Arizona Vineyards: A 19th Century Style Winery with a Little Flair

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 17:02

When driving near the U.S.- Mexico border along the Patagonia Highway just northeast of Nogales, Ariz., a rouge colored winery used to stand with bright blue columns, old wine barrels on top of a rickety wooden porch and a bright yellow sign that read, “Arizona Vineyards”.

“It was a 19th century style winery with a little flair,” said Arthur "Pierce" Ocheltree, son of the creator and owner of Arizona Vineyards, Arthur Bernard “Tino” Ocheltree. “It was known for it’s eccentric decorations and the lively characters that worked there.”

At first the winery was an all white building, but according to Pierce, Tino went through a sort of midlife crisis and got hands-on with some purple and pink paint shortly after the original construction.

“He decided to spice up the décor with a reddish-pink color, with accents of purple,” said Pierce with a chuckle. 

When entering the old winery, 15-foot high wooden doors used to stand before a 50-foot ceiling and a huge open room that used to reveal all the accoutrement that a wine maker would have, said Pierce.

Inside the winery there were various winemaking machines, 25-foot high cement storage containers and countless pieces of eclectic art, knick-knacks, and the many medals and ribbons awarded to Tino in the past for the winery, said Pierce.

“He literally put together a bunch of pieces of art, old wine barrels, and any other funky thing he could fit in there,” said Pierce with a laugh.

When walking deeper into the old winery, the tasting room would have been found with a large, arch-shaped bar that had bar stools, tables, and a very large fireplace, Pierce recalled.

He said, “There were also a bunch of pictures of my dad with people who had visited the winery, people who had worked there and all the newspaper articles that were written about the winery, my dad and my grandfather.” 

Pierce also said, “You can’t even imagine what was in there – funky stuff like a big old carriage placed against the wall and one of my old favorites, the famous picture of Marilyn Monroe over the vent in her white dress.” 

Adding to the eccentric décor that made up Arizona Vineyards, was an area behind the bar had racks of not uniform wine glasses, but randomly collected wine glasses that were donated by patrons and employees alike, Pierce said laughing.

“It was quite a sight to be seen and probably unlike any other winery that most people have come across,” he said.

The idea for the winery was entirely random as well, true to form for Tino, Pierce said.

“He always had a love for wine and enjoyed the quietness in Nogales,” said Pierce. “He had nothing else to do in the desert and decided to build himself a winery.” 

Tino made money from his law practice in Texas and had family money to help execute the construction of the old winery.

“I guess you can say it was an independent effort; he didn’t have corporate sponsors or anything like that,” added Pierce.

The winery was erected in 1984, taking less than a year to build.

“It was a pretty simple effort,” Pierce said. “Eccentric and low key all at the same time.”

The wines of Arizona Vineyards were just as eccentric as the building used to be and the people that worked there, Pierce explained. There were about 20 different wines ranging from whites, roses, reds, and imports.

All the wines embodied traditional wine characteristics, but Tino wanted to give them creative titles with a touch of southwestern inspiration like “Rainbow Rouge”, “Rattlesnake Red”, “Pinot Tinto”, “Desert Dusk”, and “Workers Bee” – all ranging from $7 to $12 a bottle. 

“He wanted to keep the concept light, he’s always been a creative guy, and he doesn’t stick very much with the norm,” Pierce said.

The wines were a blend of already produced grapes from New Mexico and California. Tino blended them together, Pierce added. 

Pierce also said that when Tino first opened the winery, he participated in a lot festivals and fairs throughout the southwest, winning numerous awards for his assorted vinos.

Typically, Arizona Vineyards had about two or three people bartending and Tino would often be found chillin’ at the winery in front of the fireplace, sipping wine, smoking cigarettes, and spitting tales, said Pierce. 

“There were also a lot of local kids who would help out and get paid $7 or $8 dollars an hour,” he said.”

Tino has also had the help of people from across the border who would come to help him out for the day and then go back across the border at night, said Pierce.

Nowadays Tino is not very hands on, but he lives down the road from the property of the old winery. He used to come in for short periods of time to help out if it got busy. Mostly he would be there to talk to people and liven the place up with his crazy personality, Pierce said.

Unfortunately, a tragedy occurred and Tino recently saw his handiwork burn to the ground in June, 2009, said Pierce. 

“It was an arsenal crime,” Pierce said.

As devastating as the fire has been for Tino, he is staying positive and already has started preliminary building plans.

The innovative vinos will also resume production after the new winery's construction is completed.

“He will definitely rebuild,” said Pierce. “He’s started putting up new columns, and I'm sure it will be as just as funky the second time around."

Written by Laura Lajiness