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www.cheersonline.com 28 • April 2015 April 2015 www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com • April 2015 28 www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com April 2015 www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com April 2015 28 www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com April 2015 www.cheersonline.com www.cheersonline.com 28 April 2015 AZ, and co-owner of Keeling Schaefer Vineyards. Founded in 2003, Keeling Schaefer harvested its fi rst fruit in 2005 and began selling its wines in 2007. Sonoita is 5,000 ft. above sea level, a high-altitude desert, and one of the highest wine-growing areas in the country. The Sonoita area contains about a third of Arizona's wineries, and two other areas equally share the other two-thirds: The Verde Valley near Sedona and the Wilcox area, another high-altitude region. There are now nearly 100 wineries in Arizona, and since 2005 the industry has grown 1,000%. In terms of acreage, the state has planted about 800 acres, with 250 more in development—a signifi cant jump on 2005 when less than 100 acres were planted. Arizona produced 145,000 gallons of wine in 2013. The top varietal here is syrah, followed by grenache and mourvèdre, says Keeling. About 98% of Arizona wine is sold within the state, and it's served at about 200 bars and restaurants. It's also sold in supermarkets and Costco. The entire wine list at FnB restaurant in Scottsdale features Arizona wines. Co-owner/ beverage director Pavle Milic showcases eight producers, with several wines from each. The wines change almost daily "because there are so many winemakers I want to showcase," he says. Some mainstays, however, include Dos Cabezas, Sand-Reckoner and Callaghan Vineyards. Because he still gets some customers who don't understand the quality of Arizona wines, Milic also has an alternate list—known as the Plan B—featuring worldwide wines. The bottles of wine range from $36 to $76 for whites; and $40 to $240 for reds. Milic also produces his own brand—Los Milics, consisting of three reds and a rosé—in collaboration with Dos Cabezas. Scott Stephens runs the Phoenix restaurants Beckett's Table and Southern Rail. Beckett's offers around 12 local wines of 135 total, while Southern Rail serves 32 local wines out of 105. Both restaurants also offer half-priced bottles of local wines on Sundays (Mondays, too, at Southern Rail). To draw attention to the local wines, Beckett's Table's wine list includes three sections: Close to Home, Far From Home and AZ Home Grown. At Southern Rail Stephens highlights "Arizona Reserve" wines, selecting what he believes are fi ve of the best wines in the state. But the most important thing Stephens says he does for local wines is educate his employees. "Education is paramount, and we bring winemakers in to talk to staff about their wines so they get a story about the wine and get to taste it," he notes. VIRGINIA Virginia is the fi fth-largest region in the U.S. for both the number of wineries and in wine-grape acres and wine production: It produced 1.26 million gallons 145,000 gallons of wine in 2013. The state's wineries have increased from 119 in 2007 to more than 250 today. But Annette Boyd, director of the Virginia Wine Board Marketing Offi ce in Richmond, says the growth is slowing down. "I feel we've plateaued until we get more vines planted and they start producing," Boyd says. "The good news is everybody knew this fi ve years ago, so they're already in the ground." Virginia's climate is similar to that of several wine-growing regions in Europe.. "We have a lot of water and a lot of rain, so we really have been looking at European wine regions for our template on how to deal with moisture and climate and how to control our vineyards," says Boyd. The state has highly variable climates—anything from droughts to hurricanes—which means winemakers grow many varieties of grapes that ripen at different times of the year to manage risk. Virginia's wines have fruit character, as well as an Old World restraint, "that you don't get from wines from the West Coast because it's warmer there—except perhaps Oregon," says Elizabeth Schneider, a certifi ed sommelier and owner of the Atlanta-based consultancy Wine For Normal People. Viognier, cabernet franc, tannat (a varietal from the south of France and Uruguay), and petit manseng (also from the South of France) are all thriving in Virginia. Petit verdot is also doing well: It's used both as a blending grape in reds and meritages, though it's also bottled alone—something that's not usually done elsewhere. Every wine served at The Roosevelt restaurant in Richmond is from Virginia, and there's enough diversity in what's available to suit every palate and every pairing, says co-owner Kendra Feather. At any given time, she is working with up to 30 different wineries, but that changes constantly, she says. Small wineries run out of product, so Feather is always adjusting her wine list. Popular with guests are meritage blends, Bordeaux-style wines, viogniers and chardonnays. "Our menu is about regional foods, and that's why we decided to go with a regional wine list, too," Feather explains. This is appreciated by locals and visitors alike. "If you go to Italy, you want to try Italian wine and eat Italian food," she says. "If I were coming to Virginia, I'd want to try what's indigenous." Feather says she has no problem paying more for local wine, and that she marks up her wines less than other restaurants. The Roosevelt's wines are priced from $26 to $100 per bottle. Working with smaller wine producers can post challenges, such as shortages of product and distribution issues, says Feather. "But when you are dealing with smaller companies, it's just what's going to happen, whether the wines come from Virginia or Italy." UNSUNG AMERICAN WINE REGIONS "IF YOU GO TO ITALY, YOU WANT TO TRY ITALIAN WINE AND EAT ITALIAN FOOD. IF I WERE COMING TO VIRGINIA, I'D WANT TO TRY WHAT'S INDIGENOUS." —Kendra Feather, co-owner, The Roosevelt, Richmond, VA /////////////////////////// ///////////////////////////