Watching the new Southern Arizona Winemaking industry come to life is getting more exciting these days, as an industry there are some excellent products. With most of the bottling and tasting being done up north, Southern Arizona seems now be catching on that we also have wine enthusiasts down here who are supporters of Southern Arizona’s Wine Country too.

SIERRA BONITA VINEYARD ANNOUNCES A TUCSON TASTING ROOM
One of Southern Arizona’s Vineyards from Graham County, outside of Willcox, has plans to open a tasting room in Tucson. Sierra Bonita Vineyards hopes to open its tasting room in November in an office building the owners already own at 6720 E Camino Principal, near Tucson Country Club.

The tasting room will be a 434 square-foot space adjacent to the law office of Gerald and John Smith – father and son, respectively have practices law in Tucson for four years. Gerald Smith was a bankruptcy attorney in Phoenix for 50 years before relocating to Tucson in order to be closer to the farm.

Family owned and operated since Gerald and Jane Smith bought the farm and vineyard in the mid-‘80s, Sierra Bonita planted its first vines in 1996 to release its first vintages in 2011.

Until now, the family has sold its wines through the vineyard, and at a few Phoenix-area restaurants and at Tucson’s Feast restaurant.

OCTOBER 19 & 20 WILLCOX WINE COUNTRY FESTIVAL
The Willcox Wine Country Festival is a two-day fun-filled event at historic Railroad Park in downtown Willcox. Just an hour’s drive east of Tucson on I-10, the Willcox Wine Country Festival is a perfect getaway for Phoenix and Tucson residents. It’s not too far, but feels a world away. Your $15 tasting fee includes 8 wine tastings, a commemorative glass and live entertainment. Additional tasting tickets may be purchased at the hospitality kiosk.

Willcox Wine Country holds two wine festivals each year. The spring wine festival is held on the 3dr weekend in May and the fall festival is on the 3rd weekend in October, this year October 19th and 20th where you can enjoy more than 70 wines from 16 wineries.

For a listing of the Willcox Wine Country winemakers click here: https://www.willcoxwines.com/events.html

INTERVIEW WITH FIRST FEMALE WINEMAKER IN SONOITA/ELGIN

“Pull the Cork” blog recently posted an exclusive interview with Karyl Wilhelm of the Wilhelm Family Vineyards, the first female winemaker in the Sonoita/Elgin area.

Karly Wilhelm is a woman on a mission, in more than one sense. She worked medical evacuation in the first Gulf War and it was during this time that she met her husband Kevin, a fighter pilot. Two military careers combined with children eventually made for a very hectic life. The pair realized they wanted a change and some open space, and decided on the Sonoita/Elgin area because it’s commutable for Kevin (to his “day job” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson) and the weather in southern Arizona provides four distinct seasons.

The Wilhelm Family Vineyards purchased 20 acres of grassland in the Sonoita/Elgin area in 2004. They started from scratch. Before drilling their well, they called in Tom Hunt, a well-known dowser from Tucson. They began planting their vineyards in 2005. Some varieties did better than others. They lived for a time in a 5th wheel trailer on the property before plans for the home/winery/tasting room began. In 2008, they had their first harvest and the winery/ tasting room opened, which Karyl affectionately calls her “butterscotch castle”.

They have about 8 acres planted in Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Tannat, Graciano, Petite Verdot and their only white variety Albarino. She purchases grapes form other growers as will. Kevin is the vineyard manager. Their crop has improved every year as Kevin constantly learns what works and what doesn’t in the vineyard.

For complete story see https://pullthecork.com/wilhelm-family-vineyards-elgin-Arizona

The Dow Jones industrial average closed up 76.10 points, or 0.5%, at 15,072.58. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 11.84 points, or 0.7%, at 1,690.50 and the NASDAQ composite index gained 33.41 points, or 0.9%, at 3,807.75 on this DAY FOUR of the government slim down.
Wholesale gasoline fell 3 cents to $2.61 per gallon. Natural gas rose 1 cents to $3.51 per 1,000 cubic feet. Heating oil was flat at $3.00 per gallon.

US HOUSING REBOUND LIKELY TO HANDLE RATE HIKES
Many brokers and analysts remain confident that the housing recovery can handle higher mortgage rates. While the jump in rates should test the strength of the recovery, analysts foresee stable sales increases over the next year for a number of reasons.

