EE Grimshaw
3/5
DA Ranch was a last-minute decision in two different ways. One of my friends had been under the mistaken impression I was going to Sonoma for months and when she found out it was actually Sedona the day before we left, grabbed this recommendation from her brother who'd been here before and enjoyed it. Additionally, my top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I stumbled out of the gate with respect to our lunch plans in Arizona, and impulsively chose to come here hoping for some sustenance (along with wine). In DA's defense, we were probably not in the best frame of mind (or appetite) to enjoy this experience as much as we would have otherwise, but there were a few issues that would have been a problem even if we'd been fully rested and satiated.
The first problem made itself apparent literally as we came in - the parking/driving situation is very badly designed. By definition, you have to drive past the winery to the parking area on the other side, which requires you also to drive past tons of people milling about holding wine glasses. It's almost like driving through a less chaotic version of Bourbon Street, minus the vomit. Besides being awkward, I think it's actually a pretty big liability for them and I'm surprised they'd put their customers in a position where they have to keep an eye out for passing vehicles while they're enjoying their wine. The exit is nowhere near this area so that seems like an easy, obvious fix.
The optics are gorgeous, and that's by far the biggest selling point. They have a cute little farm off to the side, and there's a peaceful lake with some weeping willows and a gazebo setup that I'm sure is a backdrop for a ton of wedding pictures. The ranch house is really nice too; the farmhouse vibes give it a level of intimacy that you don't see at a lot of wineries, where there's usually a more formal setting for the tastings, at least. It might be a little TOO intimate, in that you can walk right in and through the kitchen area where employees are doing prep work, but overall I think they have a good setup for this. It was very busy when we were there (Saturday late afternoon), and there were a lot of lines for tastings and the bathrooms, which were limited. Based on what I saw, they could use one more bathroom and one more tasting area (there's a main spot in the ranch house, and then another, smaller one off to the side of the porch outside) during a high-volume time like this.
There was a fantastic mobile pizza oven/truck in front of the winery. I am absolutely furious at myself for not getting the name, and I just spent 10 minutes trying in vain to find it online. It was exactly what we needed in the moment, so those are also points in DA's favor. Food is not always a given at a winery (which is mystifying to me), and good food is rarer. This hit the spot. I had a margarita with my chum's pepperonis, and it was honestly one of the best food truck pizzas I've had - which I think IS saying something coming from the NYC metro area where they have quite a few. The guy was very nice/personable, though he could have used an assistant; there was a backlog of about 15 minutes or so.
The biggest problem though? I'm sorry to say, the wine was not very good. Not every area of the country can do decent wine (Georgia is another one that comes to mind) and that's apparently true of the Arizona dry climate. Neither of us were fans; the flavors were just very dull to the palate and lacked nuanced notes. In my opinion, the best alcohol content for wine is around 12% - these were 13% to 14%, which I think does make a difference and not in a good way. The rose was probably my favorite, for what it's worth. The woman handling the tasting outside was very nice; we liked her a lot, so they at least know how to hire good service at this place.
This wasn't a terrible experience, but you're in one of the most breathtaking areas of the country - I'd forego the wineries and focus on the landscapes. Grab a cocktail in downtown Sedona and enjoy that view.
