The Roving Ranchers ‘Wine Down’ in Wilcox

George and Marilyn

Lillian and Bob

Roving Ranchers group photo

Bob and Barb

Pat Sand

The Roving Ranchers set up a two-day wine event in Wilcox, Ariz., from June 2 through 4. Forty-Four Robson residents attended. The fun started at 12:30 p.m. at Golden Rule Winery with a private wine tasting. Golden Rule secured a food truck that served a variety of barbecue dishes. Afterward, the Ranchers checked into the Sunset Inn Hotel in Wilcox. The hotel was recently renovated and a majority of the rooms were updated. Maizey, the resident Chocolate Lab, greeted everyone upon registration with a tail wag in exchange for a tummy rub. The Ranchers had the hotel to themselves due to their large group.

That evening, dinner was at La Unica Mexican Restaurant. The margaritas were flowing with a variety of tasty Mexican food. The group sat together outside on the patio and were able to visit with each other and share stories of their tastings.

After dinner, the Ranchers congregated at the outside hotel patio. Everyone brought chairs and beverages of choice. Even without a campfire to gather round, the group sat in a circle laughing and talking about the day’s adventures.

The next morning, people had a choice to visit several local tourism sites or go into town. Several people went to Apple Annie’s Orchard to pick cherries, buy homemade apple or cherry pies, and do some souvenir shopping in the eclectic gift shop. Then it was off to Lee’s Pecan Farm to buy pecans and pistachios. Lunch was at Apple Annie’s Country Store. The Country Store featured homemade cold and hot sandwiches and a yummy dessert of apple crumb pie a-la-mode.

In the afternoon, the group had two private wine tastings. The first stop was Pillsbury Winery, which served 10 different tastings for the group. Leaving Pillsbury, the Ranchers trekked to Birds and Barrels Winery over a rough, dirt road following directions on Google Maps. Birds and Barrels served a selection of five tastings from a choice of 10. All wineries benefited from the Ranchers’ purchases!

Dinner that evening was at Big Tex BBQ in downtown Wilcox. The food was tasty and the Ranchers had a private room. As the night before, the Ranchers returned to the hotel patio and exchanged stories over the day’s exciting events.

The group left for home on Saturday morning. Due to the success of this trip, the Roving Ranchers will plan another Wilcox wine trip in October visiting different wineries.

Join the Roving Ranchers group site on nextdoor.com or visit them on Facebook.com to learn about upcoming activities. The Roving Ranchers are a group of neighbors who travel to places and participate in fun events. It’s a great way to make new friends and visit with old ones. We hope to see you at one of our next events. Until then, keep on roving!