Whether it’s locally produced wines, pairing dinners, herb-infused cocktails, microbrews or the finest single-malt whiskeys from Scotland, there’s a full glass of options for beverage education and enjoyment throughout Arizona. Hotels, restaurants, wineries and craft breweries are all adding a new twist on the way a beverage-themed activity or venue can be mixed into the meetings experience.
Hotel Venues
Among the newest beverage tasting options is the Scotch Library at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, a venue featuring more than 100 single malts and 30 blends imported from the six whiskey regions of Scotland. With the guidance of kilt-clad “Scotch Ambassadors” trained in the history and nuances of Scottish whiskey production, the intimate Library is the scene of scheduled and customized tasting events for up to 25 people. For larger groups, the resort can arrange for tasting events in other venues.
“Typically, these are hour-long events where the ambassadors guide groups through a series of three different scotches,” says Jennifer Franklin, spokeswoman for the Westin Kierland. “The ambassadors pour the scotch, explain how it’s made, where it comes from and the way to get the most out of the flavor. Our chef will also provide special foods such as smoked trout mousse to complement the scotch.”
While a downtown convention hotel is not typically known for herb cultivation or al fresco dining, the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel has a rooftop herb and vegetable garden that is both an event venue and a source for its food and beverage offerings. Along with dining in the garden, attendees can also get a look at the hotel’s new Urban Cultivator, an indoor growing device that enables the Sheraton to produce even more of its own micro greens and herbs.
“Our mixologists incorporate the herbs and other ingredients that we grow here, including strawberries, into the cocktails they create,” says Katie Brashear, spokeswoman for the hotel. “We’ve had cocktails made with everything from sage to lemon verbena.”
In addition to its long-popular series of Winemaker Dinners, in which international wines are paired with various courses, the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix now offers Beer Dinners showcasing local microbrews. Both are available in customized versions for groups and feature representatives from wineries and microbreweries who talk about their beverages. They also include special menus created by Executive Chef Gordon Maybury, an enthusiastic supporter of local craft brewers.
“The array of unique beers being created by these Arizona microbrews is a joy to pair with food because they are sophisticated, nuanced and burst with a range of flavors,” he says.
Cocktails popular in the 1920s are another new specialty at the 85-year-old Biltmore, which is celebrating its Prohibition-era roots with the recent reopening of the Mystery Room, a hidden area in the main building that was once a speakeasy. Guests need a special password to enter the room, which has a golf-leafed ceiling, historic photographs and bartenders in period attire. The venue is available for small private events. PageBreak
Wineries
While Arizona’s modern wine industry started with just one vineyard in 1973, today there are more than 63 bonded wineries throughout the state, according to the Arizona Winegrowers Association. Many are along the Verde Valley Wine Trail near Sedona and in the Oro Valley near Tucson.
“Planners are often surprised to learn that we have as many wineries as we do—many people think of Arizona as only desert,” says Susan Boehnstedt, director of sales for the Sedona Chamber of Commerce. “We can arrange for customized tours of the wineries for groups, plus a lot of the wineries offer space for small events.”
Among the group-friendly wineries near Sedona is Arizona Stronghold Vineyards in Cottonwood, which offers 70 acres of vineyards and a tasting room that can host events for up to 50 people. At Javelina Leap Winery in Corville, an on-site chef prepares artisanal cheese platters and gourmet pizzas for events held in the winery’s Arizona Room, which opens onto a garden patio. With a tasting room inside its Tuscan-style farmhouse, Alcantara Vineyards in Cottonwood is not only a popular stop for tours and tastings, but is also paired with kayaking on the Verde River during a Classic Water to Wine Tour offered by Sedona Adventure Tours.
In the Oro Valley, the hilltop Sonoita Vineyards Winery in Elgin offers event space for up to 72 people that includes a spacious balcony with views of rolling vineyards and mountains. Also in Egin is Kief-Joshua Vineyards which features programs that include Wine Sense, which are seminars on wine aromas, and Corporate Wine Bonding, which are private tastings with the winemaker.
Elsewhere in Southern Arizona, downtown Yuma offers the Main Squeeze Winery, a tasting room with a 1930s Hollywood theme nodding to the fact that privacy-seeking celebrities often eloped in Yuma. Main Squeeze can host up to 75 people for special events on its back patio.
Craft Breweries
One of Arizona’s largest concentration of microbreweries is the Flagstaff-Grand Canyon Ale Trail, which includes six microbreweries in close proximity to each other in Flagstaff. According to Joanne Hudson, spokeswoman for the Flagstaff CVB, beer tastings and tours for groups are easily arranged.
“The breweries are open to customizing events for groups, including beer-pairing dinners that can be held in a meeting room or at a local restaurant,” she says.
Among the Flagstaff microbreweries with on-site event space are Mother Road Brewing Co., which has a tasting room and patio, as well as Lumberyard Brewing Co., which includes a restaurant located in a historic lumber yard.
Four Peaks Brewery is Arizona’s largest brewing company, producing hand-crafted ales in a historic brick warehouse in downtown Tempe. The brewery includes a spacious pub with indoor and outdoor seating for up to 160 people.
In Lake Havasu City, Barley Brothers Restaurant and Brewery accommodates groups of up to 200 in a setting overlooking the London Bridge. Wood-fired pizzas, rotisserie chicken and a wide selection of house-brewed beers on tap are among the specialties.
Maria Lenhart is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus.
