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Festival celebrates Arizona’s wine country

BY ALLISON BROWN

GetOut Staff Writer

The Willcox Wine Country Partnership is traveling north to Downtown Phoenix to celebrate the Grand Canyon State’s vino with the Arizona Wine Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 29-30.

The event with the party atmosphere will feature 20 Arizona wineries and more than 150 wines.

“This is the biggest celebration of Arizona wine in the state,” said Rod Keeling, president of the Willcox Wine Country Partnership and owner of Keeling Schaefer Vineyards.

“Two years ago, we had a record number of wine tasters attend the festival. We are excited that festivals are once again being produced and we will have a chance to share our wines with everyone. This is our biggest event of the year and it’s wonderful to be able to share the story and evolution of the Willcox, Arizona, wine industry with so many people.” Experience Arizona Wine owner Mike Barnacastle said the state has 122 wineries and more than 65 vineyards that produce 1 million bottles annually. In 2020, the festival attracted over 4,000 people, and Barnacastle said he expects to meet or succeed that this year. Tickets are $30 to $45 and include admission, 10 tasting tickets and a commemorative wine glass. The tasting tickets can be used for a 1-ounce sample at any of the participating wineries. Whether you’re a wine expert or just someone starting to learn, you’ll find som,ething to capture your attention and your taste buds at the Arizona Wine Festival.

(Special to GetOut)

Additional tickets can be purchased onsite and bottles will be for sale.

Winery representatives will educate Arizona Wine Festival attendees and provide samples, Barnacastle said, adding: “In many cases, this is the premier Arizona wine festival of the year and the winemakers make it a point to be here for this weekend. So, you’ll get to meet the winemakers and wine ambassadors and learn about each of the wineries’ operations, what their philosophy is for making wine and what they’re trying to do with their brands.”

Barnacastle said there will be four or five food trucks, 10 to 15 artisan craft vendors and dozens of artists. Vendors will include cheesemakers, chocolatiers and artisan crafters with soaps and candles.

“I’ve got somebody who takes wine bottles, smashes them, melts them and makes things out of them,” Barnacastle said. “I’ve got a guy from Double Barrel AZ who creates furniture and things out of old wine barrels.”

Barnacastle has been involved in the Arizona wine industry for the last 20 years and recalls when the state had about six wineries.

Arizona’s wine grapes are grown at elevations ranging from 3,500 to 5,000 feet. There are only three American viticultural areas (AVAs) in Arizona, which are designated wine-growing regions defined by a variety of factors like the proper soil, temperature and weather conditions. The largest is Willcox, where 75% of Arizona’s wine grapes are grown, Barnacastle said.

Willcox’s Carlson Creek Vineyard will appear at the festival. Owner Robert Carlson said his winery was established in 2009 and is now the third-largest vineyard in Arizona at 320 acres. Carlson said the winery benefits from the festival.

“It attracts a lot of attention and a lot of traffic,” Carlson explains. “We have a tasting room in Old Town Scottsdale, so we usually consider it — other than a good sales day —good marketing year-round. People who weren’t aware that we have a tasting room usually follow up and go check it out. You really can’t try everyone’s wine at the festival. You wouldn’t be walking out afterward.”

Carlson suggested tasting his Rule of Three blend and their first sweet rose.

Sonoita Vineyards is the oldest commercial winery in Arizona, having opened in 1983. In the Sonoita Appellation AVA region, the vineyard will have a booth at the festival. According to Lori Reynolds, the third-generation winemaker for Sonoita Vineyards and granddaughter of the company’s founder. She is “so excited” to return to the wine festival.

Cella Winery will make its wine festival debut, according to owner Micah Spencer. Founded in 2007, the winery changed ownership near the end of 2020. Cella Winery stands out because, for one reason, it’s in Kingman.

“We’re at around 3,200 feet elevation and a little bit warmer,” Spencer said. “So, you know, it gets over 100 degrees in the summertime, so it’s good for growing red varietals in this area.”

He suggests trying Cella Winery’s zinfandel and malbec.

Whether a wine connoisseur or just trying it out, Barnacastle said there’s something for everyone.

“Come out and have fun,” he said. “We have a whole world of wines to expose people to and teach people about. The wineries are excited to get back out and share what they’ve been working on. So, we have a lot of new vintages, blends and wineries that are going to be there that are excited to get to meet the residents of Phoenix.” ■

If You Go...

