Wineries in Camp Verde, AZ

“Unbelievable hidden gem.

We discovered this winery a couple years ago on a trip to Arizona and have been back every trip since.

Rio Clara (Clear Creek) is an estate winery that prioritizes flavor, organic processes, and sustainability over yield. The flavor and complexity comes both from uncommon varietals (sometimes from Argentina) and from the vines deeply sampling the soil. They flood the vineyard with snowmelt before the vines wake up in the spring, essentially creating a bubble of fresh water that slowly sinks down into the Earth. When the vines wake up, they shoot their roots downwards to access the water, sampling more layers of soil, producing the great complexity of this wine.

I've had wine in lots of places, from California to France to Slovenia. I've had cheap wines and expensive wines, bad wines and good wines, including from multi-star Michelin restaurants. In my opinion, this is one of the better wineries in the U.S.

I think their reds shine the best given the environment, but they do have some other varieties including a white port.

If you have a wine palate, do not miss out on this winery. It's not just a matter of terroir (nearby wineries are nowhere near as good); it's the process, the selection of grape cultivars, and being able to blend and adjust the product based on what the weather gives you in any particular year that makes this winery stand out.

This winery is fantastic. My singular suggestion for improvement is in the glassware. Most people probably think that only a pretentious snob would insist that glassware makes a difference in wine flavor, but really it's true. Try it yourself! Pour the same wine in a large bowl-shaped wine glass, a champagne flute, a red Solo cup, and try rolled vs cut glasses. Have a friend or partner help you blind taste them. It's amazing the difference. Clear Creek would do well to invest in some quality glassware for their tastings. Their wine is incredible in the rolled wine glasses that they serve it in at the winery, but it's unbelievably good in quality glassware of your flavor preference.“