Wilhelm Family Vineyards

Great wine and cheese plate! Glasses included also. 5 tastings and all I just mentioned for $ 20 for 2 people. Great deal and the goat cheese was so delicious. Apparently it is locally made. Great first time wine tasting experience!

What is up with the extremely high tasting fees at wineries in this area? It’s like they’re trying to be like Napa but then go out of their way to say how different and better they are than Napa. I just don’t get it. I really wanted to like this place so I had high expectations, but I have to say I left a little disappointed. The tasting prices are very high, but we came here to try the port so that’s what we did. $ 10 a person for 5 tastes (barely 2 sips per taste) is ridiculously high considering the fact that they don’t even credit the fee towards a bottle purchase. Our pours got a little better once we were switched over to a different lady (who I think was the owner), but we were almost done by then. The ports were ok but again disappointing as most were so strongly flavored that they were almost undrinkable. The high point of the tasting was definitely the white chocolate orange. We bought a bottle of that but considering we paid over $ 43 for 5 small tastes and one small (375mL) bottle of port I think my money would have been better spent elsewhere.

a little hard to find — we weren’t sure if we were driving up to someones house or the tasting room. Luckily I have good eyes and saw a small «open» sign hanging on the window by the front door.
The tasting room is quite small. Just a bar with 3 stools and 2 small tables. the 4 of us were the only ones there for most of the time –and when 2 people came in, I think we ran them off with how loud we were :-(,
The wine selection is quite large and they make the tasting very easy. you can have 4 of whatever you want. their dessert/​ports were really interesting. I bought two of the caramel ones — couldn’t believe how much it tasted like caramel — perfect for dessert!
We ended up having a very nice chat with the woman behind the counter. And an even more fun time when another came in with her two gorgeous weimeriener dogs. Very relaxed atmosphere!

Great wines and company, a very laid back place with a county feel. As we walked in I smelled cinnamon and spices much like cookies and was told it is a popular warm German wine they make. Interesting! And they focus on ports and sweet dessert wines here. So maybe check this one out last for a dessert :) We had a cheese plate also here with goat cheese infused with bacon and scallion. Very good!

Could have benefitted from having another employee on deck for better, more personalized wine tasting experience. Nice sangria!!!

One of my other favorite wineries in the area! Yay! Love the staff here, and also love that they were very welcoming to my dog — I’m pretty sure he would have stayed if I let him. Vineyards are beautiful and it’s slightly off the beaten path which I very much enjoyed.
The wines were delicious! And the port flight — whoa! Who knew I liked port?! Now I know! Try the mocha one — you’re welcome for that tidbit of info. I also joined the wine club and am looking forward to my first shipment (unless I head back down there to pick it up — twist my arm) next month!

This has become my favorite winery not only because they produce excellent wine but because every time I go down and visit to «stock up» I learn something new from Karol! She spends time educating and chatting with you no matter what she may have had to do… I am addicted to her ports, she makes some fabulous ports, white and red! It is off the beaten path of winery road but well worth the turn, spend an hour or so and learn about the area and wines… excellent snacks to keep you going too! I always recommend this one to anyone going down to visit!

Loved it! Visited June 12^th, 2015.
Pros: Favorite building façade of wineries in the area, wine selections, has munchies!, friendly hospitality
Cons: Small tasting room, slightly out of the way but some could see this as a plus
We were tasting around the Sonoita /​Elgin area and stopped at 4 different wineries. Capped it there because we wanted to actually remember the trip! This was our favorite one among Keif-​Joshua, Sonoita Winery, and Callaghan. Kassie and Brandon [hoping I remembered this correctly, I can be terrible with names] were so personable and we had fun chatting with them. We really enjoyed that there was Sangria and Port along with the selection of reds and whites. Much more variety than we saw anywhere else. I tried 3 reds, a white, and a port to finish and my wife mainly went with port. I really enjoyed all mine and the sweet port was a nice conclusion and taste to savor on departing. We felt really at home, like visiting a friend’s house. There was even popcorn from a popcorn machine and a beautiful weimaraner! I am endeared to salty snacks while having a drink but they also have cheese and meat.
Our hosts even helped direct us on our way afterward and helped recommend a next stop. Didn’t buy a bottle anywhere but should have there… don’t worry we will get one next time when we bring some friends or family! Looking forward to seeing the gazebo and improvements too!

