Vineyard Owner plans to retire after changing Arizona wine-making

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A vineyard owner who helped establish southern Arizona’s wine industry is struggling to sell his property after more than a year on the market.

Sam Pillsbury, founder and owner of Pillsbury Wine Company, planted his first vines in the desert 25 years ago when the Willcox region was not known for wine-making. The 79-year-old said he is ready to retire from the industry.

“I just have been working non-stop for 25 years, and I want a year off, that’s all,” Pillsbury said.

Pillsbury put the vineyard on the market over a year ago, but has not found a buyer for the 80-acre property. He attributes the difficulty to problems in the wine industry.

“The wine business is in trouble and if people aren’t buying as much wine, wine shops and restaurants aren’t buying as much wine, and if that happens, the wineries aren’t selling as much wine and if they’re not selling as much wine, then why would they buy a whole lot more fruit?” Pillsbury said.

Increasing issues with the water table in Cochise County present additional challenges, though Pillsbury said it is not a major factor in his inability to sell.

Pillsbury said his vineyard already uses minimal water through drip irrigation, which he described as the most environmentally efficient watering method. He said vineyards use one-seventh as much water as most other agricultural crops.

“Because of the way wine grapes like and use water, we’ve got them at the minimum right now. If you add more, they don’t make as good fruit. So if I drop 20%, all my vines will die, so it’s an interesting situation to be in,” Pillsbury said.

When Pillsbury bought the desert land near Willcox in 1999, skeptics doubted his venture would succeed.

“Almost the first 10 years, people would just come up and laugh in my face,” Pillsbury said.

The region that is now the heart of Arizona’s wine industry was not known for wine-making when Pillsbury began. He said he has been interested in food and wine since childhood and worked as a chef from age 12.

Despite the sales challenges, Pillsbury said he believes his land near Willcox remains ideal for wine-making and would help a new owner continue operations.

“I know this place, I know its needs, I know down, you know, negative aspects. I think I could help them go to another step with the quality of the wine,” Pillsbury said.

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