Wine making is an art that is as full-bodied as the end results that are produced. From the first pluck of a grape from the vine, to the first pour and last drop from a glass, the art of wine making is a story that continues to be told by wineries around the world. And in the heart of the Verde Valley, Camp Verde wineries are telling the narrative with their own twist through the creation of full-bodied cabernets to crisp chardonnays with buttery aftertastes.
In recognition and celebration of Camp Verde as a wine country, the Spring Heritage Wine and Pecan Festival will return on Friday and Saturday, March 17 and 18, and is presented by Camp Verde Promotions.
The Spring Heritage Wine and Pecan Festival is a two-day festival celebrating the wine and pecan history of Camp Verde through the featuring of more than 60 vendors, 14 local wineries and local entertainment. The event is the largest winetasting event in Arizona’s wine country and is free and open to all ages.
Additional festivities at the event will include a pie baking contest on Sunday, March 18, an ancient American Indian technology display, a 50/50 raffle and vendors selling their wares, pecan specialties, other homemade goods and more.
Choosing the wineries and vendors for the event is a process that requires devotion to making the event a success. Julie Scott, president of the Camp Verde Promotions noted that those who are participating in this year’s event are perceived to be able to do just that: Make the festival the best it can be.
“[We] reached out personally to all the vineyards that are participating. We literally drove around to all the vineyards and we had an application form, we had the liquor license forms … all of them were gracious,” Scott said. “I mean we have the 14, and I think normally only like 15 to 16 vineyards have regularly participated. So we have the same amount of participation. And there is no fee for them to be in the [wine] tent.”
Aside from all the wineries being local, Scott noted that in regard to vendors, in previous years the event has had vendors from Wisconsin participating and regularly has vendors from across Arizona. The more the merrier is the motto for the festival, which in return helps bolster economic development and tourism in Camp Verde.
While the festival continues to grow in many aspects, Scott said that there is only one pecan farm participating in this year’s event, which she hopes may change, along with the number of participating bakers.
“We would love to have a lot more pecan farmers participation because I think we only have like one, just Wee Farm Pecans,” Scott said. “We absolutely would love to have more participation from pecan farmers and bakers, and we want to see the event continue to grow.
Although there may be a lack of pecan farmers participating this year, it will not deter people from attending the festival. Scott noted that it is an event that attracts people from throughout Arizona and neighboring states.
Camp Verde community member M.E. Morales has attended the festival for three consecutive years. She said she appreciates the event for the intimate and humbling community atmosphere that reflects the tight-knit community of Camp Verde.
She also noted that what enhances the experience is the rewarding feeling that comes from knowing that much of the vended food, items, wine and pecans provided at the festival have been harvested right in the heart of home.
“I’ve been to Santa Barbara, [and] you go down wine tasting down these vineyards. It’s … simpler here,” Morales said. “We see the grapes growing and then it becomes wine and then we go get to taste it. It’s this feeling of being local that I love. We have people coming up from California just to attend it.”
Looking ahead to this year’s festival, Scott and Morales expect nothing but good times as the festival is like a nonstop, two-day social hour. And though Camp Verde is a small town, Morales and Scott expressed a similar sentiment in that big things come out of the town that are appreciated on a local and state level.
One winery that will be featured at the event is Clear Creek Vineyard. Owner Ignacio Mesa has been participating in the festival for four years, and he recently received a statewide award for his eco-friendly and sustainable winemaking practices.
Mesa said he enjoys contributing in the festival because it allows him the ability to connect with other wineries in Camp Verde and educate people about Verde Valley wine country.
“The Wine and Pecan Festival is a great way to introduce local people, Arizona people, to the wine in Northern Arizona,” Mesa said. “It is very good for the wineries and we’re able to benefit from the participation as well as educate the Arizonans about Arizona wine. We have a chance to visit with all the other wineries that participate and share information with each other. We help each other every year when we have some equipment problems. So, we have a real good camaraderie with all the other wineries and it’s a good time to get together and visit.”
Mesa’s wine-making process is one he said that he has honed to a T, and each wine he makes is aged properly. A product that has made its way to the shelf is nothing less than ready to be bought, drank and enjoyed.
“Some of my wines are 8 and 10 years old, 6 and 7 years old I don’t put them on the market until they are ready to drink. The longer you age them the better they are,” Mesa said. “I like to make my wine old fashion style … this way I can maintain all the flavors and characters of the wines.”
As time is winding down until the festival, efforts to make it the best it can be are winding up. What keeps the wheels turning to the festival are the community volunteers, which Scott noted are still needed for this year’s festivities.
“We still need volunteers for gate keepers. That’s a huge thing. Generally for Spring Heritage Pecan we normally need 50,” she said. “We do everything on a volunteer basis. We only ask for two hours and that one nice thing about this event is that it’s not a hot one. The reason we need the gatekeepers is because we serve alcohol and if alcohol was to get outside of the event we could lose our license and the events would go bye-bye. So that’s why it’s important to us that we have the gatekeepers. We probably we need still 20 plus volunteers.”
The volunteers help facilitate the festival many locals and visitors have come to love. Having enough community volunteers is crucial to catering to what Scott said will be around 1,500 to 2,000 attendees of the festival.
Each year, the wine, pecans and people are what make the festival enjoyable for many. This year will be no different, and it will continue to be one of the main attractions that keeps Camp Verde on the map as being a recognized wine country.
“It’s really nice … to come to a pecan and wine festival where the pecans are coming right from your tree in your neighborhood, and it’s just a different kind of feeling that people have lost touch with,” Morales said. “It’s not just the festival, but it’s the whole town.”
Makenna Lepowsky can be reached at 282-7795 ext. 126, or email mlepowsky@larsonnewspapers.com
