Southern Arizona’s wine country is starting 2015 with a bit of Rockabilly and birding.
Speakeasy at Arizona Hops and Vines
On Saturday the gals at Arizona Hops and Vines in Sonoita will host their third annual Speakeasy from 6 to 11:30 p.m.
The $25 cost includes six tasting tickets, but to get in you need to know the password posted on the winery’s Facebook page — facebook.com/azhopsandvines .
Arizona Hops and Vines, known for annual events that play on everything from Valentine’s Day to Christmas, is celebrating the 1919 Volstead Act that ushered in the era of prohibition in the United States. It also ushered in the era of bootleggers and speakeasies.
The Outlaw Rebels will perform, and Elgin’s Lightning Ridge Cellars will pour its latest wines. Arizona Hops and Vines also will release its first estate wine, a bold Cabernet dubbed Amanda in honor of Megan Haller’s eldest daughter. Haller owns Arizona Hops and Vines with her sister, Shannon Zouzoulas.
There will also be a vintage car show, and guests dressed in ’20s period costume will be entered into a free drawing for wine giveaways.
Next up:
- The annual hockey and beer competition dubbed the Manly Cup from 1 to 6 p.m. Jan. 17.
- Chocolate Love — wine and chocolate celebration, of course — from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 14.
Wine tour part of festival’s attractions
Wings Over Willcox Birding & Nature Festival celebrates 22 years next week.
The festival, which attracts nature and bird lovers from around the world, includes guest speakers, a tour of Southeastern Arizona’s ghost towns, a photography tour and tours of the area’s prime birding locales. It starts Wednesday and runs through Jan. 18 at various locations throughout the region.
For wine lovers, there’s a tour of tasting rooms along Willcox’s historic Railroad Avenue as well as a tour of Flying Leap Vineyards’ Willcox farm, led by Mark Beres, who owns Flying Leap with partners Marc Moeller and Thomas Kitchens.
Beres said he will take participants into the vineyards to study the vines and learn about the farming involved in making Arizona wine.
“It’s going to be a fun tour. We’re really excited for it,” he said. “I love doing tours of the vineyards. There’s no better way to learn about wine than walking through the vineyards.”
Costs vary by event. For a complete schedule and details, visit wingsoverwillcox.com
Wings Over Willcox is sponsored by the Willcox Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture. For more information, visit facebook.com/birdingandnaturefestival
