CORNVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE
Cornville
Located about 20 miles from Sedona, Cornville is home to many of Northern Arizona’s boutique wineries. Four of them are clustered close together on Page Springs Road in the Page Springs neighborhood – making Cornville a great place to spend nearly all day wine tasting. Besides wine, visitors will find a bird watching paradise and a few choice restaurants that make Cornville worth seeking out.
Wineries
Customers gather at D.A. Ranch to drink wine. The setting at Cornville winery is bucolic and features a tasting room resembling a wood cabin, a swing, vines and a neighboring pen with a few farm animals. Molly Thorne, @mollymcphoto.
D.A. Ranch
The setting at D.A. Ranch is downright bucolic. After driving down a steep, unpaved road, you’ll see the main tasting room that resembles a large wood cabin that’s surrounded by a large pond, a swing, grapevines and a neighboring small pen with a few barnyard animals. D.A. Ranch exclusively makes and serves estate-grown wines. Find cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah, tannat and seyval blanc on the menu. The terroir in Northern Arizona makes for wines that are rich in minerals and posses earth and fruit characteristics.
Bottles of D.A. Ranch wine in the sunlight. Photo by Molly Thorne, @mollymcphoto.
Javelina Leap Vineyards
Belly up to the wood bar meant to resemble a Western saloon inside Javelina Leap Vineyard’s main tasting room. Outside, nab a seat outside and take in mountain and vineyard views. Javelina Leap’s wines have won awards from the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle’s wine competition. Taste a riesling, a rose and a variety of reds including merlot, barbera and tempranillo. The bistro menu features flatbread pizzas and a colorful charcuterie board. The made-from-scratch truffles are a decadent way to conclude a visit to Javelina Leap.
A lineup of wine bottles from family-owned and award-winning Javelina Leap.
Oak Creek Vineyards & Winery
Oak Creek Vineyards features a well-lit tasting room that’s home to an ample patio so customers can enjoy their wine outside. Visitors can partake in a red, a white or a mixed flight. One red wine highlight includes The Fire, made with berries and cinnamon to give it a complex taste with a soft, spicy finish. On Saturdays and Sundays, guests can order a wine cocktail. Oak Creek Vineyards also pours its own sangria. Dogs are welcome at all the wineries mentioned in this feature, but Oak Creek even has a vineyard dog, Macon.
An exterior shot of Page Springs Cellars.
Page Springs Cellars
Sitting on the banks of Oak Creek, Page Springs Cellars features a variety of picturesque areas where you can enjoy your wine. Sit inside the cozy dining room in the main white barn-like building or outside on the multiple outdoor patios where you can take in views of babbling Oak Creek Find wine varietals from the Southern Rhone region of France like syrah, grenache and viognier – all made with Arizona grapes. Page Springs also offers yoga and massages on site.
Must-See Attractions
A scene from the Bubbling Ponds Fish Hatchery. Photo by George Andrejko.
Bubbling Ponds Fish Hatchery
Bubbling Ponds Fish Hatchery is a one of the best places in the Verde Valley to bird. The Audubon Society has even identified Page Springs and the area along lower Oak Creek as an Important Bird Area. More than 200 bird species have been seen here. Take the 1.8 miles long Black Hawk Trail where you can learn about the area via signs describing the habitat and wildlife. Birds you might see and hear include seasonal songbirds western tanagers, the northern cardinal and cedar waxwings. The site features a ramada, two observation decks and an outdoor education center. Bubbling Springs also is home to rare animal species including the northern Mexican garter snake, Page springsnail and a species of caddis fly.
Great Restaurants
Up the Creek Bistro & Wine Bar
Being in the heart of Northern Arizona’s wine country, it should come as no surprise that Up the Creek’s wine list is impressive. The restaurant serves over 60 local and international wines available by the glass. The setting is also charming. Diners enjoy their meals beside expansive windows that show off Oak Creek below. Hummingbirds buzz around the feeders outside. Find hearty, sophisticated eats like the Louisiana Etouffee, Duck Drumettes and Goat Cheese Caramelized Onion Tart. For dessert, consider sampling the decadent Buttermilk Pie that tastes both like a cake and pie. 1975 N. Page Springs Rd., 928-634-9954, upthecreekaz.com
An entrée from G’s Burgers. Photo by Paul Markow.
G’s Burgers
Sink your teeth into a variety of burgers at G’s Burgers. Find hearty, creative creations that range from the Beach Bum Burger including a beef patty with goat cheese, teriyaki, pineapple, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickled onion and house mayo on a sesame seed bun to the Mac N G’s Burgers that’s topped with mac n’ cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato and house mayo on toast. Don’t miss out on the desserts. Try a tasty, thick chocolate shake or even Deep Fried Cheesecake. 1220 S. Eastern Dr., 928-634-2867, gsburgersaz.com
A salmon dish from Manzanita Restaurant, a German fine dining restaurant in Cornville.
Manzanita Restaurant
Manzanita Restaurant is a fine dining restaurant that specializes in German fare and game. Diners can look forward to white table cloths, real candles and a fresh bread basket. German specials include Swiss Style Veal Bratwurst, Wiener Schnitzel and Sauerbraten. Finish your meal with the refreshing and rich housemade Swiss chocolate mousse. 11425 E. Cornville Rd., 928-634-8851, themanzanitarestaurant.com
Inside the saloon style tasting room at Javelina Leap.
Ask a Local
“My favorite vineyard and winery in town is Javelina Leap Vineyards, which is my family’s winery. Javelina Leap is a second generation Arizona winery. People love coming here because we have a lot of outdoor and indoor space, a wonderful in-house kitchen and gourmet bistro menu and live music on weekends. We are also dog friendly, and not to mention our award-winning wine. I also love Up the Creek due to their quaint views of the Creek and the hummingbird feeders laid out along the windows. The restaurant’s food is excellent. The Bubbling Ponds Hatchery and bird sanctuary on Page Springs Road is also a beautiful outdoor walk with gorgeous scenery where you’ll often find hawks or even a bald eagle flying overhead.” – Kim Reed, wine club and event coordinator of Javelina Leap Vineyard, Winery & Bistro