NOT ALL FEDERAL AGENCIES TAKING A HIT
WASHINGTON – As many high-profile agencies sit idle because of the federal government partial shutdown, others are humming along just fine, thank you. Many of them have escaped the fiscal axe because they pay much of their own way, or enjoy a revenue stream that’s insulated from Congress. That means the cable bill and weekly grocery ads will still fill the mailbox, due to the stamps and other items the post office sells. Social Security checks, food stamps and some other benefits will also show up on time because they are either funded with payroll taxes or otherwise deemed necessary and paid for in ways that keep them protected from lapsed budgets.

NEW JERSEY’S CASINOS TO LAUNCH INTERNET GAMBLING NOV 26
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – New Jersey residents and visitors will be able to start gambling online as of Nov. 26, after a five-day trial period to make sure the systems operated by the city’s 12 casinos work properly. The Atlantic City’s casinos may begin a “soft play” period on Nov. 21 for invited guests. If all goes well, the casinos can begin full Internet gambling at 9 a.m. EDT on Nov. 26. Gamblers would have to be physically located within New Jersey’s boundaries to play. New Jersey will be the third state in the nation to offer online gambling, along with Nevada and Delaware.

INVESTORS GOBBLE UP POTBELLY SHARES IN ITS DEBUT
NEW YORK – Investors gobbled up shares of Potbelly Corp. Friday, and the sandwich chain’s shares more than doubled in their debut on the NASDAQ. The company’s initial public offering was another win for food companies going public. Shares of Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. rose 123% in the natural and organic grocery’s August IPO. Restaurant chain Noodles & Co.’s stock more than doubled in its June debut.  Potbelly’s stock rose $16.77, or 120%, to close at $30.77, after the IPO raised $105 million – more than the company had expected.

‘HOBBIT’ TRILOGY COSTS $561 MILLION SO FAR
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Making the movie trilogy “The Hobbit” has cost more than half a billion dollars so far, double the amount spent on the three movies in the “The Lord of the Rings” series. That figure includes the major 266 days of filming with actors that was completed last year, although it doesn’t include an additional two months or so of “pick-up” shoots done this year. There will likely also be additional post-production costs as the next two movies are completed. Through March 31, production had cost 676 million New Zealand dollars, or $561 million at current exchange rates, according to financial documents filed Friday in New Zealand, where the movies are being made.

LOCKHEED MARTIN TO FURLOUGH 3,000 WORKERS
BETHESDA, MD – Lockheed Martin will furlough 3,000 employees on Monday and potentially more in coming weeks due to the government shutdown. The defense contractor said Friday that the furloughs will affect its business nationwide and it is working closely with customers to assess the impact. It said the number of employees put on furlough will increase weekly if the shutdown continues, but did not specify how high the count could rise. Lockheed says the furloughs include employees who are unable to work because the government facility where they perform their work is closed, as well as those whose work requires a government inspection that cannot be completed or for which the company has received a stop work order.

TESLA CEO SAYS FIRE CAUSED BY IMPALED BATTERY
SEATTLE – The CEO of electric car company Tesla says a battery in a Model S that caught fire this week was apparently impaled by a metal object. Elon Musk gave more detail in a blog post Friday about the fire that became an Internet sensation and unsettled Tesla investors. He also defended the car’s battery technology. Musk wrote in a blog post Friday that fires are more common in conventional gas-powered vehicles.

Landmark property on Mill Avenue in Tempe,  Centerpoint on Mill,  the heart of downtown Tempe since its inception 28 years ago, has been sold by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based DMB, Inc.(Charley Freedricks, President), to Mill Avenue Retail, LLC of Scottsdale (Dan Dahl, managing member). The 127,027 square-foot commercial property commanded a sale price of $38.35 million.

Covering 22 acres starting at the northwest corner of Mill Avenue and University Drive in Tempe, Centerpoint on Mill was created through a unique public-private partnership with the City of Tempe. The property was DMB’s first large-scale mixed use development.

