Cheers to Twisted Union Wine Co.

Photos by Jon Luckett

Part of Southern Arizona’s flourishing wine community, Twisted Union Wine Co. celebrates its fourth anniversary this December. After purchasing and renovating the property that was formerly Kief-Joshua Vineyards, a group of partners opened the Twisted Union tasting room and two guest suites in Elgin at the end of 2020.

Preparing to open during the pandemic was tough, but area winemakers helped Twisted Union by loaning them equipment and space. “We owe a lot to the Sonoita-Elgin wine community because we wouldn’t have gotten through our first year of winemaking without them,” said Kati Spencer, one of the partners at Twisted Union. “We are fortunate to be part of such a supportive and collaborative community.”

According to Spencer, the Twisted Union team consists of grape growers and storytellers. “Twisted refers to the way the grape vines grow, and union is a reference to us as a collective,” she said. “We try to tell stories with our wine labels. People are enticed by our labels to try our wines, and they come back for more.”

Twisted Union recently released its fifth vintage of Joy Rider, its flagship wine, which Spencer describes as “our version of a super Tuscan” with notes of smoke, tart cherry, plum and blood orange. Another favorite is Charm School, a light-bodied wine made primarily of Sangiovese with flavors of sun-dried tomato, sour cherry and balsamic.

Twisted Union wines are available on the company website, at its Elgin tasting room, at wine festivals around the state and Phoenix-area wine shops and restaurants, including ODV Wines, GenuWine, Luci’s, Gertrude’s at the Desert Botanical Garden and Beckett’s Table. Spencer has been visiting the Sonoita-Elgin wine region for nearly two decades and has seen incredible growth with more than 20 tasting rooms for wineries, breweries and distilleries.

“I spent several years going to Arizona wineries and getting to know the winemakers. I fell in love with the Sonoita-Elgin region. It has a beautiful wine trail that is easy to navigate with several options for accommodations just two and a half hours from Phoenix,” Spencer said. “Some vineyards that planted grapes five or six years ago are starting to open tasting rooms. It’s exciting to see this growth from vine to bottle.”

For more behind this Frontdoor, visit twistedunionwinecompany.com.