Our resident wine columnist is launching his own winery.
PHOENIX wine columnist Pavle Milic is launching his own winery. Over the coming months, he’ll intermittently write about the life-altering adventure in this space.
Windows down, the scent of harvest was pervasive while driving on Napa Valley’s famed Highway 29. The sharp green color of the vines waving in full display sealed a moment in time, a dream of one day being involved in a winery project. The year was 2004.
Fast forward to 2014 when I inched closer to that dream with the debut of my wine label “Los Milics” with the help of Kelly and Todd Bostock of Dos Cabezas WineWorks in the Southern Arizona town of Sonoita. A little over a year ago, I waited on a table of six guests at my Scottsdale restaurant, FnB. Upon arriving, they ordered two bottles of Los Milics. Halfway through dinner, a very nice lady asked me about my future plans with my wine label. “It is a foregone conclusion that when the kiddos leave the nest, my wife and I will probably build a small winery in Sonoita,” I said.
At the end of dinner her husband, Mo Garfinkle, came up to me and handed me a card and said, “If you would like to speed up your project and scope of the project, let’s talk. I would like to be a quiet student by your side.”
After that momentous meeting and several more, we purchased a vineyard in Elfrida from Juan Alba, former vineyard manager for Oregon legend Dick Erath. We also purchased a 20-acre parcel on Upper Elgin Road at the foothills of Mustang Mountains, where the winery, tasting room and lodging will be built. I am beyond excited that Chen + Suchart Studio architectural firm is the helm of the project.
Our goal as a team is to complete the Los Milics Winery and tasting room by harvest 2019.
Los Milics Winery
423 Upper Elgin Rd., Elgin
707-293-8480
