Sipping Arizona wine in the shadow of Sedona’s red rocks at Posse Grounds Park on a late fall day is our idea of a perfect afternoon, and when Sedona WineFest happens on Sept. 28 and 29, that day dream will become a reality. This is the festival’s 15th anniversary – a milestone for sure. “We consider ourselves a legacy event,” says Paula Woolsey, director of Sedona WineFest and president of the Verde Valley Wine Consortium. The event started out at the Sedona Airport, and she said they didn’t really think about the future at that time. It’s also one of the city’s longest standing events. Another remarkable aspect of this year’s festival? Seven of the 24 Arizona wineries that are slated to be there are helmed by graduates of the Yavapai College’s wine program. “That makes me feel special teaching there for 15 years in the program,” says Paula.
New-to-the-festival wineries that are scheduled to pour at the festival are Cottonwood-based Rubrix and Southern Arizona-based Soaring Wines. As in previous years, a kickoff party will take place on Sept. 27. Held at The Art of Wine, the kickoff party will include samples from an Arizona wine library so guests can taste how the wines age. In addition to Arizona wine aplenty, attendees also can look forward to checking out products from a variety of vendors, listening to live music courtesy of The Naughty Bits band, trying craft beer and other alcoholic beverages from Belfry Brewery, Wild Tonic kombucha, Hive Five Meadery, spirits from Desert Diamond Distillery. Non-alcoholic beverages also will be for sale. Food trucks slated to be in attendance include Lobstar, Sweet Breeze Crepes and Craft Wood Fire, a food truck that crafts wood-fired pizza.
“Sedona WineFest is an opportunity for people to see the quality and the growth of the wines,” she says. “They’re just unbelievably good wines.” But wine aside, the festival is also about bringing people together. “If you’re not familiar with the quality of Arizona wine, you should familiarize yourself, but it’s more than that,” says Paula. “It’s about celebrating community. We have all of these people from the area, artists, vendors, food trucks.” – Teresa K. Traverse
SEDONA CALENDAR: Events, activities, shows, happenings
