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- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 12 pm - 7 pm
Fri-Sat 12 pm - 9 pm
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Kids:
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- Wheelchair Accessible:
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23 reviews for Arizona Stronghold Tasting Room
23 reviews in English
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Review from Jeff S.
Pasadena, CA
2/19/2012
Tucked away at the end of a pleasant main street in Cottonwood lies Arizona Stronghold. When we arrived, not to our surprise the place was bustling. Holly did her best to make our experience special amongst the crowded tasting room pouring some delicious wines.
There are more flights available here then there are at Caduceus and about the same price. I very much enjoyed the "Hermitage" as well as "the lotus" for those looking for some wine selection choices.
Kevin who showed up midway through was very pleasant and knowledgeable for the short time we talked to him. We caught him outside as we were leaving and just to give you an idea of the awesome small town friendly feel AZ and this area has, he sat down by our car helping give us directions to Page Springs and even offered his cell # case we got lost...wow, that's pretty cool. (Being from Los Angeles that's really cool)
Thanks again to Holly and Kevin who helped us out making our experience great! -
Review from C L.
Tucson, AZ
4/23/2012
Stopped here on our way back to Scottsdale from Sedona. By far the best wines that we had on our trip. Every wine we tasted on the Combo flight was good. The Dayden Rose and the Nachise Rhone Blend were my personal favorites. Nice little tasting room in historic Cottonwood. Will return if we are in the area.
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Review from Rebecca D.
San Francisco, CA
3/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
What a wonderful place to taste in the heart of Old Cottonwood just outside Sedona. Our wine taster was absolutely wonderful and could not wait to share information about the wine, the vineyards, and how the winery came about. The wines we tasted here were very good, and included two single varietals, a Sangiovese and a Bonita Creek Cab. These were some of the only single varietals we tasted in the area and they showed the real characteristics of the Arizona soil. We had a great time at Arizona Stronghold, which is almost like a wine bar than a tasting room. If you only go one place in the Verde Valley Wine Country, I wold recommend going here. If you're there on a Friday night they also offer live music. Enjoy yourself and buy some wine if you can!
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Review from Dustin G.
2/11/2012
Not all wineries are created equal. Some of them pour you your drinks and let you read about them. Good wineries, like Stronghold, have an attentive staff that will talk with you about each wine you taste and even offer up alternate suggestions based on your reaction. A good server at a tasting room will gauge a customer's reaction and be able to offer informed and appropriate suggestions which encourage the taster to leave with a bottle or two, which we did. Also, they give away a free glass with each tasting which should be standard at every winery. Don't miss this place when you're in Cottonwood. Order up some cheese from Bonne Lait across the street and have your wine and drink it too.
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Review from Josh S.
Sedona, AZ
3/6/2012
Nice atmosphere. My wife and I enjoyed a tasting on a slow Monday afternoon. The help was eager to explain all that we were tasting and took the time to explain the various grapes and techniques used in the processes. Not a bad time at all.
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Review from christina p.
Phoenix, AZ
6/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wine Arizona can be proud of and a fun tasting room environment.
Grab the Connect Four or a deck of trivia and a seat and pace yourself as you enjoy a sampling of some of Arizona's best offerings!
Warning: consumption of wine while playing Connect Four can yield some interesting, "creative" attempts at making obscene shapes on the game board... just sayin'!Listed in: Life Is a Cabernet
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Review from Monica J.
7/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is freaking awesome! The lady at the Pillsbury tasting room across the street made a joke about that place being all girls and AZ Stronghold has all guys working there. Boy, was she right. This is definitely a man's tasting room. The decor had tons of leather and dark wood with bold black and red colors and road signs on the walls. All the guys working there had tattoos and piercings but they were super friendly and really knew their stuff. The guy who was doing our pouring made it his mission to find a wine that my husband would like (he is not a big wine drinker). We both had a blast.
Even though I was not a huge fan of AZ Stronghold's wines before, I am now. That is because they have so many different tasting flights available and the staff really takes the time to explain them all to you and learn your tastes in order to guide you in the right direction. When we were there the place had a bunch of people from all over the country and all walks of life, just hanging out and chatting at the community table or playing board games on the sofas. If I lived in the area, I would come here often since I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon.Listed in: Northern AZ, Wine!!!
