Welcome to the Southwest!
Arizona, New Mexico and Texas probably aren't the first thing that you think about when you are considering what wine to buy. You probably think about the desert and how hot and dry it is here. But there are many wineries in all three states. There are grapes that actually like that climate and thrive.
Most people come here for the scenery, and we have pleanty of that. The Grand Canyon National Park is truly one of the most amazing things you will ever see. You also have to see the Petrified Forest and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. One of my personal favorites is the often overlooked Big Bend National Park in Texas. It is georgous and you will not have to fight the crowds at all here.
Arizona
Has 22 wineries in three regions producing about 15,000 cases for a total of about 2.9 million dollars a year in sales. They are located in micro-climates that are considerably cooler than the hot Arizona summers.New Mexico
Has 26 wineries that produce about 350,000 gallons.Texas
Is actually the fifth largest wine producing state in the country, behind only California, Washington, Oregon and New York. It should actually catch New York in a few years if things keep growing at the same rate. There are more than 150 wineries and 3,700 acres planted in vineyard. They produce about 1.5 million gallons of wine each year.Texas makes some great wine. The only reason that I see most people from outside of Texas don't realize this is because Texans buy most of it up.
I lived in Texas for several years. I actually started this site out as a Texas only wine site and I miss Texas a lot. I take every opportunity to vist that I can. It was so great to go out in Hill Country and just hang out at the wineries relaxing. I highly recommend it. You could spend a month there and not see the same thing twice.