dana Pillsbury of P ... More >>

Camelback Inn Launches Meet the Winemaker Series

Joy Sterling​If you've ever loved a wine so much that you wanted to meet the crafter of the spirit, now's your chance to get a little closer to the people who make tasty vino. Rita's Kitchen at the Camelback Inn is hosting a montly series of "Meet the Winemaker" events, where patrons may sa ... More >>

Sunday: Arizona Wine Growers Festival at the Farm

​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 milli ... More >>

Maynard James Keenan Opens Wine Tasting Room in Jerome

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 ... More >>

Local Wine Wins at Whole Foods

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 st ... More >>

Binkley's Restaurant Hosts Winemaker Dinner

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 ... More >>

In a Bitchy Mood?

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 ... More >>

Can Maynard James Keenan Put Arizona Wine on the Map?

Grape Expectations

Celebrate the wines of Rioja, Spain

Second Helpings

SECOND HELPINGS

SECOND HELPINGS