As the reeds whisper, my kayak surges forward in a rush. I tap a mud bank with a paddle to better aim my boat down the rapid. The joy of motion takes me—before my kayak jolts to a stop on a hidden shallow.
Arizona’s Verde River is only 2.5-feet deep on average, making mid-current beachings common. One of the state’s few perennial rivers, the Verde runs for 185 miles through central Arizona’s high desert, nourishing the thicketed Verde Valley. This riparian corridor 30 miles southeast of Sedona is home to otters, turtles, and Sonora sucker fish. Despite a low amount of water in an otherwise arid basin, there’s another less-expected find to central Arizona: a young wine scene.
In 2021, that wine region was baptized as the Verde Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area), one of three AVAs in Arizona. Even as extreme heat and water shortages loom, the wine circuit here has grown from zero to 120-plus wineries in a few decades.
What it’s like to kayak to vineyards
The Verde Valley region has about 25 wineries, and I was kayaking toward one. Alcantara Vineyard and Winery stands on a hill along the river. Together with Sedona Adventure Tours, they offer a Water-to-Wine journey, where you kayak for about 1.5 hours and then spend another hour or two sipping the vineyard’s latest vintages.
The tour company also offers other paired adventures, like a five-mile kayaking excursion to a rosé sampling at Salt Mine Wine. Or there’s a couples experience where the kayaking is followed by pours at Alcantara, another tasting at Merkin Vineyards Trattoria, and a dessert during sunset.
Sedona Adventure Tours offer multiple ways to get on kayaks or paddleboards combined with vineyard winetastings.
Photos by Chris Malloy
After pushing off from the shallow, I came to a still pool. Cicadas pulsed. Cobalt dragonflies zipped. The others in my group, girlfriends on a vacation, took selfies and blasted water guns. I paddled around, angling for the next mini rapid, one of “six or seven” shallow turbulences that shoot the kayaks forward, which our shuttle driver, Jesse, had previewed.
He also said to look for a magnificent bird: the great blue heron. I scanned the shrub and sheer rock faces while paddling and dreaming of the coming winetasting.
Eventually, I spot Alcantara’s tiny beach, paddle for land, and follow signs uphill for the winery. Its hilltop plot is unique, says head winemaker Ron Brumley.
What makes the wine so good in Arizona?
“In this AVA, we have a lot of different soils,” he says. “We have the Black Hills volcano, which is volcanic, giving basalt and minerality. Then you get into the granite at the top of the hill, then the white salts, and then the brown clays.”
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Brumley monitors the growth of the vines himself and takes cues from the Old World: small batches, long aging, and fermenting in vessels that emulate ancient Georgian amphorae. “We only make a few barrels of each,” he says. “You get two barrels of viognier, about 600 bottles, and then it’s gone until next year.” When the vintage from the viognier grape runs dry, drinkers must wait for the next harvest.
Never mind dessert wines—try desert wines at Alcantara.
Courtesy of Alcantara
The tasting room enjoys views of stark limestone hills striated with vines, the river invisible below between them. Alcantara’s back lawn, with ample seating and string lights, attracts a stream of locals. Live music drifts over the tables.
Arms happily sore, I sit to taste four wines. My favorites are a bright zinfandel rosé with a trace of pie spicing and an orange wine that seems to burst with peachiness and funk.
Other vineyards to explore on the Verde Valley Wine Trail
Travelers can taste their way through the AVA’s vineyards via the Verde Valley Wine Trail. Just 25 minutes north of Alcantara, Page Springs Cellars produces quality sparklers made using the champagne method. DA Ranch Winery offers a red barn, pond, and grapes that excel in dry climates, including malvasia bianca, tannat, and tempranillo.
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You could hit four wineries in an afternoon. There are small bus tours, like the AZ Wine Wagon, that can take you. I prefer the wilder route to Alcantara, by kayak.
Earlier, before disembarking at the vineyard, I came to a lazy stretch and let my kayak drift. It felt surreal to be floating to a winery in a land that gets just 13 inches of rain per year, but that’s a recurring wonder of the desert: the thrill of expectations shattered. And ahead, under sighing leaves, with toothpick legs in the current and dagger beak poised for fish, stood the great blue heron.
