Happy New Oil!

We've all heard about the health benefits of olive oil, which contains monounsaturated fat that can lower your risk for heart disease. I cook with olive oil almost every day, but not because its good for me, rather for the smooth grassy flavor it adds to my meal. Yet, I've never given much thought to how the lowly olive goes from the tree to the bottle, ultimately landing in my saute pan. That was until today, when I visited the Queen Creek Olive Mill.

Located at the base of the San Tan Mountains in the Southeast Valley, the Queen Creek Olive Mill is Arizona's only working olive farm, producing a unique assortment of hand-crafted oils and gourmet olive products. My cousin Jenni and good friend Lisa and I made the nearly 60-mile trek for its Festival of New Oil (Olio Nuovo), which occurs between January and February each year and celebrates the arrival of the "new oil" that was pressed last fall.

While to some, that may seem like a long way to go for olive oil, which you can buy at any neighborhood grocery store, the festival provides an opportunity to enjoy music, taste wine and other gourmet products, along with the mill's daily tours, well-stocked marketplace and Tuscan inspired del Piero cafe.

Our tour guide was an enthusiastic young man, who explained the entire olive making process, from tree to bottle. The Mill still harvests their olives the old-fashioned way, using a rake to remove them from the tree. What falls to the ground is gathered, cleaned of leaves and twigs, washed, then cold-pressed into a fine stream of liquid gold. A very find stream, I might add. A ton of olives may only yield 35 to 50 gal. of extra virgin olive oil.

The Mill's store features the fruits of all this labor. It's shelves are stocked with bottles of pure extra virgin olive oil, along with a host of fancy flavors, including Blood Orange, Chili and even Chocolate olive oil. However, my tastebuds prefer the more traditional flavors -- Roasted Garlic and Meyer Lemon, enjoyed simply with hot crusty bread and a robust glass of Chianti. Salute!

Long and Wine-dy Road

I've learned a lot on these trips. For instance, on my trip to the Verde Valley wineries I learned about Kinetosis. It's a medical condition that many people suffer with it. Apparently, I'm one of them. Luckily, it's not serious. However, it's not curable either, but it can be prevented if you sit in the front seat of a moving vehicle. What is Kinetosis? Motion Sickness.

Sure, I know enough to stay off the Tea Cup ride at Disneyland, but a one hour ride in a luxury motor coach up Interstate 17 from Phoenix to the Verde Valley wineries should be a pleasant trip. Right? Wrong. I'll spare you the gory details, since I'm pretty sure you know where this is story is headed, except to say that by the time I arrived at the first stop, Oak Creek Vineyards Winery, the last thing I wanted in my stomach was wine.

Yet I am a trooper, so after regaining my composure I went into the tasting room to sample the wine. Oak Creek Vineyards Winery is located across from Oak Creek and has nearly 10 acres of grapes growing nearby. It's tasting room, aside from wine, offers a fine selection of gifts for the wine enthusiast, as well as items made by local artists. A whimsical print of a wide-eyed cat by Jacquie Shane, entitled "Cornelius and the Psychedelic Eclipse," caught my eye. He looked like I felt after the ride. I did manage to taste four wines. My pick: 2007, Syrah.

Luckily for me it was a short drive to the next winery, in fact it was across the street, Page Springs Cellars & Vineyards. This may be the most beautiful vineyard in the state. It's tasting room looks out over a field of grapes growing alongside Oak Creek. By the fall, the grapes are long gone and brittle, brown leaves adorn the plants.

The tasting was on a scenic picnic patio above Oak Creek and included a gourmet lunch buffet from Bertha's Cafe, one of my favorite lunch spots in Phoenix. Our hosts, Colleen and Greg from Arizona Grape Escapes, set out a full array of meats, cheeses, crusty french bread and accompaniments to pair with the wine. We enjoyed full bottles of Page Springs' white, rose and red wines. My pick: 2009 Vino de La Familia Blanca.

From the vineyards we traveled to the tasting rooms in the town of Cottonwood. The first stop was at Arizona Stronghold, which is co-owned by Maynard Keenan, the lead singer of the rock band Tool. Arizona Stronghold, unlike the previous two vineyards, grows its grapes in Southeastern Arizona, an area with rich farmland and a rich history. Cochise, the famous Apache Indian chief, led raids against Mexican and American settlements and military posts in the area until his surrender in 1872. Cochise was buried, not far from the vineyard, in the Dragoon Mountains, now called Cochise Stronghold. The exact location of his grave is unknown. Yet, Arizona Stronghold keeps his spirit alive, naming their wines after many of Cochise's family members and warriors. The tasting included five varietals. My pick: 2009 Tazi, a white wine named after Cochise's eldest son.

Across the street from Arizona Stronghold is the tasting room for Pillsbury Wine Company, which also grows its grapes in Southeastern Arizona. Led by Sam Pillsbury, a noted film director and former co-owner of Dos Cabezas winery, these wines are distinctly fragrant and full of flavor, and not surprising, the critics love them. In fact Wine Spectator calls Pillsbury's wines one of the "Rising Stars of the Southwest." After tasting five wines, I have to agree. My pick: 2009 Wild ChildRed.

After a long day of wine tasting, we boarded Arizona Grape Escapes' Winobago, for the drive back to Phoenix. Perhaps I was relaxed by the wine, but I enjoyed the return trip much better and suffered none my earlier ailments. If you're thinking about a trip to the Verde Valley wineries, this is the way to go -- just be sure to sit in the front of the bus.