Grape Expectations

To describe Pavle Milic as just a restaurateur would be doing the man a grave injustice.

He’s an oenophile, an epicurean, a trailblazer, an impassioned champion for Arizona’s agricultural bounty, and a deeply gracious host to everyone who walks through the doors of FnB, the restaurant he co-owns with longtime friend and business partner, chef Charleen Badman.

Though the state now boasts three American Viticultural Areas (AVA) in Sonoita, Willcox, and the Verde Valley, at the time that Milic crafted his Arizona-forward wine lineup, there was only one (Sonoita) and nobody had heard of Arizona wine, much less bought a $50 bottle to pair with dinner. It was a bold move for Milic, and one that paid off.

While Badman’s talents in the kitchen racked up national praise from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Food & Wine, not to mention a James Beard Award for Best Chef, Milic’s wine curation earned universal acclaim. The wine program was nominated twice for a James Beard Award for Outstanding Beverage Program, and among critics and foodies, it jump-started an appreciation for the burgeoning Arizona wine industry.

In addition to helming FnB’s distinctive wine list, Milic also runs front-of-house operations—a role suited to his easy warmth—writes “Pav on Juice,” a monthly wine column for Phoenix Magazine and, in 2014, started his own wine label.

“The label was created from my desire to be involved in the wine world, and by that, I mean to learn more,” says Milic, who credits much of his Arizona wine education to Todd and Kelly Bostock of Dos Cabezas Wine in Sonoita. The couple invited him to learn under their tutelage, get his hands dirty, ask questions.

But it wasn’t until a chance meeting with Morris “Mo” Garfinkle, a wine enthusiast and FnB regular, that Milic’s next move in his Arizona-wine immersion took shape. Garfinkle offered to back Milic should he ever open his own vineyard.

“I almost turned down the gig,” Milic laughs. “But I thought, ‘Let’s put my money where my mouth is and not just talk about Arizona wine, let’s make Arizona wine.’ ”

In 2018, Garfinkle, Milic and Milic’s wife Ita purchased 43 acres of land—chosen because of its 5,000-foot elevation and ideal soil for growing grapes such as Tempranillo, Tannat, Petit Verdot and Vermentino—in Elfrida, just south of Willcox.

And thus, Los Milics Vineyards officially came into being.

Wine production began a year later, and Pavle and Ita became involved in the entire process from planting to bottling. Like her husband, Chilean-born Ita learned enology from hands-on training with other winemakers, in Arizona and Chile, and with coursework from University of California, Davis.

With wine production underway, it was time to complete the dream. Never straying far from his hospitality roots, Milic knew he wanted to cultivate a truly holistic wine experience for guests. He bought 20 acres in Elgin, a gorgeous plot of land nestled at the base of the Mustang Mountains where stunning sunsets rival post-monsoon rainbows. Milic then commissioned Scottsdale-based Chen+Suchart Studio to design a tasting room.

The team opted for minimalist architectural features: steel columns made to weather with time, giant vineyard-facing windows and a triangular shape to the building that directs the gaze toward the unspoiled landscape. The overall effect is not unlike an impressive art installation.

“When you start amalgamating the place, the food and the wine with the architecture, there’s nothing like it,” Milic says. “The tasting room is a tip of the hat to Arizona. We want Arizona to call Los Milics its own. It’s a continuation of our ethos at FnB.”

Visitors to Los Milics Vineyards can settle into any of the 28 seats in the main room for a tasting (from $20 per flight, reservations recommended) or book a 10-person private tasting. Chef Ana Borrajo creates shareable small plates to accompany the wines, which include must-sip favorites like Hannah’s, a citrusy blend of Malvasia and Marsanne; Ita’s, a lovely and light Grenache-Malvasia with hibiscus notes; and Lorenzo’s, a clove-cherry Tempranillo.

Rounding out the Los Milics Vineyards experience, which USA Today recently named one of its 10 Best New Winery Experiences in the U.S., will be a new restaurant and a cluster of one- and two-bedroom casitas at which guests can spend the night.

It’s an ambitious venture, to be sure, but then again, Milic has never shied away from diving headlong into uncharted territory.

As he puts it: “Sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone and do hard things in order to meet yourself again. It’s about the pursuit of learning and trying, not the end goal. The beauty of going from ephemera to reality is a stimulating journey.”

 

Photos: Mark Lipczynski