When thinking about America's wine-growing regions, California and Washington may come to mind — Arizona, not so much. But Kellie Mendoza and Sean Oliver of Chandler's Amoroma Productions are looking to change that, with "Vintage Arizona: The Heart of Winemaking," a new documentary film available now on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
"Really our goal in making this movie was to elevate the Arizona wine industry," says Mendoza, the movie's producer. "We almost looked at it as a little of our own give-back to our own community in hopes that we could elevate it and put it on the wine map for the rest of the world."
The film features the top four winemakers from the 2022 Governor's Cup: Cove Mesa Vineyard, Mogollon Vineyards, Callaghan Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards. Following these folks led Mendoza and Oliver to uncover the stories of several other winemakers in the state.
"Vintage Arizona" dives into the "challenges and triumphs" of making wine in Arizona, which includes growing grapes in the 48th state. Arizona now has three recognized American Viticultural Areas: Sonoita and Willcox in the southern part of the state and the Verde Valley, near Sedona.
"Often, the more that the vine struggles or has to, like, persist, that produces better wine," Oliver explains. "So Arizona has that going for it because it’s very difficult to grow here. You really have to know what you’re doing, so you have to really take good care, and it ends up producing a higher-quality product." From frost damage in the late spring to heat, drought and monsoons in the summer, there is no shortage of obstacles grape growers in Arizona face. But Emil Molin, owner of Cove Mesa Vineyard, points out that being an Arizona viticulturist also has its advantages. "The good news is grape vines use very little water, by far the least amount of water of any major crop," says Molin, whose wine won Best in Show at the competition featured in the film. "Therefore it's really the perfect kind of a crop for Arizona."
Another benefit, he explains, is Arizona's diurnal shift, the swing between the daily high and low temperatures.
"That is a really good thing for the grapes," Molin says. "It's the reason that we can grow really good grapes in the desert." Arizona’s wine regions are all outside the Phoenix area, which makes them good options for a quick weekend getaway.
"It’s a cool documentary because you can watch it and in like an hour you can go to those places, you can drink those wines, you can probably meet those winemakers if you go there on the weekends to the tasting rooms,” Oliver says.
He was named Arizona Filmmaker of the Year in 2021 for his work on "Closed for COVID: Hope and Resiliency." When making his latest movie, he realized there are parallels between being an Arizona filmmaker and an Arizona winemaker. Both industries exist in the shadows of their California counterparts. With Arizona wine, "the scale is a lot smaller," he says. "It reminds me a lot of film. And when that scale gets smaller, you often find a lot more passion."
Additionally, he says, "making wine is such a long, tedious, terrible process, very much like filmmaking — it takes years and years for an idea to actually end up in a bottle."
In the case of "Vintage Arizona," it took three years for the movie to go from the filmmakers' heads to the big screen. In November 2024, it had a private premier at LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Chandler, which included a Q&A with the winemakers and the opportunity for guests to taste the wine. That passion, determination and commitment to their craft helped the filmmakers and winemakers connect. "That was one thing that I really liked about talking to the Arizona filmmakers here,” Oliver says before correcting himself, "or Arizona winemakers."
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"Really our goal in making this movie was to elevate the Arizona wine industry," says Mendoza, the movie's producer. "We almost looked at it as a little of our own give-back to our own community in hopes that we could elevate it and put it on the wine map for the rest of the world."
The film features the top four winemakers from the 2022 Governor's Cup: Cove Mesa Vineyard, Mogollon Vineyards, Callaghan Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards. Following these folks led Mendoza and Oliver to uncover the stories of several other winemakers in the state.
"Vintage Arizona" dives into the "challenges and triumphs" of making wine in Arizona, which includes growing grapes in the 48th state. Arizona now has three recognized American Viticultural Areas: Sonoita and Willcox in the southern part of the state and the Verde Valley, near Sedona.
"Often, the more that the vine struggles or has to, like, persist, that produces better wine," Oliver explains. "So Arizona has that going for it because it’s very difficult to grow here. You really have to know what you’re doing, so you have to really take good care, and it ends up producing a higher-quality product." From frost damage in the late spring to heat, drought and monsoons in the summer, there is no shortage of obstacles grape growers in Arizona face. But Emil Molin, owner of Cove Mesa Vineyard, points out that being an Arizona viticulturist also has its advantages. "The good news is grape vines use very little water, by far the least amount of water of any major crop," says Molin, whose wine won Best in Show at the competition featured in the film. "Therefore it's really the perfect kind of a crop for Arizona."
Another benefit, he explains, is Arizona's diurnal shift, the swing between the daily high and low temperatures.
"That is a really good thing for the grapes," Molin says. "It's the reason that we can grow really good grapes in the desert." Arizona’s wine regions are all outside the Phoenix area, which makes them good options for a quick weekend getaway.
"It’s a cool documentary because you can watch it and in like an hour you can go to those places, you can drink those wines, you can probably meet those winemakers if you go there on the weekends to the tasting rooms,” Oliver says.
He was named Arizona Filmmaker of the Year in 2021 for his work on "Closed for COVID: Hope and Resiliency." When making his latest movie, he realized there are parallels between being an Arizona filmmaker and an Arizona winemaker. Both industries exist in the shadows of their California counterparts. With Arizona wine, "the scale is a lot smaller," he says. "It reminds me a lot of film. And when that scale gets smaller, you often find a lot more passion."
Additionally, he says, "making wine is such a long, tedious, terrible process, very much like filmmaking — it takes years and years for an idea to actually end up in a bottle."
In the case of "Vintage Arizona," it took three years for the movie to go from the filmmakers' heads to the big screen. In November 2024, it had a private premier at LOOK Dine-In Cinemas Chandler, which included a Q&A with the winemakers and the opportunity for guests to taste the wine. That passion, determination and commitment to their craft helped the filmmakers and winemakers connect. "That was one thing that I really liked about talking to the Arizona filmmakers here,” Oliver says before correcting himself, "or Arizona winemakers."
