Refuel with Burger Night at Canelo Bistro

After the Grape Stomp, Canela Bistro is doing a special Burger Night so the runners and walkers can refuel with Canela's creative and delicious cuisine. There will be several burger and sandwich options, paired with Sonoita-Elgin wines. The burgers were inspired by Sonoita-Elgin winemakers, and will include:

• The Bostock: a  beef patty with just about as much meat and bacon as you can squeeze on a burger
• The K.C. Lamb Burger with red pepper pipperade, mint yogurt and heirloom tomato
• The Ann: herbed chicken sausage with smoked mozzarella
• Tim's Tartine: an open-faced veggie sandwich made with local seasonal vegetables and chèvre
• El Rancho Puerco: crispy pork shoulder with pickled red onions and roasted green chile aioli

Can you guess which burger matches which winemaker?

Canela will also offer appetizers and sides creatively combining local ingredients, and mouthwatering desserts including Chocolate Pots de Crème and Mesquite Apple Cake with homemade ice cream.  Yum!

Canela Bistro is open 4:00-8:00 p.m. this Saturday. They're also serving brunch Sunday from 10:00-2:00. To reserve a table call 520-455-5873. For directions, visit Canela's website: canelabistro.com.

Final Countdown

It's here! The Great Arizona Grape Stomp will kick off in Sonoita this Saturday. Remember you can register online or at the race. The 5K begins at 8:00 a.m.; registration at Callaghan Vineyards is open at 7:00.

• You can get a hearty breakfast at the Sonoita-Elgin Fire Station from 7:00-10:00 a.m. (read the details here)

• It's not too late to book a shuttle ride to or around Wine Country with one of our shuttle sponsors

• Canela Bistro will host a post-Grape Stomp BBQ from 4:00-8:00 p.m. with traditional and gourmet burger choices inspired by (and named after!) area wineries

See you on Saturday!

Winery #6: Lightning Ridge Cellars

Lightning Ridge Cellars was a proud participant of the 1st annual Sonoita 5k Grape Stomp.  Team Lightning Ridge, albeit made up of family members, holds titles that - well, let's say 'we encompassed the field of wineries that participated in 2010'.  In other words, our claim to fame in the 1st annual run was that within the wineries participating:  we placed first and last.

Ron was the out-front winery winner, while Ann - accompanied with her trusty Great Dane Bruna, brought up the rear.  Although our range of ranking/placement in 2010 was never planned, we look forward to again finishing in some sort of notable standing.

Please join us for a beautiful fun run thru the heart of Elgin's wine region for the 2011 event.  Saturday, 10/22/11 will be a perfect day for runners and walkers alike.  Remember to layer your attire, as Elgin's crisp fall morning will warm up to a sunny day that is sure to only require shorts and a t-shirt in the afternoon. 

Also, when registering for the run, please consider signing up with Team Lightning Ridge.  If you do, you'll receive a special event t-shirt along with your swag-bag of goodies at the end of the run.  It's one-of-a-kind!

Winery #5: Kief-Joshua Vineyards

If you’ve been a previous guest or have never visited the oldest and original “Arizona Wine Country,” what better time to beat the heat and join our Second Annual Sonoita Grape Stomp 5 K on October 22nd.  

Sonoita stands at 5000 feet elevation and will take your breath away – not just because of the race, but also due to the spectacular beauty of the area.  And best of all, the Sonoita Wine Tour was selected by USA Today as one of the top ten wine trails in the United States.

Sonoita boasts of winery helping winery, neighbor helping neighbor and we guarantee your stress will be at an all time low.  We hope you’ll stop by the Kief-Joshua Vineyards tasting room to sample our dry, full-bodied reds and our light, crispy whites after the race. 

Please visit www.kj-vineyards.com for more info on the race.  There are also some surprising benefits hidden there if you join team Kief-Joshua.  Cheers!