The proposed establishment of the Verde Valley Viticultural Area is going ahead as planned, and the public can now submit comments about the proposal.
The proposed 200 square-mile Verde Valley American viticultural area (AVA) is located in Yavapai County, Arizona, and it is not located within, nor does it contain, any other established viticultural area.
Arizona is home to three prominent grape growing regions in various altitudes and locations around the the state. Northern Arizona encompasses the Verde Valley, an area of the state rich in geological history.
Located north of Phoenix about 2 hours by car, and at roughly 3,000 – 5,500 feet in elevation are the towns of Sedona, Jerome, Camp Verde, Cottonwood, Clarkdale and the communities of Cornville, Page Springs & Rimrock. Vineyards and wineries sprinkle these rural and urban communities on mountainsides, and near the banks of Oak Creek and the Verde River.
The Verde Valley has a wide variety of soils from limestone in Rimrock, sandstone in Sedona, to basalt on House Mountain along with highly fertile alluvial deposits near the Verde River and Oak Creek. Average rain fall is 16 – 18 inches per year – mostly during monsoon season.
The Grape Geeks 