I’ve not been much interested in the sport of boxing since the era of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler…….not only hall of fame boxers, but great marketers of their prolific skills, as well.  Somehow, like so many sports, the number of divisions in boxing has so proliferated that it’s diluted out my interest.  I guess I date myself.  Anyhow, if you’re a boxing enthusiast, you’ll kindly excuse me if my references are a bit awkward.

On June 2nd of this year, the Arizona wine industry has a unique opportunity, in my opinion, to elevate itself from the Lightweight to the Welterweight or perhaps even the Middleweight division of wine.  In an event that can only be described as gutsy and telling, Arizona vintners are encouraged to submit their best white and best red to a panel of judges who, in turn, will choose what they deem to be the five best reds and five best whites of the crop.  This honored tier will then go head to head in a blind tasting against five reds and five whites from domestic and international regions.  Judges range from Gary Vaynerchuck, host of the WineLibrary TV and author of the book Crush it, to local chef and restaurant celebrity owners Mark Tarbell (owner of Tarbells and wine columnist for the Arizona Republic) and Chris Bianco (owner of Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix).

The concept of this event is the brainchild of Pavle Milec, owner of Scottsdale restaurant Fnb (www.fnbrestaurant.com).  Fnb is a new restaurant concept, dedicated to serving only Arizona wines with locally provided and when possible, organic, foods.  Pavle feels that we should offer Arizona wines to complement our wonderfully fresh Arizona produce and meats, no different than any other region. If you’ve met Pavle, then you can fully appreciate his enthusiasm and marketing prowess in supporting this event.  He is energy in the raw paired with a keen sense of marketing strategy. Always smiling and full of energy, he dances through his cozy restaurant during dinner, making every guest feel special.

The Arizona wine industry, recall, is only 20 years old in terms of regular production, a mere infant in the world of wine.  Nonetheless, the quality has risen steadily with improved understanding of the varietals best grown in the local soils and improved harvesting and winemaking techniques.   Several of the region’s wines have received highly favorable reviews over the last few years.  And with the outstanding ’09 growing season either in the barrel or in the bottle, I foresee some very nice wines on the horizon.

Whatever the outcome might be, I give credit to the Pavle and the Arizona Wine Growers Association (www.arizonawine.org) for placing their best on the line.  While some might think it risky or even cocky, it’s the only way to ascertain where they are with respect the domestic and international wine world.  Somehow, I suspect that there will be a few surprises immersed in the results when tallied…………surprises that take the Arizona wine industry up another notch on the quality ladder.

Tags: Arizona wine, Arizona Wine Growers Association, Fnb restaurant, Pavle Milec, Pizzeria Bianco, Tarbells