What: The Arizona Wine Festival Where: Rosson House at Historic Heritage Square, 113 N. Sixth Street Phoenix When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 29-30. Cost: Tickets start at $39.90 Info: chandlercenter.org

Yippee ki yay! Western Week is back

BY ALEX GALLAGHER

GetOut Staff Writer

The World’s Most Western Town is getting ready to saddle up, COVID be damned.

After minimizing last year’s events, Western Week is ready to return to Scottsdale at a scale of pre-pandemic attendance numbers and events, beginning on Saturday, Jan. 29.

This year, the celebration not only returns to its normal time slot between January and February but will see the return of historic events like the Parada Del Sol and free admission days to Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

“This is a long-standing event that many people who grew up here remember but because these events are authentic and part of our history, however there’s something that’s very appealing to our visitors,” said Karen Churchard, the director of tourism and events for the City of Scottsdale.

While the event now falls closer to its traditional time, long-time attendees of the week-long festivities may have noticed that this year’s events are taking place a week earlier than usual.

That’s because the National Football League changed its schedule, extending playoffs deeper into January.

“It’s a long-standing tradition that the event has been held anywhere between the end of January to mid-February,”Churchard said.

“Six years ago, we landed on the second weekend of February as our date so that we weren’t moving it around as much. However, with the Super Bowl now being held on the second Sunday of February and the Waste Management Open falling at the same time, we had to be mindful of that.”

The City also was mindful of safety with regard to the large crowds that converge on Scottsdale this time of year.

“We met with our Police Department, Fire Department and public safety officers and determined that the best scenario was to move Western Week and its historic event to the first weekend of February,” Churchard said.

Upon the success of events like Canal Convergence and Scottsdazzle, which both drew record crowds, Churchard expects large attendance at each of the signature events that make up Western Week.

“Canal Convergence was bigger and better this year than it was in 2019 and our Scottsdazzle tree lighting sing along event saw record crowds so we anticipate that we will have strong crowds at all of these events,” she said.

The date is not the only change for this year.

Due to the current construction at the Civic Center, the famed Arizona Indian Festival will be held at the Old Town Parking Corral near First Street and Brown Avenue Feb. 5-6.

Still, Arizona Indian Festival organizers hope see attendance rocket back to prepandemic numbers.

“Last year we didn’t know what attendance was going to be or what the general energy was going to be from participants and attendees,”said Jeffrey Lazos-Ferns, a spokesman for the Arizona American Indian Tourism Association and producer for the Native Edible Experience. “We were pleasantly surprised.”

Lazos-Ferns also hopes the artists who display their work at the festival share in the event’s success.

“With the pandemic, the majority of the 40-plus artists who showcase at the festival lost their income since they were not able to travel the circuits selling their crafts,” he said. “A lot of them were glad to be back out in public and we received continuous feedback from guests that it felt good to be back around humans.”

Lazos-Fern noted that the festival offers guests an excellent opportunity to obtain collectable artwork.

“A lot of our native artists, especially our higher tired ones that are collectible have a following where people collect their stuff,” “This allows local collectors to see their new work.”

The Indian Festival will also feature a special and exclusive event hosted at the Museum of the West on Feb. 5 titled the Native Edible Experience, where up to 150 guests will have the opportunity to taste native cuisine and beverages.

“The Native Edible Experience is a contemporary piece where we work with native chefs from Arizona tribes to curate four chefs working with ancestral food ingredients to create contemporary dishes,” said Lazos-Fern. “This offers a very contemporary and native feel in a museum setting to complement the traditional stuff going on at the Arizona Indian Festival.”

The American Indian Festival and Native Edible Experience are just a small sampling of the festivities for guests to enjoy during western week.

“The Old Town Rodeo Museum is a cute little venue that has some wonderful artifacts that support the rodeo dating back to the 1950s,” Churchard said.

Puzzle Rides has also conjured up an interactive tour around the city, the Gold Palette Artwalk and the Farmers Market is also expected to generate a buzz around Old Town.

“It’s a lot of really great activities going on throughout OldTown that we promote along with our signature events,” Churchard said.

While the events are set to see large audiences, there has been an added onus on safety as the pandemic continues to surge.

“Almost all of the events are fully outdoors or partially indoors so it’s fair to say that it›s safe for people to come out as long as they adhere to the guidance of the CDC,” Churchard said.

Additionally, the Arizona Indian Festival will feature safety protocols like social distancing markers, sanitizers, masks on hand and handled items will be cleaned after each use.

