Kris Johnson
I really try not to drag local businesses; times are tough for everyone, but people deserve to know what an absolute rip-off this place is. We live in the neighborhood and have stopped in before (more on that later), so the other day we swung by to grab a bottle of our go-to white, Dos Cabezas. It’s an inexpensive, easy-to-find Arizona bottle that literally every wine bar, bottle shop, and grocery store in town sells for $25 or less. AZ Wine Collective’s price? $40. For a to-go bottle. Not opened, not enjoyed there, just handed over in a bag. It’s $22 across the street at Trader Joe’s, and at other local wine bars/bottle shops, it’s never over $25. Honestly, I should’ve known better after our first visit. We initially stopped in for a glass of wine because we love Arizona wines and were excited to support a neighborhood spot. Then we met the owner, who explained he bought the business after following his daughter to U of A while she attends college from the Midwest. He openly admitted he “thought it would be a fun business to have, but doesn’t know much about wine.” That checks out. One look at the tasting menu and it’s painfully clear no one here is curating anything. If the owner doesn’t know much about wine, who is training the staff? No one. It’s clear they can only recite the tasting notes supplied by the wineries. And the charcuterie board? Imagine paying premium prices for the same cheese you could toss into your cart at Fry’s. Nothing wrong with grocery store cheese, but if I’m paying wine bar prices, I hope for something a little more inspiring than pepper jack cubes. The vibe? Picture sipping wine… in a HomeGoods. Everything about this place screams “mustard is too spicy”: the décor, the wine selection, the food, all of it. Ambiance? Haven’t seen her. Do yourself a favor and go literally anywhere else. Tucson has several fantastic wine bars that know what they’re doing and won’t charge you 40 bucks for a $22 bottle.
