Powerhouse Arizona winery closes Old Town tasting room

Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, one of the oldest and most prolific wineries in the state, closed its Old Town Scottsdale tasting room earlier this month.

The venue poured its last flights on June 7, four years after opening on a busy stretch of Marshall Way.

The tasting room boasted a cozy streetside patio and an interior space that hosted customers seeking relaxation with a glass of wine paired with small bites, as well as lively bachelorette parties hopping along the Scottsdale Wine Trail. 

The decision to close was not sparked by a drastic rent hike nor a lease issue, however. The choice was made in an effort to better serve Arizona Stronghold’s Valley wine club, which has about 500 members, says General Manager Terry Glomski.

When the Scottsdale tasting room opened in 2022, accommodating the winery’s wine club members in metro Phoenix was the main driver, Glomski says.

The central Scottsdale location was intended to facilitate pickups and club member events by sparing members the drive north to the winery’s original tasting room in Cottonwood, about 15 miles south of Sedona. 

But many members who live in the exurbs still found the drive into Old Town daunting as they battled traffic for an hour each way. 

“There had to be a better way to support them than just the tasting room in Old Town,” Glomski says. “We came up with a way to support them in a different way and it didn’t make sense to do that and have the tasting room.” 

The winery’s remedy involves partnering with select businesses in the food and beverage industry all over the Valley for pick-up parties and other club events. These events will start this year. 

“Rotating our events at different lotions benefits all of our club membership,” Glomski says. “We thought that approach was a better solution and would make our membership happier.” 

Arizona Stronghold produces 15,000-20,000 cases of wine a year, making it one of the largest producers in the state. In 2010, it was the first to open a tasting room in downtown Cottonwood, in the heart of the Verde Valley, one of the state’s three designated American Viticultural Areas. Today, it’s nestled among a group tasting rooms lining Main Street, which has become a destination for wine lovers from near and far. With the Old Town closure, the Cottonwood tasting room remains open. 

Arizona Stronghold’s Scottsdale shop was one of the main attractions on the wine trail through Old Town. Since Merkin Vineyards abruptly shut down its tasting room and restaurant in 2024 when it could not reach an agreement on its lease, Arizona Stronghold had been the only tasting room representing the Verde Valley on the trail.