Danusia Szumowski, board member of the Verde Valley Wine Consortium, is one of the rare people to be excited to be in line at the Motor Vehicle Division at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 20.
But for her it was the culmination of the last two years of work getting the Verde Valley Wine Trail license plate through the state legislature, signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs [D] on March, 29, 2024 as House Bill 2048.
“I just felt like I can’t believe it,” Szumowski said, about getting her Verde Valley Wine Trail license plate that she also personalized with the characters ‘IDIDIT.’ “[To] actually write a bill, get it passed and then see it come to life in a way that you know will outlast you … that’s a pretty cool feeling.”
Szumowski is the bill’s author and the legislation was sponsored by Rep. Selina Bliss [R-District 1] with cosponsors Rep. Quang Nguyen and former Sen. Ken Bennett and received support from local governments and organizations, including the city of Cottonwood, the towns of Jerome and Clarkdale and more.
“[Jerome Chamber of Commerce board member] Tom Pitts has been pivotal to this industry for decades, and he’s also very involved with the Arizona legislature, so I called him and said ‘I’ve got to go present this bill’. He went with me, and he’d addressed the legislature multiple times, so the two of us were really well prepared,” Szumowski said. “We got the bill over the finish line, which we were both rather shocked about.”
Constituent bills like Szumowski’s Bliss has cited to be the most exciting.
“All you have to do is talk to your legislator,” Bliss said in a previous interview. “I have five or six bills that are a result of a constituent coming to me and saying, ‘We’ve got to do something about fill-in-the-blank.’”
The plates are now available from the state Motor Vehicle Division either in-person or online at the cost of a $25 initial application fee with an annual renewal cost of $25. With $17 of the annual registration cost going to the Verde Valley Wine Trail, a 501(c)(3) organization of area wineries.
“Specialty license plates offer a fun way to put that personal touch on a vehicle and show your proud support for one of these uniquely Arizona organizations,” MVD Director Eric Jorgensen wrote in a Nov. 26 press release announcing the Verde Valley Wine Trail plate along with an Ovarian Cancer Awareness and Phoenix Mercury plate. “MVD is pleased to offer the various plates that will have an impact for the organizations dedicated to helping Arizona and our communities.”
Verde Valley Wine Trail will be using the proceeds “to encourage the development of sustainable vineyard growth and development in the Verde Valley,” Szumowski said. “The second is to work with the vineyards on sustainability, and the third is to look for ways to foster responsible drinking initiatives. It’s primarily an agricultural license plate, and that’s really important to us too; it is about working to grow this industry. That dovetails with both the mission of the [Verde Valley Wine Trail] and the Verde Valley Wine Consortium.”
How the funding will be spent is to-be-determined “that will be up to wineries and up to the committee every year,” Szumowski said
Sedona-based artist Sterling West brought the plate’s design to life over 260 images and several submissions to the Arizona Department of Transportation for approval.
“Our goal was to showcase the entire Verde Valley, not just Sedona,” West said. “The red rocks are iconic and draw visitors in, but many vineyards are in Cottonwood, Clarkdale and Cornville. We used the red rocks as a recognizable symbol while highlighting the [Verde Valley Wine Trail] to support tourism across the whole region so all communities can participate and benefit.”
The plates cost Verde Valley Wine Trail $32,000 to cover the manufacturing templates and other production costs. The initial goal is 1,800 registrations to break even. Verde Valley Wine Trail will receive annual state payments each January. Szumowski said she hopes it’s an easy sell with the tagline, “Take the Scenic Route.”
The design process also faced challenges. Sterling West, a Sedona-based muralist and artist, created beautiful vineyard-themed designs, but changes in the law required that nothing appear behind the plate numbers.
“We looked at other states and how they were putting together license plates for wine trails,” West said. “There were some plates in Colorado and one in Oregon, but states have different requirements. For example, in Oregon there’s a much more intricate image, but with ADOT, they were really scrutinizing it. I think it has to do with police being able to read the visibility of the numbers. That was one thing that created a hurdle and limited some of the design style — like going really crazy with beautiful red rocks. We had to make sure the iterative process with ADOT met the requirements. But, we created something that we’re all proud of.”
The Verde Valley Wine Trail plates are available online at azmvdnow.gov/plates or at your DMV office.
