St. Philip’s Plaza will soon have a tasting room focused on Arizona wines.
Arizona Wine Collective is renovating the space at 4280 N. Campbell Ave., Ste. 155, which previously housed Scordato’s Pizzeria, with an anticipated opening date in December.
“What we wanted to do, and felt was necessary and worked better, was to have a collective of sorts where you’re able to taste multiple Arizona wineries,” said Pete Snell, who owns Arizona Wine Collective with his wife Jeanne.
Snell spent the last year working at Callaghan Vineyards in Elgin, where he learned the business of making and selling wine.
Arizona Wine Collective will feature eight wine taps, wines by the bottle and glass, as well as four Arizona beer taps. However, wine will be the main focus six to eight rotating wineries.
“Tucson hasn’t been quick to embrace Arizona wine and we want to change that,” Snell said.
Arizona Wine Collective will showcase the wines in a few different ways to help develop Tucson’s wine palate. Tasting flights will introduce non-Arizona wines to demonstrate how Arizona wines stand up to more well-known wine regions. “You can taste an Arizona Tempranillo, then California, then Spanish side-by-side in blind tasting to see how Arizona wine stands out,” Snell said. Additionally, the tasting room will offer vertical flights so guests can taste a specific grape across multiple wineries.
The 1,500-square-foot space is currently under construction and expected to seat 60. A patio by the fountain is also in the works.
Hours are expected to be mostly afternoons and evenings from Tuesday through Sunday.
The tasting room for Elgin’s Flying Leap Vineyards is also located in St. Philip’s Plaza.
Keep up with Arizona Wine Collective on Facebook.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
