Provisioner Wines

Provisioner Wines is an Arizona label built on a deliberately unfancy idea: good Arizona wine that people can actually afford, sold under the tagline Wine for the People. The wines are produced and bottled in Camp Verde, and the brand works with Arizona Stronghold on vineyard management and distribution. The fruit comes from Bonita Springs Vineyard in Graham County in the southeastern corner of the state, a site planted in 1991 by the Minchella family of Arizona and the Lescombes family of France and taken over by Arizona Stronghold in 2009.

The range is short and practical: Provisioner White, Provisioner Red and Provisioner Rose, three table wines the label prices under ten dollars. The visitor side of the business is a tasting room and general store at 911 N. Main Street in Cottonwood, in the heart of the Verde Valley wine scene, styled after the frontier general stores the brand takes its inspiration from. It is an easy first or last stop on a Cottonwood Old Town walking route, since Main Street puts several tasting rooms within a few blocks of each other.

Listed hours are Monday, Thursday and Sunday 11am to 6pm and Friday and Saturday 11am to 8pm, with the room closed Tuesday and Wednesday; the state tourism listing simply says it opens daily at 11am, so the two do not agree. The phone number is (928) 639-2789. Cottonwood is about a hundred miles north of Phoenix and roughly twenty minutes from Sedona, so it pairs naturally with a Verde Valley day. Confirm current hours, tasting fees and reservation policy with the winery before you visit.