Bobby Stuckey M.S Frasca Food and Wine
Arizona has changed so much in the last 20 years. I am a AZ native who has been living in Colorado and Napa for the last 20 plus years. From a Food and Wine stand point it has changed immensely. …
Taras Ochota, Owner & Winemaker -Ochota Barrels Artisan Wines
There are a stash of winemakers who have made the choice to craft gorgeous wine in a region that is the classic underdog.I have made, swum in, and drunk wine around the world which have in some ways opened my …
Vicki Carroll | President , Hospice du Rhône
“There is great strength in the gathering of like minds. Bravo for the members of the Arizona Vignerons Alliance for their desire to bring their colleagues together to build and secure a foundation of excellence for their industry. Their efforts …
Jason Caballero, Lead Sommelier – Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak Scottsdale
This is not a means to showcase elitism or to bash anyone’s efforts; it is an opportunity to look within and rethink efforts in winemaking to produce the best wines possible. This is an amazing thing for Arizona and I feel with its success, it will spread to other regions in the New World to elevate the quality of the wines produced .
Sariya Jarasviroj Brown, Founder: Circo Vino
The Arizona Vignerons Alliance comes into existence at a crucial time, when assisting in shaping quality standards in viticulture and viniculture will boost Arizona’s integrity as a veritable wine region to national and international standards. This can only be good news for Arizona’s continued reputation as a center for gastronomy and tourism –
Pavle Milic : Co-Owner, FnB Scottsdale & RED GOAT WINE – Los Milics Wines
I love the fact that the AVA seal–at its lowest common denominator–guarantees provenance. There will never be any question whether your wine is 100% from Arizona. As a service to consumers, it’s very beneficial. It seems to me that if you only have to report 75% of what’s in the bottle, then the allure of getting less expensive bulk wine from other areas outside of the state is there and will continue to go undisclosed–which ultimately undermines this state’s efforts in terms of quality and evolution in the right direction.
Ryan Schwartz CEO, Victory Wine Group Victory wine group
As someone who has worked in almost every sector of the Arizona wine business, I truly believe that the efforts by the Arizona Vignerons Alliance to set minimum quality standards for Arizona wine will serve to further enhance the quality and reputation of the wines being produced there. There are a great many examples of this same process being used in other significant wine regions to improve and give authenticity to the wines being made there
Jörn Kleinhans, Managing Director:The Sommelier Company
The Sommelier Company enthusiastically supports the mission and standards set forth by the Arizona Vignerons Alliance. The AVA have looked to the best practices of the Old World—and have laid the groundwork for making the best use of information gleaned
Stuart Pigott-Wine writer and critic
The foundation of the AVA is a vital step in the process of putting down the foundations for an Arizona wine industry that could continue to flourish in one, two and more generations time. That task requires not only professionalism in grape growing and winemaking, even more it demands a willingness to stand on the edge of the known and, without any reference points or role models, to reach out for possibilities that nobody has yet even realized are out there.
Kimber Lannings – Director, Local First Arizona
Operating as a collective, the AVA will work collaboratively to market Arizona wines, with deliberate strategies to raise the profile of Arizona as a wine growing region, producing internationally respected wines. Local First Arizona looks forward to partnering with the AVA to build awareness of our outstanding wineries in Arizona, across the country, and internationally which will grow our economy, drive tourism, and build civic pride.