One of few wineries in Arizona to offer ideal summertime format
Willcox, Arizona, June 2020 — Aridus Wine Company has just introduced three types of wine available in 375 ml cans. They sell for $7 each or $28.00 for a four-pack. They are available from the winery’s website, by calling the winery’s tasting rooms to order and soon will be available in retail stores and restaurants in Arizona.
“We are thrilled to announce that we are broadening our line of wines to include these three types in cans, just in time for summer fun,” said owner Scott Dahmer. “We wanted to make easy, bring-along summer wines for picnics, hikes, pool parties, any event or excursion where a bottle would be in the way, but a can would be a simple choice,” he added.
“We’re very used to working with glass and cork, and have a thorough understanding of how our wine will age when packaged in this way,” explains winemaker Lisa Strid. “Cans are completely different – they are a really fun challenge,” she adds.
“There was a huge amount of coordination that had to take place to get this wine into cans. It was a year and a half of work, but we’re happy with the result” Strid continued.
The Tank 10 Series White blend (nonvintage) is a blend of two of the signature white grapes of Arizona: Picpoul Blanc and Malvasia Bianca. The Malvasia Bianca is from two vineyards on the Willcox Bench, as well as Aridus’ own estate vineyard in the Chiricahua Foothills. The Picpoul Blanc is from High Lonesome Vineyard, located just outside of Tombstone, Arizona. Each lot was vinified separately to bring out the best attributes of each – in fact, the residual sugar in the blend comes from the decision to arrest fermentation and retain the peachy sweetness of the Malvasia. The wines were blended together in January of 2019, and kept in stainless steel until canning in May of 2020.
The 2018 Tank Series Viognier is made from grapes from the winery’s estate vineyard in the Chiricahua Foothills of southeastern Arizona. The grapes were picked and arrived at the winery on August 2, 2018. They were sorted and whole clusters sent to press immediately upon arrival. It was settled and then the clear juice racked to tank for fermentation. The juice was inoculated on August 7. Fermentation took two weeks, after which the wine was settled and treated with bentonite for clarity, then racked to neutral oak barrels. After one year, the wine was transferred to stainless steel barrels. After another year, the wine was racked to tank for canning in May of 2020.
The 2018 Tank 10 Series Rosé was made entirely from zinfandel grapes from Paolo D’Andrea’s New Mexico Vineyards in Deming, New Mexico. It arrived at the winery on August 30, 2018 and was immediately sent to press. The juice was settled and clarified on September 4, then inoculated on the 5th. Fermentation took two weeks, after which it was clarified and put into stainless steel until May of 2020, when it was canned.
Scott and Joan Dahmer founded Aridus Wine Company in 2012 outside the town of Willcox. The name comes from the Latin word meaning dry or arid, pronounced air-i-duhs. Surrounded by majestic mountains, the winery is an appealing combination of a historic setting and modern design. The building was once an apple warehouse; it was stylishly rehabbed with recycled local lumber and the interiors feature antique light bulbs and other cave-like design touches. The winery’s estate vineyard is located about a 45 minute drive from the winery at an elevation of approximately 5,200 feet in the Chiricahua Hills appellation. The winery also purchases grapes from vineyards in Arizona, New Mexico and California.
The canned wine can be tasted at the winery’s tasting rooms. Aridus Wine Company has two tasting rooms: one is located at 145 North Railview Avenue in Willcox; the other at 7173 East Main Street in the old town neighborhood of Scottsdale. The tasting rooms are open by Open Table appointments only, which can be made at https://www.ariduswineco.com/visit-us. Hours are noon until 8:00 pm., seven days a week. Tasting appointments can also be made by calling 520/766-9463 (Willcox) or 520/954-2676 (Scottsdale). Curbside pick-up is also available at both locations.