Super cute little vineyard to spend a couple hours while wine tasting around Sonoita! The staff and owner are extremely hospitable and clearly passionate. I did a wine tasting of 2 reds and 2 whites along with the mulled wine. The whites were extremely light in flavor and aromas (expected of AZ whites), but the reds were great! Big bold blends and ripened fruit and spice notes. The mulled wine was sensational! The white was a tad too sweet, but C enjoyed it! I easily gulped down a mug of the red. The souvenir glasses and mugs are cute too!
A must do in Sonoita!

My husband and I spent the day visiting a few different wineries in Sonoita/​Elgin area. Wilhelm was our last stop and I truly wish we had stopped there first! The winemaker/​owner is very knowledgeable and down to earth. She has made so many delicious wines and they tasted nothing like what we tried at other wineries. If you’re looking for a good vineyard to visit I definitely recommend Wilhelm. And be sure to try the peach sangria and chocolate orange sunset!

Great place to taste some amazing wines. loves the wine, cheese and dogs!!! super friendly staff that went out if there way to make out visit tremendous.

I can’t wait to visit this lovely winery again. The delicious scent of mulling spices, mixed with popcorn, über friendly staff, and delicious wines made this our favorite visit in Elgin/​Sonoita. Thank you for such an amazing visit and introducing us to new flavors, and a terrific experience. We’ll be back and we can’t wait to drink your wines at home too!

teeny tasting room! but great wine!
We came here on a Saturday and boy, was it packed. We chose this winery to start with because not only was it one of the more reasonably priced tasting (at $ 5 or $ 7, if you didn’t bring your own glass) but wanted to support this military family (and unfortunately, two large vans from Fort Huachuca had the same idea as us.
I’m torn, because while the wine tasted great and I could tell that their employees were friendly, it was simply too busy. It was stressful to be inside the tasting room, so our party of 4 chose to stand on the cemented patio out front. And while they do have a couple of tables out front, they were covered in muddy paw prints from their dogs climbing all over them. Not exactly inviting, so instead we stood. And honestly, the running joke was that I kept getting stiffed on the pours. You know the amount of wine that’s left in your glass after you finish it and the waitress takes the glass away because you clearly would have to lick the glass to get the final drops? Yeah. That’s how much I was getting with each pour. While it was hard to really get the taste from that little, the rest of my group confirmed my suspicion that the wine really was quite tasty.
But, we’ll be back. Hopefully it won’t be so packed and hopefully business continues to be good enough that they can expand that closet of a tasting room!

Went back to visit so the husband could try the wines. Again, staff was friendly and attentive. For what the place lacks in space they make up for in their bowl of popcorn. The Ports are truly amazing! I also love that this winery give you a decent wine glass as part of the tasting (not those tiny little tasting glasses that are only good for tasting, not for home use). During the summer they offer a frozen sangria which was fun and tasty. Definitely my favorite winery in the area.

I came here with a Groupon one afternoon with my boyfriend. I had never gone wine tasting before, but had been to Sonoita once with a group of friends to try out the various wineries. There were no other customers when we arrived, but we enjoyed the privacy. The menu was arranged from dry to sweet, and we were told to select our wines in ascending order so a sweet wine would not interfere with a dry one on our tastebuds.
Wine puts me out pretty quickly, so I was worried I’d be legitimately drunk half way through the tasting. The staff, however, was really nice and provided popcorn for us to munch on, which helped a lot. She also explained a lot about the art of wine making, answered all our questions, and gave us a brief history of Whilhelm Family Vineyards.
As for the wines themselves, I’m not a big fan of reds, so I do wish they had some more options of whites for us to try. Nonetheless, I really liked their dessert wines since I prefer sweet wines. The Rose was nice and was just the slighted bit bubbly. We wound up buying a bottle of their White Chocolate Almond Port. The ports were all very aromatic.
Oh, and the peach sangria was truly fantastic!

