Tool’s Maynard James Keenan opens new Arizona winery
A former Masonic lodge in Cottonwood, Arizona, is to be transformed into a new winemaking facility run by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan. Along with his Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards, the site will open on October 6th and boast 270-degree views of the Verde Valley.
The site will also include the Merkin Vineyards Hilltop Winery and Trattoria restaurant, the Caduceus Cellars Hilltop Facility, and the VSC Ventura Room. For Keenan, who founded Caduceus Cellars in 2004, the new site will represent the result of 20 years of work.
“In the many years I’ve been working towards this moment,” Keenan said, “One of the things I discovered when it comes to bridging the hurdle of exposing people to Arizona wine is context.”
“So by putting a place like this in the middle of Cottonwood with five acres of vines, to winery facilities with a full greenhouse, and a full kitchen, all the context becomes visible, and you kind of break down the barriers of whatever preconceptions you have of Arizona wine.”
Featuring a new winery and cellar, tasting room, restaurant, and food production greenhouse set amidst a vineyard in the heart of historic Old Town Cottonwood, Keenan’s facility will presumably attract wine connoisseurs seeking a new holiday destination. Guests will also be able to enjoy fresh gelato at the Merkin Vineyards Pocket Park Gelateria, situated at the base of the facility, and take a ride on the Hilltop Tram that will take them to the very of the complex.
Keenan’s news follows the announcement of an upcoming North American Tool tour, which begins in Loveland, Ohio, on October 3rd. Their performance at the Welcome to Rockville festival in May sparked some controversy after Keenan appeared on stage in drag at the Florida show; however, he has since denied it was politically motivated.
Take a look at the Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards site below.
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