Author Archives: azwine

Rancho Maria Vineyard Grenache Harvest 2011

Posted on September 13, 2011 by azwine

Rancho Maria, the 2nd bonded and licensed winery in Pima County (as of September 2011 [edit: Charron Vineyards is actually the first]), had a somewhat disappointing yield per acre this year, but that just means the fruit harvested during the … Continue reading →

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Cellaring Wine in a Hot Climate

Posted on August 29, 2011 by azwine

Wine is primarily cellared for two reasons; first, to allow the wine time to improve with age, and second, to stock up on a particularly good vintage. In Arizona, our relatively warm ambient room temperatures and lack of basements makes … Continue reading →

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2011 Crush for Bodega Ken Estate Barbera

Posted on August 3, 2011 by azwine

2011 was a poor year for my backyard vineyard.  Cathy and I were able to harvest only a third of the amount of grapes we got last year. This year we decided to try something a little different.  Because of … Continue reading →

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Monsoon Season

Posted on July 24, 2011 by azwine

For Arizona winemakers, Monsoon season is both a welcome change and an obstacle.  As harvest nears for those of us in the Tucson and Phoenix wine valleys, deficit watering has been underway, so the heavy rains throw off that process … Continue reading →

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Bottling Day, July 16, 2011

Posted on July 17, 2011 by azwine

Cocina Adobe Vineyard We decided to bottle last year’s wine today to make room for this year’s harvest; the first from our vineyard. Making wine can be a messy job, so I prefer to keep the mess in the garage. … Continue reading →

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Praying Mantis @ El Magico Vineyards (Tucson)

Posted on June 23, 2011 by azwine

This is a good sign.  I’ve only sprayed the grapevines once this whole season with a chrysanthemum mix (organic, from Ace Hardware), and have had no problems with bugs.  Between this guy (er, gal), the black widows, and other spiders, … Continue reading →

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New AZ WineMakers Site

Posted on June 9, 2011 by azwine

Howdy! We’re currently updating the AZ WineMakers website.  In the meantime, visit our Facebook page for the latest updates. – Nate

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