More than 1,300 people turned out for the seventh annual Verde Valley Wine Festival at Riverfront Parkin Cottonwood on Saturday, May 10, to sample the work of 20 wineries and enjoy local beer, spirits, eateries, artisans and live music.
Kris Pothier, co-owner of Clarkdale’s Chateau Tumbleweed with her husband Joe Bechard, who has been attending the festival since its inception in 2016, said that the wine business was doing well in spite of slumps at the beginning of the year that she attributed to then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issuing a warning that claimed alcohol consumption would lead to increased cancer risk. “Flash forward to now and I think that people need the natural beverage, to get out of their heads, to relax, and to open up their perception because the world is becoming more hard to live in,” Pothier said.
She added that she felt the festival was an excellent opportunity to meet other winemakers and enjoyed how it highlighted local wine businesses. “We want to be here. We see a lot of our wine club members, so it’s really important to be out here in front of the community,” said Michael Pierce of Bodega Pierce Winery of Clarkdale, a family business founded in 2010, at which his parents grow the grapes while he makes the wine.
Evelyn LaBree of New Hampshire was on her first trip to the Verde Valley and decided to stop for the wine festival before going on to the Grand Canyon. “I like it. Some of it is a little on the young side,” LaBree said. “We have grown accustomed to really good wines and [in] our retirement can actually afford it, and it was fun to come here and sort of see what the offerings are. We’re only about halfway through in our tasting but we’re liking it. People are lovely, very friendly, very informative and learning a lot.” Festival organizer Paula Woolsey noted that thanks to sponsorships, they had been able to lower ticket prices for this year’s event from $50 to $25.
