After six years of study, The U.S. Treasury Department has named Arizona’s Verde Valley an American Viticultural Area (AVA), elevating the Valley’s $56 million wine industry to the same status as Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley and other well-known wine-producing regions. According to the Treasury Department’s Tax and Trade Bureau, an AVA is a grape-growing region with geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from surrounding areas and affect how grapes are grown. Labeling local wines … [Read more...] about Verde Valley Wines Receive ‘American Viticultural Area’ Status
Tourism
Route 66 Icon Changes Hands
When Albert (Al) Chatinsky drove his son, Steve, up to Flagstaff in the spring of 1976 from their home in Tucson, he was in search of a four-season town to start a new outdoor recreational business. Originally from a suburb of Minneapolis, the Chatinsky family had moved to Tucson when Steve was 14 years old. After leaving Pima Community College, the son joined his father in 1973 to start a Tucson-based electronic and military surplus store, which began with selling vacuum tubes, precious … [Read more...] about Route 66 Icon Changes Hands
Navigating with Purpose
Lava Falls Rapid is white-water fierce. It is, by far, the most famous and daunting rapid on the mighty Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. It comes up after a nice calm stretch of laid-back, almost complacent, floating. Most wouldn’t even notice the distant spray and subtle splashing up ahead. But Christa Sadler does. With oars thrusting forward, she remains on high alert, reading the river. Within about half a mile of the falls, the passengers in Christa’s raft also will be on high alert as … [Read more...] about Navigating with Purpose
Saying ‘I Do’ to Micro-Weddings
Event planners are busier than ever and, not surprisingly, smaller weddings have taken the lead, especially in Northern Arizona. “We’ve had a lot of micro-weddings of 50 people or less since March this year,” said Nancy Bewley, owner of Prescott-based Luella House Weddings and the soon-to-open historic Willow Creek Inn. “I think it’s because small weddings make sense to people right now. People can spread out and the couple can have those who are most dear and closest to them attend, plus the … [Read more...] about Saying ‘I Do’ to Micro-Weddings
A Global Trail for Flagstaff Business Startups
Flagstaff attracts tourists from all over the world – and also businesspeople who have often traveled widely before setting up shop here. Folks like Alex Tan: A native-born Australian with a Chinese father, Tan was working in Sydney as a site engineer in high-rise construction when growing interest in Eastern approaches to health took him back to university. His four-year degree in Chinese Medicine in Australia concluded with a six-week internship in a Chinese hospital. Six weeks turned into 10 … [Read more...] about A Global Trail for Flagstaff Business Startups
Russ Lyon Presents Its Top Luxury Sales in Northern Arizona
Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty, Arizona’s leader in luxury real estate, is proud to present the most significant sales in Northern Arizona for the month of June. The list showcases the top five sales of Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty and features Northern Arizona’s most sought-after luxurious estates. Ed Pennington, Jeanette Sauer | $4,100,000 | Sedona | Dual Representation The estate boasts 6,370 square feet and sits on two acres of breathtaking land. The soaring ceilings … [Read more...] about Russ Lyon Presents Its Top Luxury Sales in Northern Arizona
Amangiri: Desert Decompression for Those Seeking Uncomplicated Elegance
Secluded among petrified sandstone monuments in the Southern Utah desert, about a 25-minute drive from Page, is a wealthy minimalist’s dream. Amangiri, a Sanskrit word for “peaceful mountain,” is a starkly serene luxury resort situated on 600 acres in the Grand Circle region, an area exhibiting unparalleled raw beauty, famous for its national parks like the Grand Canyon, national monuments including Grand Staircase-Escalante and the Navajo Nation, whose culture is intricately woven into the … [Read more...] about Amangiri: Desert Decompression for Those Seeking Uncomplicated Elegance
