Try some of the best Arizona wines at these spots in the Verde Valley

Gov. Katie Hobbs recently signed a bill giving Arizona drivers the option of a new specialty license plate celebrating the northern Arizona wine industry.

One of the main purposes of the bill is to provide a passive income stream for the Verde Valley Wine Trail, a nonprofit organization of area wineries. A majority of the annual fee for each plate would be donated to the group.

The organization has indicated that the funds will be used primarily for the expansion of vineyards, increasing sustainable agricultural practices, tourism marketing and public education on safe alcohol consumption.

As the new license plates begin hitting the road, consider a trip to northern Arizona where numerous local vineyards made The Arizona Republic’s list of best Arizona wines in 2024.

Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards, Jerome

Maynard James Keenan, perhaps best known as the lead singer of the band Tool, has spent 20 years living in the Verde Valley and developing his award-winning winery and vineyard. It has become a major part of the region's growing industry.

Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards operates six vineyards in northern Arizona in addition to the Al Buhl Memorial Vineyards in Willcox. With 110 total acres under vine, the winery produces approximately 14,000 cases per year.

Cove Mesa Vineyard, Cornville

Joining the Arizona wine scene in 2020, Cove Mesa Vineyard is located in the heart of the Verde Valley American Viticultural Area.

The family-owned winery focuses on small-production wines using the best grapes available in the Verde Valley and in Willcox, highlighting all of what the state's diverse climates and soils offer.

Cove Mesa operates three vineyards in northern Arizona including nine acres of vines across Oak Creek and eight acres of vines on the western slope of the House Mountain volcano. Its namesake estate vineyard is located on a limestone outcropping in Cornville growing Assyrtiko and Aglianico grapes.

Javelina Leap Vineyard & Winery, Cornville

Named after the javelina that live around the vineyard and in tribute to California's Stags Leap winery that helped propel American wine to prominence, Javelina Leap is a second-generation, family-owned and operated vineyard.

The vineyard sits on 10.25 acres on the south-facing slope of Horse Mountain, an extinct volcano 3,800 feet above sea level. Founder and owner Rod Snapp, along with his wife Cynthia, were among the first 10 vineyard and winery licenses to be issued in the state of Arizona when they first set up shop.

Each year the winery processes around 44 tons of Arizona grapes to produce about 2,600 cases of wine.

Mogollon Vineyards, Dewey-Humboldt

The four owners of Mogollon Vineyards first met in 2014 as students in the viticulture and enology program at Yavapai College. Carpooling to campus quickly turned into wine-tasting dinners, planting vineyards and eventually making their own wine.

Mogollon Vineyards originally began in 2015 on the Snowflake ranch of Keith and D'Alene Moore, before moving to Dewey-Humboldt two years later. Once in the Quad Cities, they merged their operation with that of Troy and Hollie Noreuil, their friends from Yavapai College who established AZ Setting Sun Vineyards in the area in 2015.

The vineyard often hosts various events, including live concerts and trivia nights.

Rubrix Wines, Cottonwood

Verde Valley locals Corey Turnbull and Hayley Meyer met nearly 25 years ago and have spent more than half of that time developing their own part of the state's wine industry.

Turnbull learned much of the trade from his mentor Eric Glomski, owner and winemaker for nearby Page Springs Cellars. By 2019, Turnbull was promoted to head winemaker at the winery.

Throughout that time, Turnbull also co-founded Burning Tree Cellars with Mitch Levy in 2009 and helped operate the brand's tasting room in Cottonwood for nearly 10 years before closing in 2021.

The family's latest concept, Rubrix Wines, was founded soon after. Turnbull is the primary winemaker while Meyer runs the tasting room. A true family business, the couple's daughter also designs the art on some of the labels adorning their bottles.

Reach the reporter at LLatch@gannett.com.

The Republic’s coverage of northern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America. To support regional Arizona news coverage like this, make a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Award-winning Arizona wines: Check out these spots in Verde Valley