Kief·Joshua Vineyards

About the Vineyards 

Our History
Kief-Joshua Vineyards is a small family business with 20 acres in beautiful Elgin and 40 acres in Willcox Wine Country. Our Elgin tasting room is open daily and is situated right in the middle of what is know as "winery row." The Sonoita Arizona Wine Tour boasts of ten different tasting rooms and was selected by USA Today as one of the top ten wine trails in the United States.

Our first planting was in 2005 and we have about 15 acres under vine, consisting of such varieties as Tempranillo,Mourvedre, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, Syrah, Zinfandel, Reisling, Semillion and Viognier. Our first harvest and Estate wine release from our vineyard in Sonoita was in 2008. We will be planting on our 40 acre vineyard, located in Kansas Settlement in 2012.

The idea to start a vineyard and winery stemmed from a long standing hobby of 
winemaking and gardening at home. "Kief was making wine in his home in 
Tempe," said Jeff Manning, Wine Sales Manager. "The day we tasted his lemon 
wine, which was made from fruit off a tree in his backyard, I knew he had found 
his passion."

In 2002, after the decision was made to open a winery, the house was sold, the 
property purchased and Kief Manning left Arizona State University, to pursue 
Viticulture studies in Australia, where he earned both a graduate and 
undergraduate degree in Viticulture and Enology.

Kief practices traditional winemaking methods of minimal interference, open 
fermentation and barrel aging. In 2006, Kief eliminated the use of herbicides and 
pesticides in the vineyard. "We strive for excellence in winemaking and 
sustainability in our vineyard," says Kief. "With time, I hope to produce 
outstanding Arizona wines that demonstrate the intensity, richness and complexity 
of the area."

Kief-Joshua Vineyards is a winery defined by family, passion and enthusiasm. 
We're committed to winemaking that will exceed your expectations.

Our Vineyard Philosophy
At Kief-Joshua Vineyards we specialize in dry, full-bodied wines, that are crafted 
by hand using traditional methods of barrel aging and gentle handling to produce 
top quality wines for any occasion.

Our Vineyard practices are customized to match the particular characteristics of 
the soil to help the vines produce the best fruit possible, and to in turn, achieve 
the best wine possible. Directed by Kief Manning, his team implements irrigation 
and nutrient regimes, trellis system and canopy management, rootstock and clone combinations, and pruning and cane selection for each block within a vineyard. Because of the land’s diverse geological makeup, even within one vineyard parcel there may be several different types of soil with different degrees of nutrients for vines and water-holding capacity.

In addition, Kief practices sustainable farming techniques, such as composting, planting cover crops and other plant species to avoid soil erosion, add desirable nutrients back to the soil and to attract desirable insects, and integrating animals to naturally enhance biodiversity and nutrient recycling. 

Striving for Environmentally Friendly Vines
Kief-Joshua Vineyards is practicing sustainable farming techniques to help protect 
the land. Kief realized early on that to achieve his goal of producing memorable 
wines of outstanding quality, he needed to start in the vineyards and not focus 
solely on the winemaking. Inspired to meet present goals while preserving the 
land for future generations, Kief made the commitment to implement sustainable 
farming techniques from vineyard to bottle. The vineyard is free of herbicides 
and pesticides, and this environmentally sound approach will continue to be 
implemented over the years.

Weed Control
Kief-Joshua uses Kimko equipment to eliminate the weeds effectively without the use of herbicides. Baby Doll sheep, an ancient breed measuring only two feet tall at maturity, have been integrated into the vineyard rows to graze on the green grass and weeds, enhancing both biodiversity and nutrient recycling. This practice will decrease the use of harsh pesticides to eradicate weeds and grasses, as well as the cutting down on emissions to the air.

Integrating Wildlife Into the Vineyard
The addition of nesting boxes, hawk perches and bird houses for various species 
will be situated around the vineyard, and will be an integral part of the 
sustainable program. Attracting desirable owls and bird species to patrol the 
vineyards will also decrease the amount of gophers and rodents that can pose a 
problem in the vineyard. We are also hatching praying mantis to aid in the 
elimination of unwanted creatures.

Organic Recycling and Crop Nutrition
Kief-Joshua Vineyard ensures natural crop nutrition by recycling organic matter, 
such as discarded and collected grape stems, for use as mulch in the vineyards, 
and the use of naturally occurring cover crops. These practices have many 
benefits: use of mulch in the vineyard and planting of cover crops adds back 
desirable, rich, moist and long lasting nutrients to the soil and helps prevent soil 
erosion; the integration of desirable plants throughout the vineyards attract 
advantageous insects which helps to naturally resist pest and disease attacks from undesirable species.

Recycling Wine Barrels
In lieu of discarding the wine barrels, Kief and Jeff are turning the old barrels into 
high-top barrel tables, end-tables, candle holders, bottles racks, clocks, 
chandeliers and baskets. All are reasonably priced and for sale in our tasting 
room.