As owner of Alcantara we have never had an employee named Julaine Bugera-Shier and unsure who this person is reviewing. Our wines recently won three medals at the Finger Lakes, NY, International competition and numerous Arizona wine awards. We are right on the Verde River and visit to Sedona area would not be complete without visiting our vineyards.

Not only was the wines fantastic this vineyard has the most incredible scenery in the Verde Valley. The location allows you to relax and enjoy your surroundings. If your feeling a sense of adventure I highly recommend the Water to Wine tour where your arrive at the vineyard and wine tasting room by floating down the Verde River in inflatable kayaks. This was a world class wine tasting adventure for sure. .

First, let's talk wine. My fiance and I have enjoyed AZ wines for awhile, from Page Springs to Prescott to Sonoita. There's something awesome going on in this state that other wine lovers MUST take notice of... and those that may scoff at it b/c they think "Arizona doesn't make wine" should think twice. And they should start with some of the great wineries like Alcantara, which makes a Meritage (not to mention other wines, red or white) that stand up proudly to be noticed, and justly so, as they are awesome! So to say that the wines at Alcantara are phenomenal is an understatement. I highly recommend a visit there to enjoy the wines, but also to enjoy the setting of the Verde Valley. It's truly one of the best wineries in AZ. The only reason I might give this gem 4 stars or even (yes, I considered it) 3 stars, is that they also host weddings. However, they have a lot to learn in this area. As someone new to planning a wedding, there are a few things I quickly learned (and Alcantara failed at). First, organization and sincerity are key. For other couples tying the knot, I feel that Alcantara could very well be the ideal site, as my fiance and I both first hoped it might be. But simply determining an idea of how much, on average, various things might cost to hold a wedding there was like deciphering the hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone! We thought the problem was "us" and our lack of knowledge... until we found a number of other places that were organized and forthright enough to accurately quote their full venue cost for 2012 upon our first meeting, as well as efficiently answer any of our questions about the average or exact costs of rentals and more. Alcantara's wedding coordinator, on the other hand, misquoted their 2012 rates only one week before the new year, had difficulty clearly outlining the exact (or at least average) costs of specific rentals without often saying "Well, it depends...", gave conflicting answers about whether or not there would be adequate parking for guests, and most of all, seemed to give the initial impression that I, the bride, might be persuaded at times to spend money on things that mattered more to her (fancy chairs and tables, etc.) than to me. If I were going to consider paying nearly $3000 for the "services" of a wedding coordinator, I would expect that person to be as organized as me, or more so, and have the knowledge from planning previous weddings there to quickly give me accurate estimates on all of the components involved in holding an event on their grounds. So, like I said... go there for the wine!

I am so upset by the attitude and treatment of Julaine Bugera-Shier who is the most insincere person that we have ever met. Why did you people hire someone like that? Check out her background-it is not as you think!