The Verde Valley Wine Festival, presented by Four Eight WineWorks, has released the lineup of two dozen Arizona wineries chosen to participate in the 5th annual event to be held May 9 at the Clarkdale Town Park. 

This year’s participating wineries are: Arizona Stronghold, Bodega Pierce, Burning Tree Cellars, Cabal Cellars, Caduceus Cellars, Carlson Creek Vineyards, Callaghan Vineyards, Chateau Tumbleweed, Dos Cabezas, Elgin Winery, Four Eight Wineworks, Four Tails Vineyard, Garage East, Heart Wood Cellars, Merkin Vineyards, Oddity Wine Collective, Page Springs Cellars and Winery, Passion Cellars, Rune Wines, Saeculum Cellars, Salvatore Vineyards, Sand Reckoner, Southwest Wine Center, and Superstition Meadery. 

“We are proud to showcase the work of our state’s top vintners from Arizona’s three winemaking regions, the Verde Valley, Sonoita and Willcox, at this year’s festival,” said David Baird, festival director. “Now in its fifth year, the festival stands to be our biggest yet.”

The wineries at this year’s festival will be joined by local craft breweries, distilleries, culinary-driven food truck concepts, restaurants and artisans for a day celebrating Arizona’s wine and the culture built around it. 

The Verde Valley Wine Festival will be held on Saturday, May 9 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clarkdale Town Park, located at 1001 Main St. in Clarkdale. Tickets are available at verdevalleywinefestival.com. General admission is $35 in advance, $45 at the event, and VIP tickets, which include earlier entry to the festival (11 a.m. instead of 12 p.m.), access to the VIP lounge, additional tastings and food samples, and a swag bag, can be purchased for $125. 

VIP Platinum tickets also include access to “A Grape Celebration,” a pre-festival culinary experience and live auction on Friday, May 8, the night before the main event at the Clarkdale Town Clubhouse. From 6 to 9 p.m., ticket holders will enjoy live music from Phoenix-based jazz band What’s The Big Idea and bites by celebrity Chef Michael Carrino and Merkin Vineyards Tasting Room and Osteria’s Executive Chef Chris “Smithers” Smith. The live auction will offer one-of-a-kind items and packages up for bid, with the proceeds benefiting the Arizona Vignerons Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to forging winemaking quality standards across the state, and Arizona Wine Growers Association, a nonprofit that advocates for growth, change, opportunities and strength in all aspects of wine growing, making, selling and drinking 

For festival updates, follow Verde Valley Wine Festival on Facebook and Twitter or visit verdevalleywinefestival.com/blog.

About the Verde Valley Wine Festival

Now in its fifth year, the Verde Valley Wine Festival is northern Arizona’s premier wine, food and music event. All wines, spirits and food are grown and produced in Arizona. To learn more, go to verdevalleywinefestival.com.

About Arizona Vignerons Alliance (AZVA)

The Arizona Vignerons Alliance’s mission is to ensure quality and authenticity in Arizona wine; to improve grape growing and winemaking across all wine regions of the state, and to help promote Arizona wines so they are recognized, respected and sought-after in Arizona, the U.S., and globally. By establishing quality standards, providing education, and promoting our member winemakers, the AZVA helps to improve all Arizona winemakers’ and growers’ ability to create a top-flight product. For more information, visit http://arizonavigneronsalliance.org/.