One Woman’s Determination Brings a Lasting Source of Support for Verde Valley Wine
IT STARTS WITH AN IDEA
Danusia Szumowski was surprised—as many still are—to learn Arizona has a wine scene. “I lived in Napa [California] and had a small vineyard. When the fires happened, and after four evacuations, I had enough.” “The second month I was here, I met somebody very involved in the wine program at the Southwest Wine Center, and they said, ‘Hey, we’ve got all this wine stuff going on here, you should get involved.’ The next thing I knew, I was on the board for the Verde Valley Wine Consortium (VVWC), and I was getting involved anywhere I could. We have some pretty amazing wines here, and the people are just incredible,” she says.
As Szumowski’s involvement evolved, so did her determination to support the industry. “I knew the Verde Valley Wine Trail was already taking shape, and I wanted to find ways to build on that momentum—supporting experiences like winery-based passport weekends and other initiatives that would encourage sustainable, long-term engagement. That’s when the license plate came to mind,” she says. Little did she know that she would need to get a law passed.
“I did a lot of research on who might want to be involved and what their key issues were, and I came up with three things that I thought might make a winning bill,” Szumowski says. The bill focuses on water conservation, vineyard development, and promoting responsible consumption. While the bill was being drafted, coalitions were built—with the City of Cottonwood, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, and the towns of Jerome and Clarkdale all lending their support.
State Representative Selina Bliss agreed to sponsor the bill. Tom Pitts, a leading local advocate for both economic development and the wine industry, helped present the bill to the state legislature. Out of respect for their constituents’ perspective on anything considered a vice, some legislators left the room. “Nothing we could say or do would convince them that the point was the economic and agricultural benefits to the region. Nonetheless, we were able to get the bill passed with bipartisan support,” Szumowski says.
AND IT TAKES DETERMINATION
After years of persistently pursuing the legislative process, House Bill 2048 passed and was signed into law by Gov. Katie Hobbs in March 2024. But legislative approval wasn’t the only obstacle. It takes $32,000 to get a specialty plate into production. The design also had to be approved by state law enforcement officials and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Just as that step was nearing completion, the Arizona Department of Transportation changed the design requirements.
“In the past, you could have imagery behind the numbers, but during our process, they changed that,” Szumowski says. It was literally back to the drawing board for Sedona-based muralist and artist Sterling West. “It seems insane, but anybody can do it, and that’s my point,” Szumowski says. “I didn’t know I’d have to write a bill when I started this project, but when you know something’s important, and you want to make a contribution, you just do it. Mentally, you might think it’s insurmountable, but you just break it up into little pieces like you do anything else, and then don’t take no for an answer. Ultimately, a lot of people just came together and made it happen.”
The revenue generated by purchasing the license plate directly supports the Verde Valley Wine Trail (VVWT)—a nonprofit that serves as the collaborative marketing and promotional entity for wineries and tasting rooms in the Verde Valley. Its goal is to support regional tourism, agricultural sustainability, and economic development associated with the area’s wine industry.
The plate can be purchased for $25—$50 if it’s personalized. Of that, $17 goes directly to the VVWT. Learn more and purchase yours at vvwinetrail.com/license-plates