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Review from Page G.
12/20/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Mr. Keenan does it again - another project that is absolutely perfect. Having been appreciative of his musical talent over the years, I was incredibly excited to learn of his passion for wine - since that is a passion of mine as well.
Just a bit of background - I grew up in the valley where nearly all of these grapes were grown, and before Arizona Stronghold/Caduceus/Merkin I had never had an overwhelmingly positive experience with Arizona grapes. The vines are so young, the climate so arid, the soil so rocky, that the potential for great fruit was there but the wine never quite reached that superior level due to the challenges faced by the viticulturist.
The wines are truly some of the best I've ever tasted - Syrah done the way it should be (my favorite grape - and it was THE best I've ever had). Even if you're not a white/rose person (I'm definitely not!) you MUST try the Lei Li Rose 2009 Merkin Vineyards - DELICIOUS!
The tasting room at Stronghold is comfortable, warm, and very inviting - the couches invite you to take a load off and enjoy the bounty, you can play Jenga, Playstation Move, or you can watch Blood Into Wine on repeat. Wells, the assistant tasting room manager, is an absolute delight. Knowledgeable, engaging, funny, and generous with information - he emits a vibe that invites you to ask him any and all questions about wine that you've always felt embarrassed you didn't already know the answers to. He is a new breed of sommelier - refreshing, hip, and passionate about wine and educating others.
If you are a wine liker to any degree, you truly should stop in. You'll walk out with the biggest smile on your face - I did two days in a row!
P.S. Ask to taste the Black Sheep!!Listed in: Reasons I will NEVER leave…
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Review from Tom W.
Phoenix, AZ
1/12/2011
This is such a cool little place. Completely different vibe from Caduceus in Jerome. Much more laid back, and the wines have a different style.
I did a full tour of everything while they had the site reserve wines. Almost all (except one of the reds) were outstanding.
If for some reason you find yourself in Cottonwood (though I can't imagine how or why) stop by and relax for it bit. -
Review from Lauren Jeanne G.
Grand Canyon, AZ
This is my favorite Arizonan tasting room thus far. Every time I have stopped in, Jason has been working. He has spent much more time chatting with us and explaining various aspects of the wine, than at other tasting rooms. I love the decor and happy atmosphere. Cool rotation of art on the walls. There is a variety of board/dice games to play as well as video games. They have sponsored a disc golf tournament, which makes me happy. I also like that this tasting room features the uber tasty Burning Tree wines. Nom nom! Also, you can order a cheese tasting plate to match your particular wine tasting from Bonne Lait, which they will bring it right to you! They sell Vogues Chocolates, Olive Oils and such, as well as Arizona Stronghold merchandise. They even have disc golf disks.
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Review from noah c.
Portland, OR
12/31/2010
So well executed for what they do.
See "Blood into Wine" before going.
Thanks Wells, for your warmth and welcome! -
Review from Cara S.
Phoenix, AZ
10/16/2011
I liked the atmosphere here, but I did not like many of their wines. I prefer sweeter wines, and when I told them this, I was told I was in the wrong state. I appreciated the honesty. But I tasted the wines so my friend would have two glasses to take home with her. She enjoyed it a lot more than me.
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Review from Erin G.
Fairfax, VA
7/6/2011
Ha! As you can tell, Chrissy and I went along on a wine tour together with some other girlfriends, and we stopped at AZ Stronghold's tasting room in Cottonwood to test drive their wines along our route. The tasting room was definitely fun and casual and I liked the array of tasting flights offered at what seemed like a very reasonable price. There seemed to be a bachelorette party going on which was incredibly loud and bawdy for 3:00pm. Staff was friendly and attentive, which was important since we couldn't risk losing our seats to go find anyone for a refill.
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Review from Heather N.
Mesa, AZ
4/11/2011 7 Check-ins Here
This place is just a tasting room, but the wine speaks for itself. I am a wine lover and this is just one of my favorites of AZ wine. It's between Jerome and Sedona where I venture for homegrown wines. Pillsbury's tasting room is right across the street and Nic's (Excellent Food) is within walking distance. JUST GO!
