Sierra Vista may be the hummingbird capital of the United States, but with the city now promoting itself as "Napa-zona," that image could change.
Positioned between the wine-growing towns of Elgin/Sonoita and Willcox, Sierra Vista is in the center of Southeastern Arizona's expanding wine country. It takes from a half hour to two hours to drive from Sierra Vista to any of the 16 local licensed wineries and vineyards.
"We're a small industry and still most of the people in the state, let alone the nation, have no idea we're even in existence," said Kief Manning, owner of Kief-Joshua Vineyards in Elgin. "Every little bit is good so hopefully it'll be a nice way to get the word out and bring people down to see us."
The wine industry provides more than 400 jobs to Arizona residents and contributes an estimated $38 million every year to the state's economy, according to the Arizona Office of Tourism. Last year, more than 250,000 people visited Southeastern Arizona's wineries.
Sierra Vista hopes to start playing a key role in regional tourism by promoting day-trip options to any of the wineries in the surrounding area. Marketing plans are still being developed, but the city recently updated its website to include information on the wineries. It also held a sweepstakes promotion for a free week's stay in the city that included a wine country tour featuring Sonoita Vineyards and Canelo Hills Vineyards.
One of the main goals of the new nickname is to change the perception that Southern Arizona was destroyed by early summer's wildfires, said Kay Daggett, the communications and marketing manager for the city of Sierra Vista.
"We're fine. It's beautiful here," Daggett said. "There are no fires going on, we don't have major dust storms. Things are back to normal."
"Napa-zona" obviously plays off of the reputation of Napa Valley, Calif., though some see the comparison as a bit of a stretch.
Kathy Sherrie of Scottsdale visited three Elgin wineries last week and said that to compare Southeastern Arizona to Napa is like comparing apples to oranges.
Sherrie said that her experiences were enjoyable but reminded her more of touring the vineyards in her home state of Pennsylvania than of her previous trip to Napa Valley, because of their personal nature and low-key atmosphere.
Julie Crafton, communications coordinator for the Napa Valley Vintners Association, was a bit more blunt and expressed concern that the name "Napa-zona" might confuse consumers about where the wines are coming from.
"If Arizona is making some wonderful wines, that's great and they should be celebrating their wine region with a name that is attributed to their geographic area and what makes the wines from that area distinct, rather than attributing it to a different region," Crafton said.
With more than 400 vineyards now operating in Napa Valley, Arizona has a long way to go to catch up. But the wine industry has seen significant statewide growth in recent years - and there are a dozen more wineries planning to open soon in Southeastern Arizona alone.
"Over the last 10 years or so, the industry has grown from about six wineries to almost 50, and I would say that within the next five years there's a good chance of it doubling," Manning said.
That means the new marketing campaign shouldn't take any business away from smaller cities in the area, said Fazila Keenum, manager of the Sonoita Inn, Sonoita's lone hotel. There are a number of bed and breakfasts in the area, too.
She said that towns like Sonoita give tourists a Wild West experience that's different from the faster-paced city atmosphere of Sierra Vista.
"When people come for a wine tour, they want to be near the vineyard and have the real winery experience," Keenum said. "People like to chill out and get away from the hustle of life. We give them an experience that's as far away from hustled life as possible."
DID YOU KNOW?
University of Arizona soil scientist Gordon Dutt was the first to experiment with growing grapes in Southeastern Arizona. Dutt was successful, likening the soil to that of Burgundy, France, and in 1979 he established Sonoita Vineyards, Arizona's first commercial vineyard.
He opened its winery four years later.
For more information, visit www.visitsierravista.com
UPCOMING EVENTS
• Aug. 27-28: Coronado Vineyards Fifth Annual Grape Stomp, $10 per adult.
• Sept. 24-25: The Village of Elgin Harvesting of the Vine Festival, $18 per person.
• Nov. 12: Sonoita Vineyards St. Martin's New Release Festival.
Check out the wineries' websites for more information.
Taylor Bacic is a University of Arizona journalism student who is apprenticing at the Star. Contact her at starapprentice@azstarnet.com
