I’m a lover of all things wine. I might have mentioned it, a time or two.
I grew up in Paso Robles, a little gem on California’s central coast–wine country, although back then it wasn’t half the wine destination it is now. Still, I think those vines tangled themselves up in my subconscious, rooting a love for the nectar of the gods down deep in my soul.
Or something like that.
These days, home is closer to the cacti than it is the coast. And Tucson, my friends, isn’t exactly a vintner’s dream. There is, however, an itty bitty place just down the highway–a region supposedly identical to that of my little hometown of Paso Robles: Elgin, Arizona. It’s no Napa, by any means, but it is up and coming. And after having spent last Saturday afternoon touring Elgin’s tasting rooms, I can vouch for its quiet, unpretentious charm.
The day started just before noon, when our friends Tim and Stephanie (of Give Every Day and Metropolitan Mama fame) met us at our house. For months we’d been talking about visiting the local wineries. And, truthfully, I didn’t think it was going to work. (They’ve got a lot on their plate these days). But glory be, it came together at the last minute. I’m so glad it did.
Have I ever mentioned that we live in the sticks? Because we do. Tumbleweeds and cacti are about the only things that populate the untamed part of our property, the occasional rattler not withstanding, of course. It’s a good twenty minute drive just to the nearest grocery store. And another fifteen minutes to Target. Five years of living here has sharpened my self-reliance skills. There is a bright side, though, to our desert digs: we’re as close to Elgin as we are Tucson proper. Score!
The drive to Elgin is a peaceful one–along a quiet road that winds through rolling hills of the countryside. Stephanie, who was raised here in Tucson, said that those hills come alive (albeit, not with the sound of music) during monsoon season. Which, obviously, gives me the perfect excuse reason to head back to Elgin come summer.
Down in Elgin, the winery owners are neighbors (in the most literal sense) and are very supportive of one another. So much so, in fact, that when you bring in a wine glass from a neighboring winery, the price of a tasting is significantly discounted. We paid $10 per person at the first winery. That price included a wine glass which we then used at the subsequent wineries. With our wine glasses, our tasting fees ranged from $3-$6 for tastes of four to eight wines.
We visited five wineries during the afternoon. By the fifth one, we were like old pros, swirling and sniffing with the best of ’em.
It was great fun. Great fun. As is witnessed in the pictures below. One look at that last shot of me ( taken at the fifth of the five wineries we visited) and you’ll see what I mean. Great fun I tell you.
What about you? Have you ever gone wine tasting? If so, where? And if not, is it on your list of to-do’s?
You guys look like you had a great time! Love the last shot of you. I’ve never gone wine tasting!
I agree – great fun.
My favorite photo is the one of the guys with their glasses. How funny that you got “Leaf Johnson” in the picture too…I mean, Keif-Joshua! Ha-ha. ;)
My least favorite photo is the group shot (gotta be honest). (I need to work on my posture).
So, after all that, what kind of wine do you think is your favorite? I think I will need to go a few more times before I know for sure, but I will say that I like reds more than I thought I did.
Thanks for the super fun day. We enjoyed it immensely.
P.S. Can you send me all of the “people” pictures you took? I think I might write a post about our experience also. :)
Why Yes I have gone wine tasting a time or ten. One of my favorite pastimes as spending time with my family is my favorite pastime, this is probably 2nd, shocking I know. I can recall a time in a June not long ago that I went wine tasting with my daugther, mother and granddaughter, that was the best.
Funny you should ask! Matt and I leave for a wine trip to Napa/Sonoma with another couple this weekend. We are super excited about some time away….just adults!
Looks like you guys had an awesome experience.
Well wine aside, I’d only read Stephanie’s blog at MM so the new adventure was big news to me! WOW. Very exciting.
We’ve got some wineries in this area, but we have far more bourbon distilleries to tour. There is a Passport you can get and have stamped at each distillery you tour. Then you send it in and receive a t-shirt for your effort. I imagine it says something like ‘I’m a raging alcoholic’ and I look forward to earning mine soon.
We were on vacation in Daytona Beach a few years back and there’s a local winery shop where they make their own wine – I didn’t see any vineyards there but I took them on their word. I had never been wine tasting before but we were buying a bottle of wine for us and friends so I wanted to try different kinds to see what was best. Now the glasses we used were not the type that are in your pictures – these were smaller glasses. I had never been wine tasting before and had no clue, so I downed the first sample – shot-style! This has become a story that my family has loved to tell as often as possible and I’m sure it reflects that I’m a very cultured person! LOL!
Let’s just say that I’ve gone wine tasting so much that the guy at the winery gave me a reusable bag to tote my bottles in because, uh, I’m a frequest customer.
Looks like a blast! As you know, I’m not much of a wine drinker, but I wish I was!
And I was completely expecting a picture of you and Stephanie copying the silhouettes in the first picture. You didn’t accidentally leave that one out, did you??
Looks like a lovely time! That last picture does bring a “hmm.” I’m with Becca too- I would love to see a little “Lucy & Ethel” reinactment next time, por favor :)
I went to the food & wine festival in Sonoita- Elgin once and it was really fun. Even for a wistful wine drinker but full fooder like me. I think it is every year in October maybe?
Looks like a fine time, Darcie. But I’m still in shock, 35 minutes from Target. I’m not sure if I could handle that.
Looks like you guys had fun. I just read Stephanie’s post and decided to come over. I love mostly white italian wine – Moscato to be precise :)
I love wine tasting! When I lived in Northern Cali, we would go a lot – either Napa or a smaller area known as Apple Hill. Oh I miss that…
Looks like a lot of fun!