Another year, another haul of medals for Callaghan Vineyards in Elgin from the nation’s largest wine competition.
Callaghan was awarded five gold medals and two silvers in January at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, which featured more than 5,500 entries and 950 wineries.
The gold-medal varietals are Callaghan’s 2022 Aglianico ($45), 2022 Grenache ($40 and over), 2023 Waverlys Grenache (up to $39.99), 2019 La Osa Red Blend ($45) and 2023 Synergy White Blend ($35). Callaghan earned silver medals for its 2022 Harold’s Red Blend ($75) and 2023 Eloise’s White Blend ($45). All of the award winners are available for tasting and purchase at Callaghan’s tasting room.
No other Santa Cruz County vineyards were represented at the competition, but Salvatore Vineyards, which operates a tasting room in Elgin, earned one gold and two silvers.
Callaghan and Salvatore were among 18 Arizona winemakers—many located in Cochise County—who earned medals. Callaghan’s five golds were matched by only two other Arizona wineries.
Kent Callaghan, who began making wine in Elgin in 1991, said the cost of the competition ($30 per winery, $80 per entry) is prohibitive for some local winemakers.
While Callaghan Vineyards did not match its Best of Show awards from the 2023 and 2024 competition, Callaghan was pleased with the showing and the growing recognition of the quality of Arizona-produced wines. “It’s a nice result,” he said.
A larger delegation from Santa Cruz County participated in the 2025 Arizona Wine Competition, which will announce its winners later in March. Los Milics Winery in Elgin won the Governor’s Cup at the 2024 Arizona Wine Competition.
With three-plus decades in the winemaking business, Callaghan said the one constant is its unpredictability.
“Regardless of what you think is the cause, I don’t know anyone who is a conscientious farmer of any crop that doesn’t feel that things are changing all over the world,” he said. “Last year, we had three hail events that definitely caused damage on the unnetted areas of our vineyard. It’s something we’re basically banking on now that we didn’t see to any extent for our first 20 years.”