Aridus Wine Company, Scottsdale AZ - Live Love Drink Travel

Today in our Sippin` September series we bring you the Aridus Wine Company Tasting Room.

We have been to Aridus a handful of times and it has always been hit or miss for us. The first couple of visits years ago were good, however lately we don’t seem to connect with the staff and so we’ve had less than stellar experiences. We did stop by the weekend before this and did not enjoy our time. The gal who was working the room, was just not all that warm; she was nice, but we could not get her to strike up a conversation for whatever reason.

For this visit we met Zack for the first time, and he is fantastic. He was very friendly and personable, and he was a joy to talk to. I will say we like Aridus wines as a whole, so we are glad to have had a good experience. Although neither of us are white wine drinkers, they have a really good viognier which I have tried. I also think they have the best glassware. Most tasting rooms use a standard Cabernet style glass, or stemless glasses. These are more like a true Bordeaux style where the glass is not evenly curved, but has a rounded edge in the bowl.

On this visit we ended up buying a 2016 Petite Syrah and a 2016 Cabernet Franc, which in our opinion are the two best reds currently on the menu. The Petite Syrah has the complexity you’d expect, with a little of that smokey, tangy flavor. The Cab Fran was well rounded and balanced, which is incredible since it’s usually used as a blending grape rather than a full varietal. I feel their pricing is pretty on point as well, with their whites hovering around $10 and the bulk of their reds ranging between $30 and $40.

The tasting room is done in a very modern style. It is actually quite large, and there is an event room in the rear where they host event private events in addition to their own. The event room is lined with floor to ceiling shelves where they store the wines for sale, so it’s a really nice environment. The tasting room is located in the heart of the Old Town arts district, which is a great spot but further away from the other tasting rooms that are located a bit more northwest.

There is actually quite a bit of seating, done in a riveted metal and leather design, which I think give the room a bit of an odd smell, however they are pretty comfortable. Sometimes they have the music a bit loud, and I think that is the only thing we would count as a negative. You’ll hear everything from classic rock to country, depending on the day and who is manning the tasting room.