Jerome Winery

Arizona Estate Winery on Historic Cleopatra Hill

Jerome Winery is a family-run estate winery with a tasting room perched in the historic mining town of Jerome, Arizona, overlooking the Verde Valley. Winemaker John McLoughlin has been growing 100% Arizona fruit at his Dragoon Mountain Vineyard in Willcox since 2001, and the tasting room today pours from a rotating lineup of more than 30 handcrafted wines — from traditional varietals to genuinely unexpected ones you won’t find at most American wineries.

Location | History | Amenities | Wines | Wine Club & Shipping | Our Review | Photos & Videos | FAQs | Customer Reviews | Add Your Review

Location

Jerome Winery
114 Jerome Avenue,
Jerome, AZ 86331
928-639-9593

Visit Website

Jerome Winery’s AVA story has two parts. The tasting room itself, perched at roughly 5,000 feet on Cleopatra Hill, sits inside the Verde Valley AVA, established in 2021 and covering the Cottonwood, Clarkdale, and Jerome area of Yavapai County. But the estate fruit is grown over 200 miles away at Dragoon Mountain Vineyard near Willcox — inside the separate Willcox AVA in Cochise County. So you’re tasting Willcox-grown, estate-bottled wine in a Verde Valley AVA tasting room — two different Arizona wine regions represented in one visit.

History

Winemaker John McLoughlin was born and raised in Arizona and got his start in the wine industry in the early 1980s, training throughout Europe and California — often working for free as an assistant winemaker on the condition that the winemakers he apprenticed under held nothing back. Along the way he earned a Master’s degree in World History from Arizona State University, working as a busboy and eventually Manager of Floor Staff at the Hilton-owned Rustler’s Roost in Phoenix, where he oversaw a staff of more than 300. From there he moved into event management for Westworld and NASCAR, and later built a successful insurance agency in Mesa — but the dream of becoming an independent grape grower and winemaker never left him.

That dream became Dragoon Mountain Vineyard, which John began planting near Willcox in 2001. He personally inspects every vine placed in the ground and still walks the vineyard himself throughout the growing season, harvesting only when the grapes tell him they’re ready rather than by the calendar. Two decades and roughly 158 acres later, the vineyard has become the estate source for every bottle Jerome Winery produces.

The winery’s family roots show up on the label, too — bottles feature vintage family photographs, and harvest has traditionally been a family affair since the first vines went into the ground in 2001.

Amenities

• Walking distance to Jerome’s historic main strip
• Panoramic views of the Verde Valley from the tasting room
• Walk-in tastings welcome for small groups
• Off-site educational wine tastings available for private events (10–200 guests, advance booking required)
• Gift certificates available
• Located in a National Historic Landmark mining town with dining, art galleries, and history alongside the wine

Wines

Best Known For: An unusually broad estate lineup of 30+ handcrafted, 100% Arizona-grown wines from Dragoon Mountain Vineyard, including several varietals rarely seen at American wineries.

Reds:

• Cabernet Sauvignon — $45
• Syrah — $42
• Malbec — $39
• Primitivo — $42
• Barbera — $42
• Sangiovese — $44
• Charbono — $42, tart wild blackberry and toast notes from a rare grape
• Dolcetto — $42
• Pinotage — $42
• Tannat — $42
• Petit Verdot — $42, age-worthy 10+ years
• Blaufränkisch — $46
• Caladoc — $42, grown exclusively at Dragoon Mountain Vineyard
• Arinarnoa — $52, a cross of Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon

Whites:

• Chardonnay — $27
• Sauvignon Blanc — $28
• Viognier — $28
• Riesling — $26
• Chenin Blanc — $31
• Arneis — $28
• Muscat — $24

Rosé:

• Pink — $26, a Nebbiolo saignée

Dessert & Fortified:

• Petit Verdot Dessert Wine — $60
• Zinfandel Dessert Wine (Port style) — $60

Other:

• Mead — $36, made from slow-fermented, locally sourced, non-pasteurized honey

Jerome Winery also describes offering a dedicated Heritage Zinfandel flight and a vintage port flight in the tasting room — ask staff about current flight options when you visit, since the lineup rotates.

Wine Club & Shipping

Jerome Winery ships its wines directly through Vinoshipper, so unlike some smaller wineries, you don’t need to visit in person to bring bottles home. The winery also references wine club information as part of its private tasting events, though we haven’t confirmed the full membership details — ask when you visit, and let us know what you learn in a review below.

Our Review

We visited Jerome Winery in 2024 while taking the kids through Sedona and the Grand Canyon, and it turned out to be one of the best stops of the whole trip. The welcome was warm and inviting from the moment we walked in — comfortable, cozy, and exactly the kind of tasting room you want to linger in. Rebecca poured for us that day and was both knowledgeable and genuinely fun to talk to, which made the whole tasting feel more like hanging out with a friend than a formal wine walkthrough.

Every wine we tried was exceptionally good, but two stood out. The Cabernet Sauvignon was fantastic, and the Riesling genuinely surprised us — it might be the best white wine we’ve had, with a great start and a distinct finish that has you reaching for another sip almost immediately. Knowing it’s grown all the way out in Willcox and poured here in Jerome made it even more interesting.

We ended up leaving with a bottle of every wine we tasted, and the panoramic view of the Verde Valley from the tasting room made the whole stop even better. We’re already planning to go back next time we’re in the area.

Who this winery is for: Wine drinkers who want to explore genuinely uncommon varietals (Charbono, Pinotage, Blaufränkisch, Arinarnoa) rather than the usual Cabernet-and-Chardonnay lineup, history and art lovers visiting Jerome itself, and anyone who wants Arizona wine shipped to their door without a visit.

If you’ve been to Jerome Winery yourself, leave a review down below — and if you know another Arizona winery we should visit, drop us a line.

Cheers,
Brendan

Photos & Videos

FAQs

What are Jerome Winery’s hours?

Closed Monday through Wednesday. Thursday and Sunday, noon–6pm; Friday and Saturday, noon–7pm. Hours can shift seasonally, so it’s worth checking their website before you drive out.

Does Jerome Winery require reservations?

Not for small groups — walk-in tastings are welcome. For groups of 6 or more, call ahead at 928-639-9593 so staff can prepare.

What does a tasting cost at Jerome Winery?

We haven’t confirmed current tasting fees — check their website or call ahead, and let us know in a review below.

What wines is Jerome Winery known for?

An unusually wide estate lineup of over 30 wines grown at Dragoon Mountain Vineyard in Willcox, including uncommon varietals like Charbono, Pinotage, Blaufränkisch, Arneis, and Arinarnoa alongside more familiar options like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Syrah.

Does Jerome Winery ship wine?

Yes — their wines are available for direct shipping through Vinoshipper.

Is Jerome Winery in a wine AVA?

The tasting room sits inside the Verde Valley AVA in Jerome, but the estate grapes themselves are grown at Dragoon Mountain Vineyard in the Willcox AVA, over 200 miles away in Cochise County — two different Arizona AVAs tied to one winery.

Customer Reviews

Add Your Review