Maynard James Keenan, the frontman for hard-rock act Tool, the progressive group A Perfect Circle, and the experimental outfit Puscifer, is notoriously reclusive.
So when an e-mail arrived asking if we wanted to talk with him ahead of his Tuesday appearance at Whole Foods Market to promote his winery, Arizona Stronghold, it was a little like being asked if we’d be interested in talking with the Easter Bunny.
Keenan has lived in Jerome since 1995, although his presence in the state has always seemed more like urban legend.
He was drawn to the quirky Northern Arizona town after the area appeared to him in dreams.
“Trust your intuition,” Keenan said recently from Los Angeles, where he was rehearsing for Puscifer’s first concert.
Keenan, 44, is a longtime wine connoisseur whose great grandparents were vintners in Italy.
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It didn’t take long before he started making wine in Arizona.
His Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards in nearby Cornville started releasing limited batches in 2004.
In 2007, he partnered with winemaker Eric Glomski to found Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, which has released three reds and one white.
According to the Web site, www.arizonastrongholdvineyards.com, Arizona Stronghold produces wine primarily from its own vineyards near Willcox, but also uses small amounts of fruit from Colibri Vineyards in the Chiricahua Mountains, and smaller amounts from Page Springs Vineyards near Sedona. Some blending grapes also come from Paso Robles and Lockwood, both in Calif.
Keenan and Glomski have been doing West Coast bottle-signing tours at Whole Foods Markets to promote Arizona Stronghold.
If you go
• What: Maynard James Keenan with Eric Glomski signing bottles of wine from Arizona Stronghold Vineyards
• When: 4:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
• Where: Whole Foods Market, 3360 E. Speedway.
• Cost: Free when you buy a bottle of wine from Whole Foods at the event.
• More info: arizonastrongholdvineyards.com and wholefoodsmarket.com.
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