Enticing October weather in Southern Arizona encourages people to explore a little farther from home. I discovered a socially conscious dog-friendly winery that Matthew and I knew we had to visit with our dogs.

Bernie and Lizzie were excited too since they’ve never been to a winery, but they anticipated bountiful sniffs on this adventure.

The hour-long drive down to Sonoita from Tucson on a Sunday morning was stress-free (mainly because Matthew drove), and Rancho Rossa Vineyards was easy to find in Elgin, which is about six miles southeast of Sonoita.

The directions on their website are concise, but contain all the information you need to navigate smoothly. They also have clear signage as you approach the vineyard.

Well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome visitors at Rancho Rossa Vineyards unless they are hosting an event that day. Owners Chris and Breanna Hamilton operate one of the largest family-owned wineries in the area. They produce nearly 1100 cases of wine each year from their 24 acres of estate fruit. They are the only winery in the Sonoita Viticultural area that is 100% estate, which means they use only the grapes they grow on site.

After stretching our legs, we were warmly greeted in their dog-friendly tasting room by Sandie, the tasting coordinator, and Breanna Hamilton, one of the owners.

We spent about 90 minutes tasting their wines, relaxing, and intermittently talking to Sandie and Breanna. They were both gracious hostesses who were knowledgeable about their wines. After tasting six different wines, we purchased two bottles of wine, but we’ll be ordering more. I’m sure.

What makes Rancho Rossa stand out, though, is their genuine dedication to local animal rescues.

Read more about George Bailey, the puppy who inspired the Rescued Hearts Cellar brand. The Hamiltons spent 7 weeks with George. Despite best efforts they couldn’t save his precious life, but they are determined to save as many animals as possible in his honor. Their non-profit Rescued Hearts Cellars wine label donates 100% of the profits to help rescue animals.

Each month the Hamiltons choose a different animal rescue organization from across the state of Arizona to support. In addition to waiving all operational costs of producing the non-profit wine so that every penny spent goes to helping Arizona animal rescues with emergency vet bills, they also sell Support a Rescue t-shirts and magnets.

On Support a Rescue Saturday, the animal rescue holds a special event at Rancho Rossa where profits from online and in store sales from ALL the wines and merchandise go to that rescue.

Update February 2020: Rescue Red, a Cabernet Sauvignon,
and Rescue White, a Chardonnay, are the current non-profit wine selections.

If you’re visiting the Tucson area, don’t miss a worthwhile day trip to this winery. As Matthew and I watched Bernie and Lizzie’s noses eagerly quiver with each tasting pour, we knew the whole pack was giving Rancho Rossa Vineyards a solid Paws Up!