D.A. Ranch EstateVineyard, Cornville AZ

Can you believe we are almost half way through Sippin’ September already? Today we talk about D.A. Ranch Lodge and Estate Vineyard, a family owned vineyard in Cornville Arizona. D.A. Ranch is also an event venue in addition to a winery. We ventured here for the first time so we could feature them.

D.A. Ranch was bought in 2002 by the Petznick family. They bottled their first vintage in 2008 for just family and friends. They have of course since starting selling to the public.

In addition to the vineyard, D.A. Ranch is also a large event venue, that can handle up to 100 guests depending on the time of day. They offer a large 4000 ft² lodge that can be used for indoor and outdoor events, and even for overnight stays. D.A. Ranch can handle anything from private wine tasting, to large personal or corporate events both large and small.

They have been open for private tastings by appointment only, but have recently started opening for walk-ins on weekends. I would recommend calling ahead to ensure they can accommodate you, since there could be an event going on at any time.

Access to D.A. Ranch is along the unpaved Dancing Apache Road, which gives the ranch it’s name. As you drive along the gravel road, you will start to see vines on the hillside to the left. After about a third of a mile you will veer left and down the hill onto the ranch.

The vineyard itself consists of 7 acres, divided into about 12 sections spread throughout the property. The property itself nestled between the hills and Oak Creek and is simply gorgeous. On the day we went there were a lot of people wandering about, but people seemed to keep their distance for most part except around the rope swing.

So here is the part where I would love to tell you about their wine. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit all of the red wines were guest wines. Due to low inventory they were not doing tastings for any of their own red wines. Considering the bulk of the reds on the tasting menu were from Chateau Tumbleweed, we opted to not do a tasting.

Since we could not actually sample any of the D.A. Ranch wines, this is where I must regretfully conclude my commentary. We will go back again once they have their own red wines back on the menu and perhaps give them a review at that time.

Be sure to check out tomorrow's feature, The Original Jerome Winery. You can read yesterday's article on Granite Creek Vineyards, or see all of our Sippin’ September articles here.

Living, loving, drinking, and traveling through life.

— Derek