The Wall Street Journal’s wine columnists, Dorthy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, had a presidential taste-off with wines selected from Illinois and Arizona vineyards.
Chiricahua Mountains make a great backdrop for the vineyards. Photo: Keeling-Schaefer Vineyards
Of the three vintages they tasted, Keeling Schaefer Vineyards’ Three Sisters 2006 fared well. The winery is located in the foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains. Dos Cabezas Wine Works and Page Springs Cellars were also tasted. They have good notes for all three Arizona wines. Bostock Winery makes Dos Cabezas’ Viognier they tasted.
The heart of Arizona’s wine industry is in Cochise County. That’s where most of the grapes have been grown over the years. Sonoita is the well-known wine market for Arizona, but Willcox and the mountainous regions surrounding the town, famous for Rex Allen, the singing cowboy, are making serious inroads in the winemaking biz. The wine industry has been active for more than 25 years, and visiting u-pick farms is a great way to enjoy local foods.
So, which state won? Arizona! No telling if this taste-off will have any impact on the election on Nov. 4, but the results were interesting.
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