Sedona Wine and Vortex Tours: 35+ Year Experts in Curated Sedona Experiences

The number of wineries or tasting rooms you visit depends on your chosen tour length, drinking pace (not too fast, please), and whether you include a vortex experience. Our standard 3- and 4-hour wine/vortex tours include one wine-tasting stop — either at a local tasting establishment or a vineyard (vineyards require a little extra travel time). If you only want to experience wine tasting at our vineyards, you can choose either the 3 or 4 hour tour, or book us by the hour.  We’ll help plan the best route to match your preferences.

Arizona’s wine scene is thriving, producing award-winning reds, whites, and rosés. You may taste bold Syrahs, crisp Sauvignon Blancs, smooth Tempranillos, or unique blends found only here. Many venues also offer seasonal or limited releases. Arizona’s climate and soil produce wines often compared to those from Mediterranean regions.

There are no entrance fees at any of the establishments we visit, but tasting fees are not included unless otherwise noted in your booking confirmation. This gives you the freedom to choose what you want to sample and whether you’d like to purchase wine by the glass or bottle, and because we often receive special requests and can visit non-standard venues at any time where we don't know the menu or pricing schedule as well as ones we frequent. Additionally, many of the establishments we visit offer discounts to our guests. 

Well-behaved children are welcome, and many of the wineries and vineyards we visit are family-friendly. That said, our wine tours are designed as a more adult-oriented experience, giving parents and couples a chance to relax and enjoy themselves. We recommend considering the setting and duration of the tour when deciding whether to bring younger guests.

Yes — in accordance with Arizona state law and all other applicable regulations, you must present a valid government-issued photo ID upon request to participate in any wine or other alcohol tastings. So, when participating in a wine tasting tour be prepared to show your ID.

Absolutely! Most wineries and tasting rooms sell wine by the bottle or case, and some can even ship directly to your home (depending on your state’s shipping laws). Your guide can help store your purchases safely during the tour.

The terms, "winery", "vineyard" and "tasting room" are often used interchangably. But, we have created a distinction of those terms so that we can be clear about what type of establishment we will be visiting on our tours. 

A tasting room is a retail location where guests can sample and purchase wines from multiple producers — either from regional vineyards or from around the world — but the location itself does not produce wine.

A winery produces and markets its own wines, often from grapes grown in its own vineyards, but in the Sedona and Verde Valley areas these wines are typically served in a retail space separate from their production facilities, without an on-site vineyard.

A vineyard is where wine grapes are grown, and in many cases, the wine is produced and served directly on the property.

It’s important to note that there is no actual Sedona wine industry — no grapes are commercially grown, and no wines are produced within the Sedona area. The term “Sedona” in wine marketing is a branding choice. In reality, wines marketed as “Sedona” are grown and produced in the nearby Verde Valley and in Southern Arizona, in regions like Wilcox and Sonoita. The Verde Valley is home to five larger vineyards that serve their own wines on-site, and some smaller sites that are family owned and operated. Many of the grapes used for local Verde Valley wines are sourced from southern Arizona, either from vineyards owned by the winery or from contracted growers.

Venue and dining differences
Local tasting venues vary widely in setting, size, and food offerings. Some offer sweeping estate vineyard views or creekside seating, while others feature decorative vineyards around their tasting areas. Venues range from spacious estates with water features like fountains and ponds to smaller, more intimate tasting spaces. Dining options also differ: Some have full kitchens with complete menus, others offer tapas, charcuterie boards, or light snacks, and a few feature gourmet food trucks partnered with established restaurants, and as of recently one vineyard has no food options at all. Certain vineyards offer behind-the-scenes wine-making tours (booked separately by the establishment), while others focus solely on tastings. Four of the five Verde Valley vineyards are located close together along Page Springs Road outside Sedona. The fifth, Alcantara, is much farther away and is only visited on our tours by special request.

No. Sedona Wine and Vortex Tours has no business relationship with or make any money in the form of commissions, kickbacks, gratuities, etc. of any kind from the establishments. So, we never steer you toward one establishment or another, or encourage you to purchase any of their products based on any financial or profit incentive. We only recommend places and products because we think you'll like them. However, we are not opposed to such relationships and forming secondary income streams for the company as long as we achieve a "360 win" in whatever way that is possible, and if it ever does happen we will be 100% transparent about it. 

Generally, the various establishments in the Sedona and Verde Valley areas do high enough volume and generate enough revenue on their own that they have no reason or incentive to pay tour companies to bring guests to their business. Maybe they do, but we just don't inquire about it.