Driving Arizona

This old house in the heart of Willcox, Arizona wine country.

The state of Arizona encompasses almost 144,000 sq. miles. That’s a lot of driving! No matter which direction you drive, you’ll find the state peppered with surprises like the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff’s San Francisco Peaks, and on and on. No matter your expectations of the terrain of Arizona, you’ll quickly find that it is far more diverse than you might have expected.

One of the things I love about giving wine tours around Sedona, is driving my guests through the expanse of our high desert in the Verde Valley. In just this area alone, there is so much incredible diversity in our ecosystem and climate. So when someone mentions something about grapes and wine in Arizona, it’s always a hard “Yes”!

My family and I recently took a trip down south to Willcox, which is where roughly 75% of the grapes are grown in Arizona. From Sedona, the drive is just over 4 hours long passing through Phoenix and Tucson towards the southeastern part of the state. From rolling hills to steep mountain ranges, from prickly pear cacti to giant saguaro, into Sonoran desert lands filled with mesquite trees, and ending up in agricultural flatlands ripe with grapevines and pistachio trees.

One could plan a weekend getaway to the Willcox or Sonoita areas and find plenty to do. There are numerous wineries to sip away at of course, and lots of great hiking trails and historical sights to visit. You’d only be a short distance to historical towns like Tombstone and Bisbee, making for a full weekend of sightseeing and adventure.

But while you’re enjoying your getaway or vacation here in the Sedona area, be sure to get in touch about a wine tour with Sip Sedona at www.sipsedona.com. I can’t wait to share stories about Arizona wine country with you, while you’re experiencing it for yourself! - Dylan Jung (Owner Sip Sedona)