Mar 4, 2024 - News

Arizona wines beat international competitors in blind taste test

Jessica Boehm

A woman pouring a glass of red wine. — Dos Cabezas co-owner Kelly Bostock pours a glass of red wine. Photo: Courtesy of Dos Cabezas

Arizona's vintners believe their wines stands up to those produced in the world's most famous wine regions — and they hosted a blind taste test to prove it.

Why it matters: "Events like this … demonstrate that our wines deserve respect – even among the more established wine regions of the world," Arizona Wine Growers Association (AWGA) president Kent Callaghan said in a statement.

The big picture: Sonoita-based Dos Cabezas' classic Red was selected as the best overall red wine in the competition.

Laramita Cellars of Willcox and Los Milics of Cochise County also beat out international competitors in the full-bodied and light-bodied red categories.

How it worked: Organizers paired two Arizona wines and two top-shelf international wines in each flight for judges to rank.

Judges included multiple certified wine specialists and educators.

Zoom out: Arizona's wine industry has expanded rapidly over the past two decades.

The state has three American Viticultural Areas (Sonoita, Wilcox and Verde Valley).
As of 2021, there were 118 licenses for "farm wineries" producing between 200 and 40,000 gallons of wine per year, according to an AWGA report.

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Arizona wines beat international competitors in blind taste test

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