So let's try this again as there seems to be a lot more offers that ship to AZ these days and I notice more than a few people from the area posting in the main thread.

EDIT:

Looks like we'll be heading the Verde Valley Wineries - Arizona Wine Country over a weekend in April.

Once we have an idea I'll call around to some of the wineries re: costs etc. And check around for transportation, things to do, places to stay.

Who wants in??

1. Imagine4vr
2. sanity
3. T, sanity's +1
4.
5.
6.

Maybes
1. alexa84
2. MarkDaSpark
3. kylemittskus
4. brainchasm
5. mr sanity

Imagine4vr wrote:So let's try this again as there seems to be a lot more offers that ship to AZ these days and I notice more than a few people from the area posting in the main thread.

Anyone in the Phoenix area care to get together to drink wine? There are a few BYOB places if we want to go out, Cafe Monarch has been at the top of my list for quite some time. I know there are other places as well. Or if someone wants to host that would work; I'm pretty open to ideas. I have met wooters from all over the country and no one here in AZ!!

I'm thinking if there's enough interest we could plan something for mid January. And of course, anyone from the colder parts of the country are more than welcome to visit and escape the frigid weather.

Anyone??

here! I know I missed the Spring Training gathering, and I usually am short on free time, but I'd love to try to get together! And I'm sure I could convince a couple of friends to join us Keep me in the loop if anything starts to take shape!

to help encourage cold weather-ers, it was something like 80 degrees here today. I hear there's nothing but blizzards and collapsing roofs across the rest of the country right now....

Possibly I can be persuaded ....

I'm not in AZ (just a short drive though), but I wonder if it might not be feasible to meet in Jerome, AZ?

Reason I ask is, Maynard (from Tool) has vineyards there (Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards) and is producing pretty fabulous wine. The tasting room is open 365, and it might be a neat thing to tack onto a get-together.

And just because I like the music and the wines, a link - Cadueceus Cellars (give it like 30sec to load...)

We've been thinking about taking a ride out to AZ soon.

Visiting the tasting room in Jerome sounds interesting. We would stay in Cottonwood.

brainchasm wrote:I'm not in AZ (just a short drive though), but I wonder if it might not be feasible to meet in Jerome, AZ?

Reason I ask is, Maynard (from Tool) has vineyards there (Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards) and is producing pretty fabulous wine. The tasting room is open 365, and it might be a neat thing to tack onto a get-together.

And just because I like the music and the wines, a link - Cadueceus Cellars (give it like 30sec to load...)

sanity wrote:We've been thinking about taking a ride out to AZ soon.

Visiting the tasting room in Jerome sounds interesting. We would stay in Cottonwood.

I would love to do this - I'd stay overnight as well.

Anyone else?

brainchasm wrote:I'm not in AZ (just a short drive though), but I wonder if it might not be feasible to meet in Jerome, AZ?

Reason I ask is, Maynard (from Tool) has vineyards there (Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards) and is producing pretty fabulous wine. The tasting room is open 365, and it might be a neat thing to tack onto a get-together.

And just because I like the music and the wines, a link - Cadueceus Cellars (give it like 30sec to load...)

Jerome's a pretty neat little town - that might be a fun idea!

Shows what a geek I am - looking at the winery website, I see one of the wines named anubis and first thought is of SG-1. Then I thought of the greek/roman gods studied in 7th grade.

Here's the winery website.

Quite a few recent poor reviews of the staff at the tasting room give me pause, as does the qpr of the wines. I would hope we could arrange to visit a few tasting rooms in the area.

brainchasm, or anyone else, have ideas for other places to visit in the area?

sanity wrote:Shows what a geek I am - looking at the winery website, I see one of the wines named anubis and first thought is of SG-1. Then I thought of the greek/roman gods studied in 7th grade.

Here's the winery website.

Quite a few recent poor reviews of the staff at the tasting room give me pause, as does the qpr of the wines. I would hope we could arrange to visit a few tasting rooms in the area.

brainchasm, or anyone else, have ideas for other places to visit in the area?

