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Grapes in the desert: Could Willcox be wine country?
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By AINSLEE S. WITTIG/Arizona Range News
Wine Country, USA.
In the not-so-distant future, that may be another name for Willcox, Az.
Four Cochise County winegrowers gathered recently with their wines for a private tasting, introducing community members to the idea of building Willcox through wine.
"Rutherford and St. Helena, Calif., were small farm towns 25 years ago. Now, a small house in St. Helena is $1.5 million," said Rod Keeling, president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association and owner of Keeling-Shaefer Vineyards. "Willcox has the most potential in Arizona. This is where it's going to happen."
Keeling, who has eight and a half acres of vineyards at Rock Creek on the slope of the Chiricahua Mountains, said "there are three things needed for success in growing vineyards: good soil, great climate and good wine law."
"We've got the first two and we're working on keeping the third," he said.
Dos Cabezas Winery and Vineyard is 11 years old and now has 60 acres of vineyards in Kansas Settlement, said its president and winemaker Al Buhl.
"We'll add two or three more acres in the spring. We made 2,500 cases of wine last year and we're shooting for 3,000 next year. We sell about 50 percent of our grapes (to other winemakers), but we eventually would like to keep them all and put it all into our own wine," Buhl said.
Buhl has had grapes growing here since 1984, and his wines have won awards and been served at the White House.
Bob Johnson, owner of Colibri Vineyard and Winery north of Portal, has eight and a half acres of vineyards in production and makes 1,500 to 2,000 cases of wine each year.
Johnson said the property was purchased in 1995 for the family-owned business, adding, "We produce and bottle our wine on site. We use sustainable organic practices and a progressive style of agriculture."
Johnson has a vision of a "wine route circling the Chiricahuas, from Bowie to Portal to Rock Creek and Kansas Settlement. It's a great place to grow. We can offer a lot to the county ... there will be a boom," he said.
Sedona's Echo Canyon Winery owner Jon Marcus purchased 80 acres and planted 30 acres of vineyards in Kansas Settlement in 2005. Matthew Dunlap will manage the vineyard, produce the wine and open a winery on Fort Grant Road.
The Crop Circle Vineyard and Winery is expected to open "in late April or early May, at the latest, and we plan to sell all the local wines out of our winery," Dunlap said.
Dick Erath, owner, founder and winemaker at Erath Vineyards in Dundee, Ore., has purchased 200 acres on the Dos Cabezas bench, northeast of Kansas Settlement and 11 miles southeast of Willcox, next to the Dos Cabezas Winery and Vineyard.
Erath said he has 114 acres of vineyards in Oregon and produces 70,000 cases of wine per year, but he started in 1972 with 216 cases of wine.
"I see the same potential here. The whole idea is to be a shepherd of what's going on - plant the right varieties and maximize their growing season," Erath said.
Erath did not bring wine for tasting, but came to support the growing wine region here.
"I'll be planning 16 red and six white varieties (of grape) next month on 14 acres," he said, with plans to increase next year to 22 acres.
Keeling and wife Jan Schaefer own the 18-and-a-half-acre Keeling-Schaefer Vineyards in Rock Creek on the western slope of the Chiricahua Mountains. Eight and a half acres are producing, and Keeling said they will be ready to sell their first licensed wine at the end of the year.
Keeling said grapes take much less water to grow than most other Arizona crops.
"It takes six acre-feet of water to grow three bales per acre of cotton, which is worth $750; while one acre of grapes, worth $15,000 to $20,000 per acre, takes 12 to 14 (acre) inches of water. Or in other words, five acres of vineyards takes the same amount of water as one household of four (people)," Keeling said.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for the Willcox area. You could put 20 Napa Valleys in this place (Sulphur Springs Valley/Chiricahua slopes). We have the infrastructure here to serve the agriculture base, and there's more property that's got potential for growing grapes - any side of a hill works," he said, adding that the price of property is also higher in other areas, such as Sedona.
"It could be a really big thing in the area, because we can grow great grapes," said Keeling, who has used grapes from both Buhl and Pete Lechtenboehmer, of Sweet Sunrise Vineyards in Kansas Settlement, to make wine at home this year.
Keeling is beginning his second year as president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association, and his focus is now on keeping Arizona laws winery-friendly.
"It's very complex and chaotic legislation at this point," he said.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled May 15, 2005, that states must treat in-state and out-of-state wineries equally with respect to direct shipping and distribution, Keeling said.
Small wineries in Arizona here been allowed to ship directly to consumers and retailers in the state since 1982, and this opens the door to out-of-state wineries to ship and sell directly here as well.
This, however, upsets wholesale distributors, who stand to lose business.
Two bills are currently being heard in the state House of Representatives, one backed by wine growers and the other backed by more powerful - in number and monetary backing - wholesale distributors, Keeling said.
HB 2500 would preserve the right of wineries that produce less than 50,000 gallons annually to sell directly to consumers and retailers here and in other states. Wineries in other states would be able to sell directly to Arizonans as well. If this bill passes, wineries would be able to bypass the middlemen (the distributors), he said.
HB 2697 would force wineries producing less than 75,000 gallons a year to sell to distributors, which would increase costs for the wineries and costs to consumers.
"We (small boutique wineries) wouldn't be able to compete (with large wineries). Our profit is minimal with wholesale distribution and the price for consumers would increase 35 percent," Buhl said.
Keeling said growers have "done a poor job communicating our industry. We're just farmers, like those growing apples and pecans, and we need help. Call your legislators and senators and say you support Cochise County wineries.
"When it comes to community development, Willcox should think about wine."
