22 April 11th-April 17th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Milic and his team a survival guide of healthy sodas and junk food to get them through. “He is the type of person that if you hint that you need something, he moves heaven and earth to help you out,” Milic says. “And the guy happens to make really good wine, and that’s making us all look good.” A winemaker with Grammys When Keenan’s colleagues talk about his Arizona winemaking career, “he wants to be known as a winemaker, not a musician” is a phrase that often comes up. But Keenan’s gigs are often difficult to separate. His fellow winemakers acknowl- edge that his fame raises an awareness the industry hadn’t experienced before. The money earned from being an international rock star affords him all the essential tools, and then some, to excel at the craft. And to share it. “The music and being high profile commands a lot of attention and it helps get Arizona wine much more notoriety in front of a lot more people,” says Callaghan, who is also president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association, a nonprofit that advocates for the state’s wine industry. At FnB, some order Keenan’s wine because they equate the higher price tag with better quality. His specialization of Italian grapes tends to be a conversation starter with others. And Milic has served Keenan’s wines to customers who are diehard Tool fans who just had to have it. “That is the beauty with Arizona wine. We are able to go away from the usual conversations you have about wine. You can tell this story that is distinctively Arizona and Maynard, through his plat- form, has been invaluable in championing that message,” Milic says. Keenan’s confidence in the industry makes it easy to for him to bring Arizona wine into the spotlight. “I may have brought a little bit of rattle to the cage,” Keenan says. “But, if I’m doing rattling that’s not worth rattling, then it’s a one-off. But it’s not. It’s not a lightning strike.” When in winemaking mode, he’s in the elements loading tons of fruit from the truck and processing it in his winery. From vine- yard to bottle, he is there for every gritty and messy step, and every rewarding sip. “Often, the idea of Maynard’s fame really covers the fact that he’s a really hard- working and generous person who’s extremely ambitious,” Pothier says. “He’s like us, with Grammys.” Humbled by Mother Nature Keenan is over the skepticism wine snobs have regarding Arizona wines. In the early years, he says he may have preferred aggressive methods to changing their minds. Today, he’s embraced a calmer reaction by letting the product do the persuading. “It’s exhausting trying to change people’s minds. But if you’re willing to try the wine, we’ve proven over and over again that our wines will stand on the stage along with world-class wine producers,” Keenan says. It’s easy to get Keenan to open up about wine, food and the industry he’s become a key part of. However, it’s difficult to entice him to talk about his own accolades within Arizona wine or how he wants his legacy and contributions remembered. Instead, he prefers to discuss how much of an anchor wineries and vineyards can be to a community, the fact that grapes are a low water crop and winemaking has the capacity to support a cooperative industry. And how it has the power to get people in conversations with the objective of helping each other, regardless of political lines. He also seems to relish the idea of being in charge of something that is really in charge of him. “The music business is all very selfish. The cameras are pointed at you, you’re on the stage, it’s very egocentric. With wine- making, you’re getting your butt kicked by Mother Nature. There’s a lot of humbling (and) humility that you have to embrace,” Keenan says. “That’s when you relax, let go and ride the wave.” From left: Chateau Tumbleweed founders Joe Bechard, Kris Pothier, Kim Koistinen and Jeff Hendricks got their winery’s start at a co-op Maynard James Keenan founded in 2014. Today, in their own facility, they make 6,000 cases a year plus wines for other area wineries. (Photo by Jenelle Bonifield) Winemaker from p 20
