We partner with local growers to source organic grapes from Arizona vineyards exclusively, crafting small batch wines with native fermentation and minimal intervention in the cellar. We value both our community and the high desert terroir behind every bottle.
THE STORY
French born and Sedona raised, Timo Geis founded Cactus Cru, an Arizona farm winery making natural, low intervention wines from organically farmed high desert grapes. His mother is from India and his father from Alsace, France, so wine was always around the table even before it became the work.
In college, restaurant jobs pulled him deeper into wine. A mentor pushed him toward study, and he earned his Level Two Certified Sommelier credential through the Court of Master Sommeliers before heading back to Alsace for harvest. More harvests across Europe followed, then a stretch importing and distributing low intervention wines into Arizona.
When the pandemic stalled that path, he turned to Arizona wine. He studied at the Southwest Wine Center at Yavapai College, started making wine in a Sedona apartment, and built Cactus Cru around native ferments, small lots, and growers he trusts across the state. Today the wines are made with partner facilities in the Verde Valley, and you’ll find them in restaurants and shops around Arizona, including some of the Valley’s most loved rooms.
Timo also serves on the board of the Arizona Wine Growers Association and chairs its Branding and Marketing Committee, working to keep Arizona wine visible, current, and welcoming to new drinkers.
New to Cactus Cru ? Start here → Arizona Wine
Cactus Cru is all about community, brought to life by the incredible Arizona locals whose passion and support make it possible, and we’re deeply grateful for everyone involved.
