How We Picked Our Name.

ARIDUS. Pronounced air-i-DUHS, our name was invented by founders and proprietors Scott and Joan Dahmer. Derived from the Latin word for dry or arid, the name conveys our home in the desert of southwestern Arizona. The Dahmers founded Aridus Wine Company in 2012 within the town of Willcox.

Surrounded by majestic mountains, the winery is an appealing combination of a historic setting and modern design. The building was once an apple warehouse; it was stylishly rehabbed with recycled local lumber and the interiors feature antique light bulbs and other charming design touches. Aridus has an estate vineyard about 20 minutes away from the winery outside the town of Pierce, in the high elevation Chiricahua Mountain area. 

Now planted in the vineyard are three white varietals and seven red varietals. For the 2021 harvest Aridus is sourcing almost all its wines from its estate vineyard. .

The vineyard sees extremes of weather, from as hot as 100 degrees in the summer to wind, rain, hail and snow. From lizards and rattlesnakes to javelina, this area has a wide variety of wildlife. 

That’s not all. Fun fact: it turns out (coincidentally) that Aridus is a desert planet in the Star Wars movies.