Merkin Vineyards

Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria in Old Town Cottonwood is now offering tours of our barrel room and greenhouse. Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the barrel room where our award-winning Arizona wines are stored and aged before bottling, and the greenhouse where many of the ingredients for our farm-to-table menu are sourced. Tours last approx 25 minutes and are available every hour on the hour, Thursday through Monday, from 12-5 pm. The cost is $25 per person and includes a taste of Merkin Vineyards Chupacabra Bubbles and the estate-grown Caduceus Cellars Hilltop RESERVA, a special red blend only available to guests on our tour or at the Ventura Room. To make a reservation go to https://lnkd.in/gSzx_ZCq For an even more in-depth facility tour and access to Caduceus Cellars archive wines, consider an appointment in the Ventura Room.

It’s the final stop on our tour celebrating Arizona Wine Month: Galileo. This is our newest vineyard in the Verde Valley AVA. If you’ve visited the Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria, you’ve seen this stunning vineyard surrounding the property. Our most publicly visible site, Galileo is located in Old Town Cottonwood, where 4.5 acres are under vine at 3,400 ft. elevation. The Galileo Block consists of Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Graciano varietals. Wines produced from this site are available exclusively in the Caduceus Cellars Ventura Room, a private tasting experience available by appointment only. Here, guests can taste the VSC Hilltop Reserva Red and a unique PetNat Rosé made with fruit from Galileo. Guests of the Ventura Room also receive a tour of the vineyard and our Caduceus production facility, along with a guided tasting and a personalized menu of farm-to-table plates created to pair with the wines. For those planning a visit to the Verde Valley, it’s a must. Find out more at https://lnkd.in/eteVv8tE

We’re celebrating Arizona Wine Month all throughout the month of March with a spotlight on our vineyards. The Verde Valley is Arizona’s most recent American Viticultural Area (AVA), or designated wine grape-growing region. You’ll find the Verde Valley in Northern Arizona, about a two-hour drive north of Phoenix. This is an area rich in geological history that makes it a prime location for vineyards. At roughly 3,000 – 5,500 feet in elevation are the towns of Sedona, Jerome, Camp Verde, Cottonwood, and Clarkdale, and beyond that, the communities of Cornville, Page Springs, and Rimrock. Family-owned vineyards and wineries sprinkle these rural communities on mountainsides and near the banks of Oak Creek and the Verde River. The Verde Valley offers a wide variety of soils along with a large diurnal temperature range swinging between 30 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit between daytime highs and nighttime lows. Add to this highly fertile alluvial deposits near the Verde River and Oak Creek. This is where our Marzo Block is thriving. Located right on Oak Creek, this 2.5-acre plot is home to Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. At approximately 3,500 ft. elevation, Marzo’s defining geographic feature is sandy, clay-loam river sediment on top of a bed of volcanic rock peppered calcareous (chalky, alkaline “limestone-like”) sediments derived from a larger geologic structure called the Verde formation. These grapes are generally slated to be the major components of NAGUAL DEL MARZO, as well as the occasional VSC and Rosé offerings. This site also hosts our Merkin Vineyards Orchard, where we source the apples for our Queen B sparkling cider, some of our garden produce for the salads and ingredients and the duck eggs used to make pasta at the @merkinvineyards Hilltop Winery and Trattoria in Old Town Cottonwood. You can order our 2020 Nagual del Marzo blend, which comes from this vineyard, at Caduceus.org. The Queen B cider can be found at @four8wineworks and @queenbvinylcafe in Old Town Cottonwood. #arizonawinemonth #verdevalley #marzo #sangiovese #caduceuscellars #merkinvineyards #four8wineworks #queenbvinylcafe

Caduceus Cellars We’re celebrating Arizona Wine Month throughout March. Arizona’s wine industry is a force to be reckoned with, attracting 600,000 visitors per year and amounting to $33 million in spending annually. We now have three American Viticultural Areas (AVA) across the state: Sonoita, Willcox, and the Verde Valley. Today, we're focusing on the Verde Valley AVA and our largest vineyard in that region: Eliphante. In early 2012, we planted 30 acres on what we refer to as the Eliphante Block, a white silt limestone and cobble site. Lenses of Caliche, hidden from sight, swell and recede within the buried substrate as the Lower Oak Creek snakes its way around the Holocene River Terrace. We have 20+ varieties planted here, including Barbera, Durif, and Souzao. The fruit produced here is feeding programs such as DOS LADRONES, LEI LI NEBBIOLO ROSE, LE CORTIGIANE ONESTE, NAGUAL DE LA NAGA, and AIRAVATA. All of these wines are available at Caduceus.org and in our Jerome, Arizona tasting room. #arizonawinemonth #caduceuscellars #verdevalley