Here's a site of other wineries in the Verde Valley Arizona Wine Country I've had delicious wines from Alcanterra, Stronghold and Pillsbury. sanity, the wines I brought to Vegas a few tastings back - the white was from Stronghold and Red was Pillsbury.

When were you all thinking might be a good time frame?

Imagine4vr wrote:Here's a site of other wineries in the Verde Valley Arizona Wine Country I've had delicious wines from Alcanterra, Stronghold and Pillsbury. sanity, the wines I brought to Vegas a few tastings back - the white was from Stronghold and Red was Pillsbury.

When were you all thinking might be a good time frame?

I Remember them, and enjoyed them, too.

You had mentioned mid-January? That's a bit soon for us. How about mid-February? Or does that interfere with spring training?

Gatzby wrote:If it makes you feel better, I read your first line and thought, "What's wrong with that? Seems norm... oh, right."

Well, I didn't think anything wrong with it either.;)
Are you watching SG-Universe? I just started season 1. Please tell me it improves. I'm not expecting it to be like the others, I know the tone is very different...

sanity wrote:I Remember them, and enjoyed them, too.

You had mentioned mid-January? That's a bit soon for us. How about mid-February? Or does that interfere with spring training?

Mid Feb works fine for me. Spring training doesn't start until the end of Feb - Do we want to look at a calendar and pick dates now?

How does mid Feb look for everyone else to do the Verde Valley Wineries? I'll update the title line to the Verde Valley.

Imagine4vr wrote:Mid Feb works fine for me. Spring training doesn't start until the end of Feb - Do we want to look at a calendar and pick dates now?

How does mid Feb look for everyone else to do the Verde Valley Wineries? I'll update the title line to the Verde Valley.

Yes, let's pick a date. I'm being selfish here, since I want to ride the bike. That will depend upon weather at the time.

Ideally, Saturday for tasting, unless you think it will way too busy, then pick a day. Weekend of Feb 19?

sanity wrote:Yes, let's pick a date. I'm being selfish here, since I want to ride the bike. That will depend upon weather at the time.

Ideally, Saturday for tasting, unless you think it will way too busy, then pick a day. Weekend of Feb 19?

Sounds good, I updated the title and will update the first post.

sanity wrote:Yes, let's pick a date. I'm being selfish here, since I want to ride the bike. That will depend upon weather at the time.

Ideally, Saturday for tasting, unless you think it will way too busy, then pick a day. Weekend of Feb 19?

Ummm, count me out then. That's Dark & Delicious Weekend!!!! Plus the Scott Harvey party (with the Golden Ticket!) is that Sunday.

Oh hell, I knew that date sounded familiar. What about the weekend before or after?

sanity wrote:Oh hell, I knew that date sounded familiar. What about the weekend before or after?

Weekend before will probably be out for me (nephew's bday is 14th, but the weekend after might be okay ..... depending on how much wine is purchased during the orgy that is D&D weekend.

And how much snow is going to be around there? I think it's close to Flagstaff, with higher elevations, and has more potential to have snow & ice?

If we're trying to avoid :shudder: snow - I'd go for April - (not March since I'll have guests here all month and will hopefully be doing Vegas Mar 12/13) - I won't be available Feb 26/27 as my friends are coming in and staying at my place.

Imagine4vr wrote:If we're trying to avoid :shudder: snow - I'd go for April - (not March since I'll have guests here all month and will hopefully be doing Vegas Mar 12/13) - I won't be available Feb 26/27 as my friends are coming in and staying at my place.

April sounds good to me. It looks like with the elevation, maybe not so much snow, with February avg temps Highs in mid 50's, Lows in high 20's? Easter is late, April 24th.

I like avoiding snow. & I might actually be able to do a trip in April (weekends will hopefully be busy in the restaurant biz until at least then). so we'll put this on, er, ice until then? I can't decide if that was "pun-ny" or not....

alexa84 wrote:I like avoiding snow. & I might actually be able to do a trip in April (weekends will hopefully be busy in the restaurant biz until at least then). so we'll put this on, er, ice until then? I can't decide if that was "pun-ny" or not....

