Spending a day outside at Riverfront Park in Cottonwood enjoying local wine, the scenery and live music is our idea of a perfect spring afternoon. On May 10 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the spring dream will become a reality at the Verde Valley Wine Festival. Look forward to roughly 20 local wineries, a brewery, a distillery, Wild Tonic kombucha, food trucks and live music. Potential attendees will likely notice that ticket prices have decreased from $50 to $20 per person. This a calculated move intended to encourage locals to attend and help support the state’s burgeoning wine scene.
“We’re trying to encourage locals to support the industry. We’ve lowered the price back to a level that people can afford, which is huge,” says Paula Woolsey, president of the Verde Valley Wine Consortium. “We want people that live in the Verde Valley to want to come to the event, support it, and then keep supporting it throughout the year.” The local event has somewhat of a long history. Maynard James Keenan started the event back in 2016. This is the festival’s fourth year in Cottonwood after previously being in Clarkdale. New this year, roughly six graduates of the Southwest Wine Center program will be showing their wines. A few wineries that are slated to be pouring are Cove Mesa Vineyard and Merkin Vineyards. Mother’s Day is on May 11. Part of why the festival will be held on May 10 is to encourage families to come out and give mom a break.
What’s more is this: Sedona Winefest will not happen in September of 2025. The festival will be reimagined in some way, but the details are not firm yet. Attending this festival in May (June’s Titled Earth festival aside) may be one of your last chances for a while to enjoy local wine in a festival setting. “Overall, the message is Arizona wine,” says Paula. “The tagline for Cottonwood since 2014 has been, ‘The Heart of Arizona Wine Country.’ We’re going to capitalize on that for future events.” The Verde Valley Wine Festival is a more intimate experience with actual winemakers in attendance. It’s a “chance to meet the winemakers as a personal touch, allowing attendees to learn more about their favorite wines directly from the source,” says Paula. − Teresa K. Traverse
SEDONA CALENDAR: Events, activities, shows, happenings
