Valley 101

Every year The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com host a wine competition for the vineyards in Arizona. This year, more than 200 bottles were entered to be considered for Best in Show. After hours of tasting the best wines that the state has to offer, the 20 qualified judges granted a bottle of merlot from a brand new winery the Governor's Cup. Cove Mesa Vineyards is new on the scene, but its owners Emil and Cindy Molin have spent years as wine aficionados. After getting a degree from the Southwest Wine Center, Emil set out to buy a winery himself in 2020. To some, this is the perfect story of how Arizona's wine industry is evolving from hidden gem to national recognition.  In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we share what Arizona vineyards have to offer, where you can find them, and how the new kids on the block took the grand prize this year.