In the not-so-distant future, that may be another name for Willcox, Az.
Four Cochise County winegrowers gathered recently with their wines for a private tasting, introducing community members to the idea of building Willcox through wine.
"Rutherford and St. Helena, Calif., were small farm towns 25 years ago. Now, a small house in St. Helena is $1.5 million," said Rod Keeling, president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association and owner of Keeling-Shaefer Vineyards. "Willcox has the most potential in Arizona. This is where it's going to happen."
Keeling, who has eight and a half acres of vineyards at Rock Creek on the slope of the Chiricahua Mountains, said "there are three things needed for success in growing vineyards: good soil, great climate and good wine law."
"We've got the first two and we're working on keeping the third," he said.
Dos Cabezas Winery and Vineyard is 11 years old and now has 60 acres of vineyards in Kansas Settlement, said its president and winemaker Al Buhl.
"We'll add two or three more acres in the spring. We made 2,500 cases of wine last year and we're shooting for 3,000 next year. We sell about 50 percent of our grapes (to other winemakers), but we eventually would like to keep them all and put it all into our own wine," Buhl said.
Buhl has had grapes growing here since 1984, and his wines have won awards and been served at the White House.
Bob Johnson, owner of Colibri Vineyard and Winery north of Portal, has eight and a half acres of vineyards in production and makes 1,500 to 2,000 cases of wine each year.
Johnson said the property was purchased in 1995 for the family-owned business, adding, "We produce and bottle our wine on site. We use sustainable organic practices and a progressive style of agriculture."
Johnson has a vision of a "wine route circling the Chiricahuas, from Bowie to Portal to Rock Creek and Kansas Settlement. It's a great place to grow. We can offer a lot to the county ... there will be a boom," he said.
Sedona's Echo Canyon Winery owner Jon Marcus purchased 80 acres and planted 30 acres of vineyards in Kansas Settlement in 2005. Matthew Dunlap will manage the vineyard, produce the wine and open a winery on Fort Grant Road.
The Crop Circle Vineyard and Winery is expected to open "in late April or early May, at the latest, and we plan to sell all the local wines out of our winery," Dunlap said.
Dick Erath, owner, founder and winemaker at Erath Vineyards in Dundee, Ore., has purchased 200 acres on the Dos Cabezas bench, northeast of Kansas Settlement and 11 miles southeast of Willcox, next to the Dos Cabezas Winery and Vineyard.
Erath said he has 114 acres of vineyards in Oregon and produces 70,000 cases of wine per year, but he started in 1972 with 216 cases of wine.
"I see the same potential here. The whole idea is to be a shepherd of what's going on - plant the right varieties and maximize their growing season," Erath said.
Erath did not bring wine for tasting, but came to support the growing wine region here.
"I'll be planning 16 red and six white varieties (of grape) next month on 14 acres," he said, with plans to increase next year to 22 acres.
Keeling and wife Jan Schaefer own the 18-and-a-half-acre Keeling-Schaefer Vineyards in Rock Creek on the western slope of the Chiricahua Mountains. Eight and a half acres are producing, and Keeling said they will be ready to sell their first licensed wine at the end of the year.
Keeling said grapes take much less water to grow than most other Arizona crops.
"It takes six acre-feet of water to grow three bales per acre of cotton, which is worth $750; while one acre of grapes, worth $15,000 to $20,000 per acre, takes 12 to 14 (acre) inches of water. Or in other words, five acres of vineyards takes the same amount of water as one household of four (people)," Keeling said.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for the Willcox area. You could put 20 Napa Valleys in this place (Sulphur Springs Valley/Chiricahua slopes). We have the infrastructure here to serve the agriculture base, and there's more property that's got potential for growing grapes - any side of a hill works," he said, adding that the price of property is also higher in other areas, such as Sedona.
"It could be a really big thing in the area, because we can grow great grapes," said Keeling, who has used grapes from both Buhl and Pete Lechtenboehmer, of Sweet Sunrise Vineyards in Kansas Settlement, to make wine at home this year.
Keeling is beginning his second year as president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association, and his focus is now on keeping Arizona laws winery-friendly.
"It's very complex and chaotic legislation at this point," he said.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled May 15, 2005, that states must treat in-state and out-of-state wineries equally with respect to direct shipping and distribution, Keeling said.
Small wineries in Arizona here been allowed to ship directly to consumers and retailers in the state since 1982, and this opens the door to out-of-state wineries to ship and sell directly here as well.
This, however, upsets wholesale distributors, who stand to lose business.
Two bills are currently being heard in the state House of Representatives, one backed by wine growers and the other backed by more powerful - in number and monetary backing - wholesale distributors, Keeling said.
HB 2500 would preserve the right of wineries that produce less than 50,000 gallons annually to sell directly to consumers and retailers here and in other states. Wineries in other states would be able to sell directly to Arizonans as well. If this bill passes, wineries would be able to bypass the middlemen (the distributors), he said.
HB 2697 would force wineries producing less than 75,000 gallons a year to sell to distributors, which would increase costs for the wineries and costs to consumers.
"We (small boutique wineries) wouldn't be able to compete (with large wineries). Our profit is minimal with wholesale distribution and the price for consumers would increase 35 percent," Buhl said.
Keeling said growers have "done a poor job communicating our industry. We're just farmers, like those growing apples and pecans, and we need help. Call your legislators and senators and say you support Cochise County wineries.
"When it comes to community development, Willcox should think about wine."
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| Willcox city manager resigns; Darol Cridlebaugh to work until June 30 | Ainslee S. Wittig/Range News |
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