“One of DMB’s founding principles is based on the partnerships and the relationships built with municipalities, landowners, neighbors and tenants,” said Michael Burke, Vice President of Development for DMB. “The success of a development lies with the ability to craft and individualize a community or development based on the location and uniqueness of a parcel of land complemented by the visions of the municipality. DMB proudly partnered with the City of Tempe in the pursuit of creating and maintaining a vibrant and dynamic downtown area in and around Mill Avenue.”

Centerpoint on Mill represents one of the most significant redevelopment efforts in the history of the downtown area of Tempe and was a catalyst in bringing entertainment, national office and retail users to Mill Avenue. Throughout the project’s lifetime, DMB has been committed to maintaining a quality mix of retail, dining and office tenants that ensures and enhances the vibrancy of the Tempe community.

“Over the past 28 years, the City of Tempe and DMB have worked together to create a point of pride for the Valley, a truly urban destination that models the live, work, play ideal. DMB’s work as placemakers, developing a downtown core featuring high quality national and local retailers, unique dining, art, theater, and residential has helped brand Tempe as a destination for tourists and locals,” said Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell.

Glenn Smigiel, Bob Young, Steve Brabant and Rick Abraham with CBRE’s Phoenix office represented DMB in the transaction. Mill Avenue Retail LLC negotiated on their own behalf.
“The sale of Centerpoint on Mill is an indicator of the health of the Tempe market and the continued strengthening of the Phoenix-metro area in general,” said Smigiel. “This is an excellent investment opportunity in a thriving submarket.”

Tempe continues to be one of the most active markets in the metro area with the sale of Centerpoint on Mill coming just months after the announcement of other major downtown Tempe development projects. USA Place, the future home of the USA Basketball headquarters, will be located on the southeast corner of Mill and University near Centerpoint on Mill. (click here for full story). Other major projects new to the downtown Tempe market include the soon-to-break-ground Marina Heights, future home of a large regional headquarters for State Farm Insurance, (click here for full story) and Hayden Ferry III, the third and final phase of Parkway Properties’ Hayden Ferry Lakeside office development (click here).

Downtown Tempe continues to exceed industry market conditions with a Class-A office vacancy rate of 5.1%. This is well below the metro Phoenix average of 18%. Job growth continues in Tempe as well. According to the City of Tempe, staff has participated in locating companies to Tempe in the past year resulting in 12,503 jobs and capital investment in the city exceeding $704 million.
The occupancy level, quality of tenants and prime location of Centerpoint on Mill allowed DMB to lease the property to stabilization. Overall, the property was 87% leased at time of sale while office space was 100% leased.

Current tenant roll includes Churchill’s Fine Cigars, Devil’s Diner, Fat Tuesday, Five Guys, Great Clips, The Handlebar Tempe, Jimmy John’s, Mellow Mushroom, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Pita Pit, Poppa Maize, Rita’s Italian Ice, Robbie Fox’s Public House and Sitewire. These tenants will soon be joined by AMC Theatres, Zipps Sports Grill, El Hefe, Hot N Juicy Crawfish, Lincoln Strategy Group and One Energy.

The sale also includes parking rights to approximately 720 parking spaces.

More About DMB
DMB, an Arizona-based real estate company, creates enduring places that capitalize on location and climate, shaping life for generations. For nearly thirty years, DMB has earned a national reputation for creating some of the most iconic communities in the West, including Centerpoint on Mill in Tempe, DC Ranch in Scottsdale and Verrado in Buckeye, just to name a few. DMB strives to achieve enduring business success by creating extraordinary new environments that enrich people’s lives, are appreciated and rewarded in the market and have a positive impact on the larger community of which they are part. For more information, visit www.dmbinc.com.

DMB Commercial specializes in strategically shaping and developing properties within DMB’s portfolio of planned communities featuring retail, office, hospitality and other mixed-use components. Current DMB Commercial properties include Market Street at DC Ranch, and Canyon Village (all within DC Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ), Eastmark (Mesa, AZ), The Shops at Kukui’ula, (Kauai, HI), Main Street at Verrado, (Buckeye, AZ), and One Scottsdale (Scottsdale, AZ). For more information about dining, working and shopping at Centerpoint on Mill, visit www.centerpointonmill.com.

Glenn Smigiel, Bob Young, Steve Brabant and Rick Abraham at CBRE’s Phoenix office can be reached at (602) 735-5555. DMB Associates number is (480) 367-7000.