Page Springs Cellars - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Page Springs Cellars & Vineyards is a family-owned Arizona winery and vineyard tucked into the volcanic landscape overlooking pristine Oak Creek Canyon, just 15 minutes south of Sedona in the Verde Valley

Verde Valley

The Verde Valley is a valley in central Arizona in the United States of America. The Verde River runs through it. It is overlooked by Mingus Mountain and the Mogollon Rim.- History :The first notice of this region appears in the report of one Espejo,...

. Page Springs Cellars produces Rhone

Rhône

Rhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...

style wines, working primarily with Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache

Grenache

Grenache is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively...

and Mourvedre

Mourvèdre

Mourvèdre , Mataró or Monastrell is wine grape variety used to make both strong, dark red wines and rosés. It is an international variety grown in many regions around the world....

. .

History

Page Springs Cellars was founded in 2003 by Eric Glomski. Born in Illinois and raised in Boston, Glomski moved west to study ecology at Prescott College. Upon graduating from Prescott College, Glomski founded a River Restoration Company. It was here that he began his foray into the winemaking business after teaching himself to make wine from heirloom apples, pears, peaches and quince from abandoned homesteads that he came across during his field journeys. In the mid 90s, Eric continued his wine education by moving to California and working at David Bruce, rising from cellar worker to Co-Winemaker and Director of Production over a six-year span.

In 2003, he returned to Arizona and worked as a winemaker at Echo Canyon Vineyards & Winery before founding his own label, Page Springs Cellars, and later Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, with Maynard James Keenan

Maynard James Keenan

Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...

in 2007.
In a statement on the Page Springs Website, Glomski said:

Called a “pioneer” in the Verde Valley region and the “area’s best known vintner” by Wine Enthusiast, Glomski has been pivotal to the growth of the Verde Valley Wine Industry. According to Master Sommelier and certified wine educator, Laura Williamson, “the amount of energy he has spent eradicating doubts that Arizona could produce high-quality wines has been infinite.”

In 2006 when out-of-state distributors introduced a bill that would have prevented small Arizona wineries from selling their products directly to consumers and retailers, Glomski, along with Rod Keeling (Owner of Keeling Schaefer Vineyards) and Phoenix water law attorney Robert Lynch, spearheaded pro-winery legislation and personally lobbied state politicians. Glomski’s efforts benefited the Arizona wine industry as a whole and since this victory the number of federally bonded wineries in Arizona has more than tripled.

Arizona Wine Industry

Although Spanish Missionaries begun producing wine in Arizona

Arizona wine

Arizona wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Arizona.Viticulture in Arizona has a history that begins in the 16th century when missionary Spanish Jesuit priests began to plant grapevines and make wine for use in Christian religious ceremonies...

during the 16th century for use in Christian religious ceremonies, modern winemaking started in 1970’s in the Sonoita AVA

Sonoita AVA

The Sonoita AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in southeast Arizona, south of the city of Tucson. The Sonoita area is a basin surrounded by three mountain ranges, the Huachuca Mountains, the Santa Rita Mountains, and the Whetstone Mountains. The vineyard plantings are above sea level,...

. Today there are over 45 licensed and bonded wineries throughout Arizona.

Despite the prejudices and objections of many, Arizona is quickly becoming known as a serious wine destination. The state’s first viticulture program, started at Yavapai College in January of 2011. . Another catalyst in the Verde Valley area is the Verde Valley Wine Consortium, a nonprofit organization spearheading the advancement of tourism, economic development and education created by the local wine industry.

Blood Into Wine

Eric Glomski, starred alongside Maynard James Keenan

Maynard James Keenan

in the 2009 documentary, Blood into Wine

Blood into Wine

Blood into Wine is a documentary about the Northern Arizona wine industry focusing on Maynard James Keenan and Eric Glomski and their Caduceus brand wine. It was released in February 2010 theatrically and on DVD and Blu-ray in September 2010....

showcasing their efforts of bringing credibility and notoriety to Arizona winemaking while battling wine industry prejudice and harsh desert conditions. The movie was released theatrically in March 2010 and on DVD and Blu-ray in September 2010. Blood Into Wine was awarded the Best Feature Documentary at the 2011 Trail Dance Film Festival in Oklahoma. .

History

Arizona Wine Industry

Blood Into Wine

Further reading