Why you should visit wineries in Tucson, Arizona
This blog post covers the best wineries in Tucson, Arizona.
These four amazing wineries in Tucson, Arizona offer variety. They offer a variety of different grapes, flavors, and tasting experiences.
Some wineries focus exclusively on Arizona-grown grapes. They’re intensely proud of their home state and its great wine. As they should be! Arizona wine is underrated.
A few of the wineries on this list look further afield for inspiration. Some source grapes or forge partnerships in other states (and even other countries!). These businesses still call Tucson, Arizona home. And their tasting rooms are definitely still worth a visit.
Tucson is surrounded by several mountain ranges including the Santa Catalinas, Santa Ritas, Rincons, and Tucson Mountains. Summers are hot and winters are mild.
In addition to good weather there’s gorgeous natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Tucson is actually a UNESCO City of Gastronomy thanks to its long history of Mexican and Native American traditions.
The city is also a one hour drive from the Sonoita American Viticultural Area (AVA), which is the crown jewel of the Arizona wine industry. Luckily you can sample award-winning wine from wineries in Tucson, Arizona without ever leaving the city.
We hope this list inspires your next trip!
How to access wineries in Tucson, Arizona
The wineries in Tucson, Arizona are easily accessible from the following cities and towns:
- Tucson is located 112 miles southeast of Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. That’s a roughly 1 hour 40 minute drive.
- Sedona, Arizona is located 228 miles north of Tucson. The drive should take about 3 hours and 30 minutes.
- The town of Sonoita, Arizona is located 52 miles south of Tucson. It’ll be an easy 1 hour drive. Check out our guide of over 17 wineries in Sonoita and Elgin.
If you already live in Arizona State, then you’re all set. You can simply get in your car and drive to the Tucson wineries on this list.
But if you live out of state then you’ll need to fly into the Tucson International Airport (TUS), which serves the metro Tucson area. You’ll need to rent a car and drive from the airport to the following wineries in Tucson, Arizona. Thankfully the Tucson Airport is conveniently located an 18 minute drive south of downtown Tucson so it’s pretty easy to access.
The best wineries in Tucson, Arizona for a wine tasting
Old Pueblo Cellars
Old Pueblo Cellars makes organic wines in the Sonoran Desert.
This boutique winery rejects synthetic pesticides, sulfites, and animal products. As a result their wines are sulfite-free and vegan. Which means they’re better for the earth and for you.
Old Pueblo Cellars is located on an 8-acre parcel of land in northern Tucson. They’ve planted heat-tolerant varieties of grapes like Tempranillo, Malbec, Sangiovese, Petite Sirah, and Viognier in their estate vineyard.
The Old Pueblo Cellars tasting room in Tucson is cozy and comfortable. Cheerful star-shaped lights hang from the ceiling above their comfortable seating area with plush couches and armchairs.
Wine tastings are available three times a day everyday at 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM. Tastings last half an hour and cost $18 per person. Old Pueblo Cellars requires reservations, which you can make by calling or emailing the winery.
Arizona Wine Collective
Arizona Wine Collective is a tasting room, wine bar, and bottle shop. They serve wine from multiple Arizona wineries all under one roof.
What does this mean? This means you have lots of options! There’s always a revolving selection of Arizona wines here, so it’s impossible to be bored. Variety is the spice of life as they say.
When you walk into Arizona Wine Collective the friendly staff will guide you through a tasting of a curated selection of Arizona wines. You can choose three tastes for $12. After your tasting you can choose to relax with a glass or bottle of wine. There’s plenty of seating both indoors and outdoors on their patio.
And if you’d like to look beyond the wine tasting menu you’re in luck; they offer Arizona-produced beers as well. A tasty selection of snacks like cheese, meats, nuts, and popcorn is available for purchase. But you can bring your own meal if you prefer.
The Arizona Wine Collective is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3–9 PM. It’s also open Friday (3–10 PM), Saturday (1–10 PM), and Sunday (1–7 PM). They’re closed Monday.
A. Toraño Family Wines
A. Toraño Family Wines is a family-owned winery with one goal: to make the finest wine from excellent grapes grown in Sonoma County.
Founder Art Toraño is named for his Spanish grandfather Arturo, who became one of the largest producers of leaf tobacco in Cuba. But Art was drawn to leaves of a different sort: grapeleaves!
A glass of Brunello di Montalcino ignited Art’s passion for wine and he spent the next several years traveling, researching, and sampling wine. In 2011 the Toraño family bought a small Cabernet vineyard in Alexander Valley. Since then this family-owned business has built a portfolio of small production wines made from ultra-premium grapes grown in Sonoma County.
The A. Toraño Family Wines tasting room in Tucson is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 2-8 PM. On Saturdays and Sundays they’re open from 12-8 PM. They’re closed Monday and Tuesday.
The tasting room offers wine flights plus cheeses, meats, jams, and olive oils.
Flying Leap Vineyards Tucson Tasting Room
Flying Leap Vineyards produces wine in Mendoza, Argentina and in the United States.
Their distillery and wine production facilities are located in Elgin, Arizona. They also have a partner winery in Washington State. They certainly have fingers in many pies!
Flying Leap Vineyards makes a variety of wines from grapes including Tannat, Graciano, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Flying Leap Vineyards wine tasting room in Tucson is located in the Plaza Palomino shopping center. Standard tasting flights cost $29 for six 1-ounce pours. If you bring your own glass they’ll reduce the tasting fee to about $26.
The Flying Leap Vineyards Tucson tasting room hours of operation vary by season. During the summer they’re open Friday and Saturday from 2–7 PM. On summer Sundays they’re open from 2–5 PM.
Other Arizona wine towns to explore
Wine lovers, take note: the best wineries in Tucson, Arizona are within easy driving distance of other Arizona wine country destinations.
The Sonoita AVA is the epicenter of the Arizona wine industry. There are a large number of Arizona wineries to visit and it’s hard to know where to start. Our list includes 17 wineries in Sonoita and Elgin that’ll help you plan your trip. The town of Sonoita is located one hour south of Tucson in Southern Arizona.
Willcox is a small town located 86 miles (a 1 hour 20 minute drive) from Tucson. These wineries in Willcox, Arizona make excellent wine from 100% Arizona-grown grapes.
If you’d like to expand your exploration of Southern Arizona, then look no further than our list of the best wineries in Southern Arizona. These particular wineries only use grapes grown in Arizona. Their homegrown pride leads to amazing wine!
If you journey north of Phoenix you’ll find another cluster of towns worth a visit.
Jerome, Arizona is a former mining town that’s become a fun destination. These Jerome, Arizona wineries reflect the quirky, artsy vibe of this small town.
Cottonwood is a short 15 minute drive from Jerome. Cottonwood has cute shops, historic buildings, and winery tasting rooms. These wineries in Cottonwood are reason enough for a visit.
The popular tourist town of Sedona is located 24 minutes northeast of Cottonwood. These fun Sedona wineries and wine bars are a great place to quench your thirst in between hikes.
