Bodega Pierce

Very informative vineyard owner (Dan Pierce)…and great variety of good wines! I like this place.

This was our 3^rd stop on a day of wine tasting in Wilcox. It is located near Pillsbury and only a short way via a secret dirt road from Zarpara. The building is quite odd, not warm and welcoming like the others, instead it reminded me of something more industrial. There are 2 labels: Bodega Pierce and Saeculum Cellars. They are starting to do Arizona only grapes. Apparently, the son is in some type of vinters training program, while the parents are the owners. They have a large variety of wines and some I was very interested to try like a red wine drinks white and a dry muscato. All in all, in comparison to the other vineyards, Bodega was not at the top of my list. However, if you do have the AZ wine travel card, the tastings are 50% off, which is nice.

Bodega Pirce is a very new vineyard with a lot of potential. There are two labels under one roof, Bodega Pierce and Saeculum Cellars. The later is the owners’ son’s boutique label.
We arrived after a short pleasent drive through the fields on Arzberger Rd. turning at the second marker. We had been given a map at the nearby Zarpara winery showing us a way to reach Pierce Cellars without back tracking to the main road. We stopped along the way to snap a few photos, this is a beautiful area.
We arrived and parked in the shade. As we got out of the car we were kindly greeted. We entered the tasting room and found it very pleasant. As we were starting our tasting a couple we had just left behind at the previous winery walked in. We started a nice conversation.
The muscat grapes, the grapes used to make Moscato were just picked and a bunch of fresh grapes sat in a bowl. We were invited to try them. These fresh grapes were one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten; what a delicious unique taste. We learned, as we were trying to spit out the grape seeds, that the winemakers eat the seeds along with the grape. Testing the «crunchiness» of the seeds lets the winemaker know when the grapes are ready to be picked. I love learning about the details of things. It was fascinating and a true highlight of the day.
The wines were good and I will return to this tasting room to try more wine in the future. It is a nice new addition to the Wilcox wine scene.

Outstanding wine. First time ever tasted the grapes that make the wine. Very knowledgeable hosts Barb and Dan.