Spanish Valley Wine

The Spanish Valley AVA near Moab occupies a high-desert valley at 4,500 feet elevation on the Colorado Plateau, where red Entrada sandstone soils, extreme UV radiation, and 40-50 degree Fahrenheit diurnal temperature swings create genuinely unusual growing conditions. Spanish Valley Vineyards, established in 1998, is the region's anchor producer, growing Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc in soils that look like they belong on Mars but produce wines with genuine concentration and freshness. The wine tourism experience is inseparable from Moab's extraordinary landscape: Arches National Park, Canyonlands, and the Colorado River are all within minutes of the tasting room. Utah's state liquor control system means wine is sold through DABC stores rather than restaurant retail, but estate wineries sell directly to visitors.