We went here using a Groupon voucher. The experience overall was nice, but there were elements that could have been improved upon. When we called in advance (as suggested by the Groupon voucher) the woman on the phone was a bi condescending and short with us. When we arrived we were warmly greeted and had an enjoyable time. The voucher gave us a mug as well as a glass, which was nice, alone with a tasting flight and their seasonal Glühwein. Their white Glühwein is amazing! A must try. The red was pretty standard. The rest of the wines were nice, not the most amazing, but definitely better than some of the other vineyards. The owner came out and chatted with us about her methods, which was really enjoyable. .also, I feel that the tasting flights are a bit overpriced.

Another awesome thing about Tucson is that the vineyards of Sonoita are only a hop, skip and a jump away. We went and checked out Wilhelm Family Vineyards and it’s by far my favorite place so far in Sonoita. We had a great Groupon that allowed us to taste six different wines as well as a cup of Gluhwein (yum!). We got to take home a mug and a wineglass. Mention the ‘Groupon deal for 2′ and they will honor it! What I really liked about Wilhelm is not only it’s family-​focused vineyard, they also support military veterans and carry the largest selection of wines i’ve seen in the area. There are at least 10 – 15 kinds of Ports alone! Check it out, you won’t be dissapointed.

Obviously I touched a nerve with my comments on the dog which I completely understand since we all love our pets. I just get nervous around large dogs that I don’t know so it was a surprise to see one roaming freely in a place of business.
I wanted to write an update because I brought the bottle of Chianti I purchased at Wilhelm to a spaghetti dinner party at a friends house recently and it was a big hit. Everyone got a kick out of the fact that Chianti was spelled with a K. Keep on making great wine Karyl!

I visited Wilhelm Family Vineyard and it was great! I can’t actually believe there are reviews about the «menacing dog» as the dog was incredibly sweet and friendly.
The tour was great and Karyl was super informative and friendly. I have to admit that, while I enjoy wine, I am not very knowledgeable about it. I really enjoyed learning more about the wines as well as drinking them — they were all fantastic!
I also enjoyed the Sangria and bought a bottle. Unfortunately, a friend and I finished it already — will definitely make the drive to get more soon. I also found the prices very reasonable. Great experience!

Its like going to a good friends house and having a pleasant conversation over a great bottle of wine. .. A whole lot of fun!
Take a drive out to Sonoita, turn onto lower Elgin road and drive through the beautiful rolling Canelo hills and instantly be transported into what looks very much like the wine areas of northern California.
As you pull up to the beautiful Casa surrounded by lush vineyards, Karyl will welcome you, invite you to sit down and treat you to some of the yummiest wines in all of Arizona.
Whether you are a novice, expert, oenophile or just plain like one of the worlds tastiest beverages, Karyl is generous with her knowledge and will explain all terms if you so desire; or just sip, chat and enjoy.
This Vineyard is the real deal and Karyl knows her stuff. She is an expert winemaker and has produced some outstanding blends from the varietals grown on property. You really cannot get any closer to the artist than this. The great thing about visiting is you immediately feel as though you are a long time friend and you will quickly begin making plans for your next visit.
There is no pretension or pretense here. Just plain fun times and good wine: this is what all wineries should aspire to be like.
Be prepared to take home several bottles or a case, you’ll be glad you did.
If you can only visit one winery, in this area: this is it.
Rating: solid 5 Stars. — Salute! Prost!