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Review from Colleen C.
Phoenix, AZ
3/31/2010
Made my first visit to the new Arizona Stronghold tasting room last weekend and it exceeded expectations. The vibe is so cheery and yet relaxed. With bright colors and big, comfy couches, this is somewhere you want to just sit and crack a bottle of that lovely juice. There's also a huge table that provides a nice area to sit around and converse with friends of old and new.
If you've ever had Arizona Stronghold wine, a visit to the tasting room takes it to a whole new level. The local art and gifts are unique and the crew working the counter are entertaining and knowledgeable; I think Wells has found a happy home and we've found a great new stop on our tour. -
Review from Samantha d.
Santa Monica, CA
3/21/2011
Love-love-love this tasting room! The wines were excellent, our server was super knowledgeable and flexible (my boyfriend said he liked cabernet sauvignon best and he had already tried a certain wine at Caduceus which was in his flight and the server swapped the wine he had tried for a pure cab)... plus it's just a really cool, laid-back vibe. You can play video games, there's lots of comfy seating... cool deco... love the art they have on display.
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Review from Erin M.
Fremont, CA
9/27/2010
We are from the Bay Area so we love going wine tasting in the Livermore & Napa Valleys. We were not sure what to expect when traveling to N. AZ to visit this tasting room (& a few others)- it was wonderful! It is such a fabulous little store/ tasting room! Very comfortable, beautiful art to look at, our pourer was great- very knowledgeable & inviting.
I think my favorite was the Nachise '09, but honestly all of the wines I've tried by AZ Stronghold have been lovely. -
Review from Tammy M.
Paradise Valley, AZ
1/21/2011
I visited this little tasting room yesterday and was very impressed with the knowledgable employee, Corey who was staffing it. He gave us a lot of information about the company, the wines, the vineyards, the founders and was very humorous in his description of favorite wines. I did not taste but did bring a few bottles home.
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Review from Megan L.
11/9/2010
Great space, great wines, the host was VERY friendly (unlike the 2 times I have been to Caduceus) and he was accomodating, and helpful. The space is a bit more laid back than the Jerome Caduceus space, and larger than Page Springs. Lots of open space to hang about and sit. Great wines, which I knew already. Highly recommend it, as long as the tasting room staff are as nice as this gentleman was. Its huge if you feel welcome.
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Review from kristina s.
Racine, WI
5/31/2011
Had an awesome experience at Arizona Stronghold this past week! I did a flight of Reds and was very impressed with the wine. Loved the environment there, very laidback, and had a great time playing trivial pursuit while drinking our wine. Our server Kevin was hilarious and also attentive. I will be back next time I'm in the area!
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Review from Teryn T.
Mesa, AZ
10/19/2011
I absolutely LOVE this place! Both times we have been here, Kevin has been working and actually remembered us after a year of us not being there. This is definitely the place for the younger crowd and for the more adventurous. The wines Arizona Stronghold produces are absolutely superb and in my opinion, are beginning to put the Californian wines to shame. Keenan's willingness to dive completely into wine making and to partner with such a knowledgeable wine maker to develop the wines he makes is a stroke of luck and genius for us! We did not do any wine tasting flights as 2 of the people with us were not interested in standing around tasting wine, but Kevin recommended 2 bottles that were sure to be crowd pleasers... and they were! The 2010 Nachise is PHENOMENAL as well as the new Site Archive's Sangiovese! There were many new wines to sample and as anyone who regularly drinks wines and keeps track of your favorites, each year will taste different and bring differently nuances due to the weather and environmental influences over the year. I can't wait to go back and spend some time tasting all the wines and then continuing on the tour to Caduceus and Page Springs!
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Review from Kelly H.
Peoria, AZ
10/26/2010 8 Check-ins Here
Great wine, great people running the place and did I mention the fantastic wine? I was introduced to N. AZ wine by a good friend of mine and have been hooked ever since. Keep up the good work!
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Review from jennifer k.
Mesa, AZ
1/20/2011
This is my new hangout and I live in Mesa. Love the wines and the guys that work there. It's a small tasting room that can be fun and/or relaxing. There are board games to the ps3 for entertainment.
