That training helped get the vineyard off to a flying start. Mark Beres, co-founder of Flying Leap with his former military pilot buddies Marc Moeller and Rolf-Peter Sasse, still works his day job, an engineer at defense contractor Raytheon. Maybe you don't have to be a rocket scientist to start a winery, but it couldn't hurt. If you're enjoying the wines and the food, how much more relaxation do you need? Page Springs also offers tours and special events, including massage and yoga days. Chef Brian Nowicki's menu is superior to any other tasting room we've visited, with a variety of wood-fired pizzas, salads, cheese boards, and Mason jar rillettes (the smoked salmon spread is our favorite). You can enjoy your wine on the outdoor patios as you watch the grapes grow, indoors at the bar, or in a cozy room set aside for club members. But it is the ambiance and the food that set Page Springs apart. Owner and vintner Eric Glomski offers an outstanding roster of wines, many from grapes produced on the property. Any of these is worth a long weekend trip for wine-lovers, but by far our favorite stop is Page Springs Cellars in Cornville, which, at 90 minutes away, is also the shortest drive from Phoenix. We're not Sonoma or Napa, but Arizona is blessed with an abundance of excellent winemakers and road-trip-worthy tasting rooms, which are centered in three major areas: Willcox, Sonoita-Elgin, and the Verde Valley. Our advice? Order the bottle and call Lyft.
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One warning: If it's late and you each want just one more glass of wine, you'll be tempted when you see it's cheaper to buy a full bottle of some labels. And if you're not sure which wine would be the best choice when you and your date have ordered green chile pork and salmon, there's a knowledgeable steward to help you for us, he recommended an excellent Arizona wine, a Del Rio Springs pinot noir for only $19 that paired perfectly with both dinners.
So if you want a bottle of wine with your meal from the Tavern's reasonably priced menu, you simply walk through a short hallway to the wine store, select a bottle, take it back to your table, and show it to your server, who will add it to your bill at the retail price. There are at least a couple of dozen Arizona wines, too. The Wine Store has a remarkable inventory, ranging from top-shelf California labels like Cakebread and Roederer to bottles you'll find discounted at your local Fry's. That's why wine lovers come to Tarbell's Tavern, which is connected to The Wine Store, part of owner Mark Tarbell's Camelback Road complex.
And usually, the more popular the label, the bigger the markup.
Some have found bottles marked up as much as five times what you'd pay for them in a grocery store. The average markup of a bottle of wine at a restaurant, according to Wine Enthusiast, is two and a half to three times its retail price.