March is Arizona Wine Month, a time to celebrate the thriving wine industry, wine growers and winemakers who make it all possible. Arizona has three American Viticultural Areas (AVA), or designated wine grape-growing regions: Sonoita, Willcox, and the Verde Valley. We’re taking you on a road trip to Southern Arizona to the Willcox AVA, home of our largest vineyard, The Al Buhl Memorial Vineyard. It’s located at the eastern edge of Sulfur Springs Valley, alongside the Willcox Playa, in what is known as the Kansas Settlement. The vineyard site is 120 acres, with 67 acres planted. The soils are relatively deep loams and clay loams interspersed with cobbles. The vineyard sits at 4,300 feet above sea level and experiences up to 50-degree fluctuations in temperature during the growing season. Harvest usually starts in August and can run into early October. From this vineyard, we source Syrah and Garnacha varietals for PRIMER PASO, Tempranillo and Garnacha for SANCHA, Sangiovese Grosso for KITSUNÉ,  and occasional VSC offerings. Our sister label, Merkin Vineyards, also sources from here for CHUPACABRA BLANCA, the white Shape-shifter site blend, SHINOLA ORANCIA, which is 100% Malvasia Bianca, and JANE PINK, a limited production Monastrell rosé. You can find all of these wines and more at Caduceus.org.  #arizonawinemonth #willcox #willcoxwinecountry #caduceuscellars #merkinvineyards #four8wineworks

ARIZONA WINE MONTH 🍷 March is Arizona Wine Month. Celebrate the diversity of our three AVA regions. Arizona's three main American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) are Sonoita, Verde Valley, and Willcox. These regions are known for their distinct climates, soils, and landscapes. Visit us in the Verde Valley in Cottonwood at Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery & Trattoria all month long for wine tastings and our farm-to-table menu, designed to pair beautifully with our award winning wines. Cheers, Arizona. 🍷 #arizonawine #arizonawinemonth #verdevalley #sonoita #willcox #merkinvineyards #cottonwood

Caduceus Cellars Now available at the Caduceus Cellars Tasting Room (Jerome, AZ) and www.caduceus.org. - 2023 Nagual del Judith Orange Malvasia - 2022 Kitsuné - 2022 Anubis - 2021 Nagual de la Naga For VSC members, a few of the VSC exclusive bundles are still available at www.caduceus.org. #caduceuscellars #jeromeaz #arizonawine #verdevalley #verdevalleywinetrail

Caduceus Cellars Limited offer for Caduceus Cellars VSC Members: This 3-bottle wine bundle includes 2021 Nagual del JUDITH Tempranillo, 2021 Nagual del JUDITH Nebbiolo, and 2022 Caduceus Cellars Hilltop Reserva. Previously only available in the Ventura Room, the Hilltop Reserva features Tempranillo, Graciano, and Garnacha from the Galileo Block, located in Old Town Cottonwood. Very limited quantities available. To book your private tasting appointment at the Ventura Room, go to caduceusvscventuraroom.com *VSC Membership not required for Ventura Room Experience. #caduceuscellars #arizonawine #velvetslippersclub #jeromeaz #verdevalley #verdevalleyava

Caduceus Cellars Our Jerome tasting room has curated a special Caduceus Reserve Wine Tasting Flight for St. Valentine’s Day. Four tastes of our most romantic reds, concluding with a locally made, handpainted organic raw cacao truffle called the “Flower of Life.” Available while supplies last and only in our Jerome location on February 14. For those seeking a more personalized wine and food experience, the Caduceus Cellars Ventura Room, located at our Hilltop Facility in Cottonwood, is now accepting reservations for parties of 8 or fewer on February 14, 15, and 16. Go to https://lnkd.in/gvwE3Sxj for details and to make reservations. #caduceuscellars #arizonawine #venturaroom #verdevalleyava

Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Trattoria was named as a “must-stop destination” in Delish magazine’s story about Arizona’s regionally diverse cuisine. Northern Arizona has a lot to offer. Don’t sleep on the Verde Valley’s growing food and wine scene. https://lnkd.in/g9uxDNFX