Sand-Reckoner Vineyards in Willcox grows its grapes on four of its 12 acres along the Willcox Bench, a high desert area at 4,300 feet, bookended by the Chiricahua and Dragoon mountains.
But when it comes to tasting the fruits of those vines, fans of Sand-Reckoner and its popular rosés — they released the 2016 vintage last weekend, two months ahead of schedule to meet fan demand — had to make an appointment for the vineyard’s dozen or so other titles or wait for the annual wine festivals.
Although the boutique winemaker has a winery in downtown Willcox where you can buy by the bottle and taste by appointment, it had no full-fledged wine-tasting room.
Until now.
In February, owners/winemakers Sarah and Rob Hammelman opened their first and only tasting room in a funky cool 1,000-square-foot space in Tucson’s downtown Warehouse Arts District.
“We loved the Warehouse Arts District and when we found that space we thought it was a perfect fit,” Sarah Hammelman said.
Sand-Reckoner is the third Southern Arizona wine country vineyard to make inroads into Tucson. Sonoita’s Flying Leap Vineyards was the first, setting up a wine tasting room at St. Philip’s Plaza on North Campbell Avenue in early 2014. In October of that year, Graham County vineyard Sierra Bonita, owned by the family of father-son bankruptcy attorneys John and Gerald Smith, opened a tasting room next to their law firm at 6720 N. Camino Principal.
Tom Kitchens, investor/operator, corks the available wines for tasting at Flying Leap Vineyards tasting room, 4320 N. Campbell Ave., in St. Philip’s Plaza.
Why Tucson? Why now?
Economics, says Flying Leap’s Mark Beres.
Tucson makes up about 40 percent of the crowds that drive out to Willcox twice a year for the biannual Willcox Wine Country Festival, according to Arizona Winegrowers Association.
The exposure is priceless because with few exceptions, including the popular Arizona Stronghold, the vast majority of the state’s wine producers cannot afford to sell their wines wholesale. Most reach consumers through their tasting rooms after customers have had a chance to experience their wines.
Most of the state’s wineries fall more closely under the boutique winery umbrella of small-batch producers. It’s financially unfeasible for them to compete with large California wine producers that have wiggle room to offer prices much lower than the average $20-plus a bottle Arizona producers charge. With the higher costs of wine production and the lower volume of product, the state’s wineries can’t compete, Beres said.
Natural light from the glass-front warehouse illuminates Sand-Reckoner Vineyards tasting room at 510 N. Seventh Ave, Sand-Reckoner opened its downtown tasting room in February, becoming the third Southern Arizona vineyard to make inroads into Tucson.
“Arizona’s wine industry — and us particularly — there is no way we can compete with California,” he said. “They can produce wine so cheaply and in such massive volumes. So if you are trying to wholesale your wine, it’s almost impossible. Restaurants and stores are extremely price elastic so we can’t make any money. We are just little guys.”
So wineries like Beres’ Flying Leap take a more direct marketing approach, bringing their product to the consumers through the wine-tasting experience. When consumers get to taste the wine, Beres said, it helps to dispel the notion that just because a wine is from California, it’s better than Arizona wines.
“The only way I can compete is by dealing directly with my customer and show them the wines are better,” he said.
For consumers, having wine country in our backyard is a win-win, especially in the heat of summer. Driving to the wineries from Tucson to Willcox is just more than 80 miles — about an hour and 15 minutes by car. The trip to Sonoita is easier and faster, about 50 miles and just under an hour.
Compare that to about 20 minutes to get to the Tucson tasting rooms if you live in Tucson.
Tasting room manager Patrick Cornish, center, talks with Denise and Carl Cherry at the Sierra Bonita Vineyards tasting room. The vineyard is operated by father-son attorneys John and Gerald Smith, and the tasting room is next to their law office.
The cork collection grows at the Sierra Bonita Vineyards tasting room at 6720 E Camino Principal, Suite 101. It is open Thursday through Sunday.
Manager Patrick Cornish pours some Hacienda Blanca at the Sierra Bonita Vineyards tasting room at 6720 E Camino Principal, Suite 101. At Sierra Bonita, a flight of seven wines is $15; a flight of three wines is $8.
At Flying Leap Vineyards St. Philips Plaza tasting room, a flight of six to seven wines at is $14.95, which includes a comemorative wine glass.
A bottle of “Spanish Fly” Granache-Graciano blend at Flying Leap Vineyards tasting room, 4320 N. Campbell Ave., in St. Philip’s Plaza.
Sarah Hammelman, center, brings out a white wine tasting for Kristin Lynch, right, and her mom Barbara Bergen at Sand-Reckoner Vineyards tasting room, 510 N. 7th Ave, on June 24, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz. Sand-Reckoner’s tasting room opened in February.
