A Guide to Sedona Wineries: The Perfect Day Trip From Sedona

I can hear some of you thinking, “Seriously, Arizona wineries??”  And I’ll be honest, I was a bit skeptical.  I figured I’d have fun regardless, but didn’t expect much out of the wine.  Instead, I found myself thoroughly charmed by the Sedona wineries I visited, including the lovely wine!

If you’re looking to go wine tasting in Sedona, I recommend visiting these wineries, though there are also some wine bars in Sedona proper where you can enjoy flights.

See all my Sedona posts for planning your own visit!

What To Do In Sedona: How To Plan An Awesome 3+ Day Itinerary

15+ Sedona Travel Tips For An Amazing Trip

Sedona Hiking Guide: Must-Do Trails & Some To Skip

Where To Eat In Sedona: The Best Sedona Restaurants (& More)

Hiking Sugarloaf Loop Trail (Maybe The Most Underrated Trail in Sedona??)

A Breathtaking Sunrise Hike Up Sedona’s Cathedral Rock

Airport Mesa & Vortex…My Favorite Sedona Sunset Hike

Kachina Woman At Sunrise: Hiking In Sedona’s Boynton Canyon

Visiting Sedona’s Unique Chapel Of The Holy Cross

Review:  A Stay At Sedona’s “Luxury” Enchantment Resort

Cool Stops to Make on the Drive Between Phoenix & Sedona

What to wear

Obviously the time of year you visit will play a big role.  In the summer it will be HOTTTTTT.  But even in April it felt pretty scorching in the direct sun (though a bit chilly with shade and wind).

One great option is super lightweight, breathable pants.  My go-to travel pants are these ones from these ones(specifically the Brooklyn Ankle Pant).  I definitely wore a lot of sundresses, as long as it wasn’t too windy.  I’ve had excellent luck with StitchFix in the past few years, though prefer to pick my own out vs. use the personal shopper option.

Amazon is also a great option for all sorts of dress styles, and a really good return process (which is KEY!).  I packed a variety of styles, like this t-shirt dress, a tank dress, and this flowy one with fluttery cap sleeves (a travel staple these days).

I’m not a hat person, but sun hat would be a great idea.  Good sunscreen is a must, as were polarized sunglasses!  Unless you’re in the dead of summer, I recommend a light cardigan as well.

And then I wore cute but comfy sandals since I wasn’t going to be walking around a ton (a style like this for instance).  One day i was going to be doing some light hiking so I wore my fave Rockport ones, which balance comfort/cushioning and cuteness (party in the front, biz in the back).

Where to stay in Sedona:  I stayed at Enchantment Resort which is a major splurge and while the location is amazing, I didn’t feel like the property quite lived up to the price (see deeper review).  On the more luxury end, next time I would still splurge a bit but try Amara instead.

I also stayed a couple nights at Arabella and would recommend it as a great mid-range option.  It has a nice courtyard and pool, and they plan lots of activities that guests can join in on (happy hours, stargazing, hikes, etc.).  It’s also a pet friendly option.

A guide to visiting Sedona wineries

For these five Sedona wineries (and I’m not sure if there are others in the area), I found it more of a DIY wine tasting experience.  It wasn’t like in some winery regions where they give you rich details about the wine, how it was made, what made it special, and tasting notes.  More of a “here’s your pour and what it is, enjoy!” kind of thing.

They all get very busy on weekends (including lots of bachelor and bachelorette groups) so you should consider seeing if you can book any tastings or tours ahead of time if there’s one you really want to do.

Do I need a car to visit Sedona area wineries?

You’ll either need to do a guided tour or yes, you need a rental car.

There are several winery tour companies in the area you can book with, if you want to avoid having to drive yourself everywhere (with drinking).  Sedona Wine Tours and AZ Winery Tours both came highly recommended, and these GetYourGuide and Viator online bookable tours are a good option as well.

For renting a car, I always search in a few different places and compare both the prices and specific offerings/benefits.  My go-to’s are DiscoverCars and RentalCars.com.

I’m going to start with my favorites and work my way down the list (though I enjoyed them all).

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PRO TIP:  Make sure you HYDRATE all day, as the sun, wind, and wine can hit you hard.

