Arizona wine has made strides in recent years, and there’s even a documentary about a handful of the state’s winemakers. “Vintage Arizona: The Heart of Winemaking” landed on streaming services in early 2025. “We revealed that there is an amazing wine industry here, and it’s very up and coming, which is why we were inspired to tell that story. Because not a lot of people know that wine exists in Arizona. That’s the whole reason and the whole inspiration behind us telling that wine story,” says Kellie Mendoza, of Amoroma Productions. The Chandler, Arizona-based video company funded the project with some sponsorship from the Arizona Office of Tourism.
Some winemakers featured in the documentary are Maynard James Keenan, founder and winemaker for Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars; Kent Callaghan, founder of Callaghan Vineyards; Emil Molin, owner of Cove Mesa Vineyard and Keith Moore, winemaker at Mogollon Vineyards. The documentary took a total of three years to film and produce. The wineries featured won the “Best in Class” award from the Arizona Governor’s Cup in 2022. The filmmakers shadowed the winemakers for about one year to capture a full growing season. “They all talked about the different seasons and the climate and the topography and everything that plays into winemaking,” says Kellie. “It just really brought home how much of an amazing community we have here in our state. These winemakers are some of the most real, humble, hard working people, and it was truly a humbling experience to be a part of their journey.”
Arizona’s harsh climate is challenging for the winemakers, and Kellie found herself inspired by their determination to making high-quality wine. “You have to be 150% dedicated to the craft because it’s expensive and it’s time consuming, and there are tons of challenges you are going to hit along the way, so that alone just really adds so much depth to these winemakers and so much complexity to what they’re doing. It’s an incredibly hard thing to grow grapes and make wine here in our state,” she says. “What I want people to know about it is just how beautiful our state is and how incredible our wine growing regions truly are.” − Teresa K. Traverse
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