With these safety measures in place, Lazos-Fern hopes that the week reminds guests of Scottsdale’s history.

“What intrigues me and excites me every year is the educational component,” Lazos-Fern said. “A lot of people that aren’t familiar with the history of this great state do not realize it is these Western Week style events that bring the historical and entertaining pieces.”

He also hopes this serves as a way for the community to regroup.

“I hope that everyone is safe and has a great experience,” Lazos-Fern said. “I also hope that we can celebrate each other as a community.”

Free admission to Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West will give guests a chance to see the stunning exhibition of Edward S. Curtis’ photographs of Native American people.

(GetOut file photo)

ACROSS

1 Hula swivelers 5 Kvetch 9 Comedian Margaret 12 Inky stain 13 Stead 14 Bond rating 15 Sooner State native 17 “The A-Team” actor 18 Trails 19 Rose parts 21 Halloween disguises 24 Rating unit 25 iPhone downloads 26 Skunk relatives 30 “-- was saying ...” 31 Passion 32 -- tai 33 Olympic winner 35 Poet of yore 36 Dutch cheese 37 Arm bones 38 Peer in a box 40 The Emerald Isle 42 Branch 43 Intermediary 48 “Patience -- virtue” 49 Thus 50 Corn recipe 51 PC linkup 52 Calendar squares 53 Fill up

DOWN

1 “Veep” airer 2 Sort 3 D.C. figure 4 Celery servings 5 Drain blockage 6 Intends 7 Actor Stephen 8 Groan-inducing humorist 9 TV station employee 10 Injure 11 Feed-bag filler 16 Possesses 20 Tic- -- -toe 21 Sir’s counterpart 22 Church section 23 Peter Parker’s alter ego 24 Coin aperture 26 Prudish 27 Takes too much, in med. lingo 28 Skater Lipinski 29 Faction 31 Fear-stricken 34 Big fuss 35 Censors 37 Internet address 38 Hoosegow 39 Celestial bear 40 Jittery 41 Altar vows 44 Roth svgs. plan 45 Extinct bird 46 Picnic crasher 47 Born

Sudoku

With JAN D’ATRI

GetOut Contributor Chase the chill out of the air with this chili

This week the word is Brrrrr! That means it’s time to pull out your favorite chili recipe, grab a Dutch oven and get cooking. This yummy dish makes the cold weather almost welcome, and there isn’t a finer bowl of winter comfort food than homemade chili.

This particular recipe has a fabulous twist: cinnamon sticks, which adds a subtle earthiness to the dish. You’ll find many award-winning chili recipes have added cinnamon to the mix.

I’ve partnered with La Mesa RV to travel our great state, looking for fun adventures and cooking delicious dishes in all sorts of RV’s, and this week, it was time for a hot bowl of spicy beef and chiles.

Grab a bowl full and devour. ■

Ingredients:

2 cups sweet yellow onion, chopped fine 1 ½ cups (approx. 10 oz) Poblano chile peppers, seeded and chopped fine 8 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 small bulb) 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 ½ lbs. beef chuck roast, cubed (or pre-cut “beef for stew”) 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin 2 ½ cups beef bone broth or beef stock 2 tablespoons paprika (smoked or regular) 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt 3 cinnamon sticks 1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Optional Add-Ins: 1 fresh Jalapeño pepper, chopped (add with poblano chile peppers) Sriracha Sauce, to taste (add with Worcestershire sauce) Garnish / Topping: Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1 tablespoon fresh chives, sliced Chopped tomatoes Flour tortillas

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the sweet yellow onion, garlic, poblano chile and (optional) jalapeño pepper. Pull the leaves off the oregano stems, chop and set aside in a small dish.

In a Dutch oven or chili pot, heat the oil on mediumhigh heat.

Add the beef and cook for about 8 minutes or until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. When done, remove beef with slotted spoon and set aside.

In the hot pan with the beef juices and oil, add the onion, garlic and peppers.

Cook for 5-6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

Add the oregano, tomato paste and ground cumin, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the bone broth or stock, paprika, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and cinnamon sticks. Stir ingredients until well combined and bring the pot to a boil on high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the reserved, browned beef.

Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 45 minutes, or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. When the chili has finished cooking, remove the cinnamon sticks. Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the pot, gently stirring to combine.

Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of cheese and chives. If desired, you can serve this Cincinnati-style chili over spaghetti or other noodles. ■