BCA Tour ~ Ranching to Vineyards Tour

Ranching has dominated agriculture in the arid Southwest with historically large ranches and a vibrant cowboy culture. More recently, vineyards have taken a strong position in the Santa Cruz County economy.

This tour begins with a visit to the Santa Fe Ranch north of Nogales, and an introduction to the challenges of ranching by Dean Fish, Ranch Foreman & Ph.D Cowboy. Dean will charm you with his humor and in-depth knowledge, with many a tall tale to tell. Next we’ll travel to eastern Santa Cruz County to the Sonoita-Elgin wine appelation; where the landscape dramatically changes to vast grasslands with gently rolling hills dotted with oak trees … and VINEYARDS.  3rd generation viticulturist & winemaker, Lori Reynolds of Sonoita Vineyard, gives us a tour of the winery and discusses the evolution of the wine industry in AZ. There, Arizona’s oldest vineyard/winery on a large private cattle ranch, we’ll enjoy a hosted ranchero cowboy lunch.