D.A. Ranch Lodge & Estate Vineyards

I absolutely loved D.A. Ranch…no question it was my favorite of the Sedona wineries!  It’s a sprawling space with lots of different areas you can hang out.  It felt like spending time at a friend’s house (I mean, a friend with a baller estate, but still).  A “make yourself at home” sort of place.

On busy days they have three separate bars where you can get your next wine in the tasting menu…in the living room, and two separate places on their wraparound porch.

Both times I visited they had great music as well.  You can sit on the porch in the shade or out on the lawn and enjoy the ambiance, nice wines, and super chill vibe.

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They have several other spots you can wander around as well, including this gazebo-like thing by the pond, several adirondack chairs sprinkled around, and you can even hang out with their herd of goats.

They have a regular and a reserve tasting (currently $15 and $25, respectively), as well as their house sangria (which I’d prefer a bit sweeter).  They’re not open every day, so make sure to check the website before visiting.

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Javelina Leap

This quirky and mildly terrifying tree person greeted me when I drove up to Javelina Leap 🙂

They were hosting a separate wine club event when I was there (with a tent set up), with a great blues musician providing the tunes.  Since it was such a nice day and they have a lovely outdoor space, I snagged a flight of wines and set up shop at a picnic table.

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I sipped my flight and enjoyed the sunshine and music.  You can also go inside and have a more traditional tasting experience by bellying up to their saloon-style bar (apparently the largest wine tasting bar in northern Arizona).

I peeked inside for a second and ended up falling in love with some of the local artists’ ceramics they offer.

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Oak Creek Vineyards

Just next door to Javelina, Oak Creek Vineyards and Winery has a nice outdoor patio overlooking their vines (they’re also kid and pet friendly).  Flights start at $10 (including “build your own” options), and they have some snack options as well.  I hear they have half-price on some drinks and snacks during Friday happy hour too, if that’s your bag.

I got seated and for whatever reason waited forever for anyone to come and even offer me water or a menu.  It was weird because the waiters were helping the tables around me, not sure if it was because I was alone?

Finally a new guy named Reuben took care of me…it was his first day and so he was still learning the ropes but he was so friendly and helpful.  I had a delicious cheese plate and enjoyed the whole flight, including their port (which is hard to find at most wineries, so was really interesting).

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Page Spring Cellars

I rolled up here around 12:30 on a Saturday, and WHOA was it busy!  My #1 recommendation for visiting Page Spring Cellars is to reserve online if you want to do a tasting or tour…especially if you’re visiting on a weekend.

Tastings range from $11 to $25 and include a souvenir glass to take home.  But when I visited there was a huge wait (45-75 minutes) for even a tasting or regular food.  Thankfully they do have a little window where you can order some wine by the glass or bottle (not all theirs, a variety) and a small selection of snacks.

I snagged a glass of wine in a plastic cup and went to the back patio to enjoy it with the pretty view.  Overall it’s a  pretty place and quite large so can accommodate crowds physically, but gets really busy and crowded so I’d avoid weekends if you can and DEFINITELY book ahead if you want to do a tour or tasting.

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Alcantara Vineyards

This one is in a little different area, and I visited it on my first day, as I drove from the Phoenix airport to Sedona.  Alcantara Vineyards is off the highway about 15 minutes, but connects up to where I was staying at Enchantment Resort so it wasn’t really “out of the way”.  I also noticed signs for a couple breweries on the same exit.

They have a lovely back patio and lawn area, and I just sat and sipped my wine and read my Kindle.  I hadn’t eaten all day and so got a cheese plate but it was super basic for the price.  They had some hot food too and I would go for a burger or something next time.

See more about my roadtrip stops between Phoenix & Sedona here!

So if you’re planning a visit to Sedona, then I highly recommend a day trip or two to some or all of these Sedona wineries.  Most of these are only 20 minutes from Sedona, and spending some time tasting wines, listening to music, and enjoying the sunshine are a perfect complement to all the hiking you’ll be doing!

Other winery adventures you’ll love:

• A Weekend Of Wine In Oregon’s Willamette Valley
• Rosé All Day: Sampling the Wineries of Aix-en-Provence
• Wineries to Visit in Sonoma County, California
• Mendoza Wine Tours…Exploring Argentina’s Wine Country
• Wine & Conversation at Slovenia’s Rojac Winery

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