I’m a sucker for a good red blend. And looking at today’s blend — especially the Graciano, Tempranillo, and Monastrell (more commonly known in France as Mourvèdre)— you might think I’d slipped into Spain from Provence. Instead, think New Spain, as in Arizona. While it was then only a small part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which also included parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California, Arizona is now producing some really fine wines with these grapes, as well as many other varieties.

Today’s wine is from Los Milics Winery in Elgin, Arizona, just a little over an hour south of Tucson. I’ve been down to the winery for several tastings, and just recently for a wonderful conversation with the winery co-owner, Mo Garfinkle. Garfinkle has been passionate about wine since he was a teen visiting the home of his childhood friend whose father owned a gourmet food store. There would always be three or four smelly cheeses and a couple of wines out for the tasting. His lifelong interest in wine has brought him to consider purchasing vineyards in Tuscany or New Zealand but, when he met winemaker Pavle Milic at a well known Phoenix restaurant, an Arizona partnership was forged. Just a few years later, Los Milics Winery opened. [...]