“I save dogs from shelters and wine from bottles,” said Jan Moyer, manager and co-owner of the new Four Tails tasting room in Sonoita.
She explained how she and her husband Greg, formerly of the Bay Area in California, have found an opportunity to follow two distinct passions—wine and dogs—here in the Sonoita/Elgin area.
The story goes like this:
During a 2018 visit to Jan’s mother’s property in Pearce, the Moyers were shopping at a corner market when they came across bottles of wine from a nearby vineyard named Four Tails. Their interest was further piqued when Jan noticed that one of Four Tails’ wines was named Pretty Girl—the nickname of one of the Moyers’ five dogs.
“That was a sign,” Jan said. “Wine and dogs. That is so our schtick!”
Sometime later, the Moyers crossed paths with Four Tails owners Barb and Cale Coons at a Willcox wine festival, and the two couples became fast friends. Time passed, Jan retired from the tech industry and, in 2022, the Moyers made the move to Elgin, where they bought ten acres and 375 olive trees, with the intention of producing olive oil.
Cale Coons approached the Moyers with the possibility of opening a tasting room in Sonoita which would showcase Four Tails’ wine, as well as the Moyers’ olive oil. (The Coons family lives in Phoenix and are only at their Pearce vineyard part-time; their tasting room there is open by appointment.) The Moyers and the Coons formed an LLC, called, appropriately, Doghouse Leisures, and settled on Sonoita Crossroads as a location. The tasting room, named after the Coons’ wine, opened for business on Feb. 27.
“Since Four Tails has the name familiarity from wine festivals and events, we decided to use the name for the tasting room as well,” Jan said.
Staffed with five employees, with Jan as manager, Four Tails offers seven different types of wine. All are single varietals with the exception of the rose, as there is not a ‘rose grape.’ The single varietals are unusual because usually wine makers mix various grapes for a blend for their wines.
Also, each wine has a dog pictured on the label. These dogs are actual rescues who are being memorialized with their pictures.
“We’re all about not only the wine but the well-being of these animals that need homes,” said Jan.
The tasting room is now offering a food menu of various items that pair well with the wines, using Four Tails wines in the preparations of the fare. Membership in a wine club called “The Pack” is also available.
In the future, Jan hopes to offer live music and other events on the Four Tails tasting room’s patio, which faces the Santa Ritas. “If you are not from around here, the view coming through the breezeway takes your breath away,” she said.
Jan also intends to offer wine pairings with a chef. “We are very much interested in working with the rest of the community,” she said. “I showcase local breads that are made here and work with other tasting rooms in the area. There’s a sense of community and bringing everyone together.”
Jan invites members of the community to stop by—with their dogs, of course—and enjoy all that Four Tails has to offer.
The Four Tails tasting room at Sonoita Crossroads is open 11am-5pm, Thursday-Sunday. For more information, visit FourTailsVineyard.com