Richard Ruelas

The Republic | azcentral.com

A newly formed Arizona wine group that aims to help consumers by touting quality wines will also have to sell itself to Arizona’s winemakers, as one of the leading makers on Tuesday called the Arizona Vignerons Alliance “divisive.”

The group, made public Monday, asks winemakers to voluntarily submit their bottles for tastings and lab analysis. If the wines meet certain standards and are proven, through an audit, to come exclusively from Arizona vineyards, the wines can display the Arizona Vignerons Alliance logo on the label.

But Eric Glomski, owner of Page Springs Cellars, one of the state’s largest and most decorated wineries, said he did not plan to submit his bottles to the group.

“It doesn’t sound like a leadership role,” Glomski said. “It does seem like it’s divisive.”

Glomski, one of only two Arizona winemakers to have a bottle awarded 90 points (out of a possible 100) by Wine Spectator, said he worried that the AVA risks “bifurcating our whole industry.” Glomski said he has received several calls from other winemakers since the group was announced Monday. Those winemakers, he said, consistently used the word “elite” to describe the new group.

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Glomski said he is not against having high standards for wine. “If somebody wants to uphold a group of ideals for themselves, that’s wonderful,” he said. “But, just go do it.”

Todd Bostock, co-owner of Dos Cabezas WineWorks in Sonoita, and one of the founding directors of the AVA, said Tuesday he knows his group will have to gain the trust of the state’s winemakers.

He said details of how winemakers submit their wines for certification would be forthcoming, some as soon as an event that will launch the group. An evening reception is planned for the Farm at South Mountain on March 11.

Bostock said submitted wines will be tasted blind by a group of outside experts, though, he said, the panel would likely include some of the founding members of the AVA.

He said that while the group used the word “audit” on its website to describe the submission process, that audit will not extend to financial information.

“It’s just, 'You say you have a vineyard in Willcox,' ” Bostock said. “Do you really have a vineyard in Willcox?”

Besides Bostock and his wife, Kelly, the founding members include Lisa and Kent Callaghan of Callaghan Vineyards in Elgin, Sarah and Rob Hammelman of Sand-Reckoner Vineyards in Willcox and Jennifer and Maynard James Keenan of Caduceus Cellars in Jerome.

None of the founding members have the right to place the logo on their bottles, Bostock said, because none have gone through the certification process. Bostock said he expected the first certifications to begin this summer.

“The whole goal is to help the whole place work on quality,” he said. “We’re holding our own feet to the fire. We’re trying to push everybody, including ourselves.”

Glomski had been business partners with Keenan in Arizona Stronghold, a winery the pair turned into a nationally distributed brand, before the partnership split in 2014. He said Tuesday the ultimate judge of quality wine should be the consumer.

“I don’t need Maynard Keenan or Kent Callaghan to tell me whether my wine is quality or not,” he said. “The person buying and drinking that bottle is the one who needs to decide.”

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Bostock said the certification is a tool that will help enhance and protect the state’s reputation. He said it will also help the consumer standing at a grocery store shelf looking at an array of Arizona wines.

“You see that bottle that says it’s from Arizona and you know nothing about it,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be helpful before you spend 30 or 40 bucks to at least know something about what that wine is about?"

Bostock said rather than being divisive, he hopes the certification program is embraced and becomes inclusive. He said the group is designing the certification fee to be minimal, aiming to have it be the lowest line item that would go into producing a bottle of wine.

Bostock said his vision is that all the wineries in the state would carry the AVA seal. “That’s the hope,” he said. “The hope is we see as many as possible.”