Customized Foodie Tours
Wineries, endless farmers’ markets, and state wide food tours
Julie Murphree, communications, education & marketing director for the Arizona Farm Bureau, says a travelling tour of farmers’ markets across the state is a fabulous way to stay stocked up on healthy produce while experiencing the incredible diversity offered by Arizona growers.
She recommends fillyourplate.org as a launching point—an online searchable database of food and wine producers across the state.
“RVers will literally be able to search online while travelling,” says Murphree. “A delightful example of this is if travelers are in Flagstaff, they can swing south to Sedona and Jerome, do a search on fillyourplate.org to see if any Farmers markets are open, and visit them to discover the array of fresh and wonderful Arizona produce.”
This can come in handy no matter the season, as Arizona’s varied climate means food producers can be growing and harvesting 12 months out of the year. “If people go to Yuma in southern Arizona during the winter, they’ll get to see and experience Yuma agriculture at the height of their produce growing season, making it the Winter Vegetable capital of the world,” says Murphree.
Discover goat’s milk caramels in Scottsdale, buffalo meat in Buckeye, or Green Valley Pecans or a Farm to Table brunch in the Santa Cruz Valley. The possibilities are endless and always accessible through wwwfillyourplate.org.
Wine Touring
Wine touring in Arizona takes three main routes or trails that showcase the state’s premier boutique wineries. The Verde Valley Wine Growers trail covers northern Arizona from Cottonwood and Jerome, and east to Camp Verde and Sedona just south of Flagstaff. Each route has 10-12 recommended stops, each with unique, small batch wines for every palette.
The Sonoita/Elgin Trail peruses central and southern Arizona beginning in Vale and heading south to Sonoita, and then across the state to Elgin with its final stops to the north-central area on the way to Tombstone. To the south, the Willcox Wine trail offers eight stops in the Willcox and Sunsites areas between Tucson and New Mexico.
Murphree recommends Alcantara Winery in Camp Verde, which is right next to the Thousand Trails RV Park. “It’s a fabulous winery in northern Arizona and very picturesque,” she says.
Alcantara Winery is the first winery on the Verde River and one of the largest in the region. The Tuscan styled farmhouse tasting room is set on 12 acres of vineyard property overlooking the Verde River and distant limestone cliffs.
Bree Nation, wine tasting barista at Alcantara, says visitors are welcome to take in the stunning landscape from the back lawn and deck area, while enjoying tasty treats from the food menu.
“We have music playing and offer cheese plates with dried fruit and nuts during the week and a small food menu on the weekends,” she says. “Some favourites are prosciutto and vegetarian paninis, prosciutto-wrapped melon, and our rustic bread basket.”
As a boutique winery, Alcantara typically pours 16 lines, with whites, reds and tempting dessert wines. The winery harvests in August and September and visitors are welcome to come by and see how it’s done.
