Cowboy Dirt

Cowboy Dirt is our way of sharing our plans to create an Arizona vineyard on Juniper Well Ranch www.juniperwellranch.com where we board horses, people, and now grape vines. Dave is the son of western author, Frank Bonham who originally found the place with his wife Gloria. Dave decided to live the western life in Skull Valley, Arizona after working as a probation officer in San Diego for 20 years. His wife, Linda, an Arizona native, can literally help you find cowboy dirt in the Prescott area. She has her real estate license and can be reached through her website www.prescottcountryhomes.com. Together, they have planted a one acre vineyard with hopes of growing it to a real western winery.

Year One - 2006
Linda and Dave sat on the porch swing one evening and talked about the romance of owning their own winery.

After Christmas gifts which included magazine subscriptions and books on wine making the dream began to take hold. Lots of reading, browsing the internet and talking to winemakers,we decided on Tempranillo and Granache as our primary grapes. Note we are on 50 acres at almost 5000 ft. Not many places like ours growing wine grapes

January - Dave rents a bulldozer to clear a field near their log home.
February - Dave rents a backhoe to dig trenches - Trenches filled with horse manure- Dave is having a blast!
March- Dave, Linda and Ernesto put up trellis which Dave says are just like building fence
April- Sprinkling System installed
May- Trip to Modesto, CA in Airstream trailer to pick up 700 grape vines at Duarte Nursery