Ditto .....

I would love to taste AZ wines. I don't think it will be feasible, although maybe, but just know that I'm jealous.

Imagine4vr wrote:So let's try this again as there seems to be a lot more offers that ship to AZ these days and I notice more than a few people from the area posting in the main thread.

EDIT:

Looks like we'll be heading the Verde Valley Wineries - Arizona Wine Country over a weekend in April.

Once we have an idea I'll call around to some of the wineries re: costs etc. And check around for transportation, things to do, places to stay.

Who wants in??

1. Imagine4vr
2. sanity
3. sanity + 1?
4.
5.
6.

Maybes
1.
2.
3.

So .... you gonna update this anytime soon?

MarkDaSpark wrote:So .... you gonna update this anytime soon?

at least put me in the "maybe"s

MarkDaSpark wrote:So .... you gonna update this anytime soon?

updated

mr sanity will be a maybe till the last minute.

Add another +1. T, whom some of you so-cal wooters have met, will join us.

Last weekend in April won't be good for me. Son's b-day weekend. Also Java wants to go to the Anaheim ComicCon (Wizards World) thing that weekend too.

Easter Sunday is the weekend before that (24th), so I assume that is a bad time for most as well. (Family dinner then.)

Palm Sunday is the 17th. I have no problems that weekend.

And right before that is April 15th. Does anyone really want to travel the weekend before taxes are due?


So weekend of the 2nd or 16th?

Oh, and any Spring Training games the week of March 21st to 25th?? Since my son's cousins are in Phoenix, and the two boys have their birthdays the weekend after that, AND that week is Spring Break for him.

We may head out that way. Or not. Up to the Son (and Holy Ghost).

I vote for April 2.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Oh, and any Spring Training games the week of March 21st to 25th?? Since my son's cousins are in Phoenix, and the two boys have their birthdays the weekend after that, AND that week is Spring Break for him.

We may head out that way. Or not. Up to the Son (and Holy Ghost).

Let me provide that assist there.

sanity wrote:I vote for April 2.

That's the one weekend I'm not available.

Any other weekend in April is good for me.

Imagine4vr wrote:That's the one weekend I'm not available.

Any other weekend in April is good for me.

Ah, you did mention that. So sorry. How about the 9th? Or 16th.

cjsiege wrote:Let me provide that assist there.

Thanks ... I need someone to wipe my tuckas as well.


I had hoped Imagine4vr had memorized the Cubs schedule and would know if they played either Angels or Dodgers that week (Angels on the 21st, Dodgers on the 22nd).

Darn Phillie Phans still upset over not playing in the World Series last season. Go throw a battery at Cliff Lee.

sanity wrote:Ah, you did mention that. So sorry. How about the 9th? Or 16th.

16th is better for me, since the 9th is just before Tax Day. And as usual, I'll be trying to find receipts that weekend.

sanity wrote:Ah, you did mention that. So sorry. How about the 9th? Or 16th.

Shall we shoot for the weekend of the 16th then?

MarkDaSpark wrote:Thanks ... I need someone to wipe my tuckas as well.


I had hoped Imagine4vr had memorized the Cubs schedule and would know if they played either Angels or Dodgers that week (Angels on the 21st, Dodgers on the 22nd).

Darn Phillie Phans still upset over not playing in the World Series last season. Go throw a battery at Cliff Lee.

I'm sure there are games that week (not sure which teams), but I won't have tix available for those dates as the guy who owns the season tix will be here with his posse that week.

MarkDaSpark wrote:Thanks ... I need someone to wipe my tuckas as well.

Sorry about that. My arms won't reach quite that far (2281 mi., but who's counting?).

MarkDaSpark wrote:Darn Phillie Phans still upset over not playing in the World Series last season. Go throw a battery at Cliff Lee.

Nah! It was Phils management that was stupid enough to let him go. [insert 9-V here] But he's back, and all will be better this year!

Imagine4vr wrote:Shall we shoot for the weekend of the 16th then?

Are we all good for the 16th????