Why this Arizona winery is ranked in the top 2 in the country

An Arizona winery has made the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2024 for best tasting rooms in the country.

Los Milics Vineyards, in the southern Arizona community of Elgin, is the No. 2 tasting room in the U.S.. The list came out July 31.

A panel of experts, including editors at USA TODAY and 10Best.com, selected the nominees. The public then voted for their favorites.

Pavle Milic, co-owner of FnB restaurant in Scottsdale, opened Los Milics tasting room in Elgin in 2022. Before that, Milic and Mo Garfinkle purchased 20 acres of land in southern Arizona to establish their vineyard in 2018. With that, Milic’s decade-long dream came to fruition.

“First, we thank the panel of experts who nominated us for this honor,” Milic said in a press release. “Secondly, a huge thank you to everyone who voted for us. We are grateful to all of you for your belief in Los Milics Vineyards and your support.”

What to know about Los Milics Vineyards

In 2022, Milic hired the architectural firm of Chen + Suchart to design a tasting room akin to an art installation at the vineyard. The result is a beautifully modern and minimalist space with floor-to-ceiling windows that reveal dramatic views of the grapevines and the Mustang Mountains.

For those wishing to stay overnight, the winery has nine one-bedroom, one-bathroom casitas.

Los Milics also has a tasting room in Old Town Scottsdale.

This is not Los Milics’ first award. In 2023, the Elgin tasting room was named one of the three best new wine tasting rooms in USA TODAY’s list of 10 best new winery experiences in the US.

“This award belongs to the entire Los Milics team who believe in our vision to bring a new wine tasting experience to Arizona,” Garfinkle said in the press release.

“Our goal has always been to make excellent wines and invite our guests to experience them in an exceptional setting with superb service. We are still a young winery, so for our tasting room to be voted the 2nd best in the US is a huge honor for us.”

Details: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays-Mondays. 423 Upper Elgin Road, Elgin. 520-221-0180, losmilicsvineyards.com.

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Reach the reporter at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @banooshahr on X, formerly Twitter.