TOOL Frontman Opens Wine-Tasting Room

The Pulse of Radio reports: TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan continues to expand his wine-making business in Arizona, opening a tasting room in his adopted hometown of Jerome. A statement announced that the Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards tasting room opened its doors on July 4, with Keenan saying, "Another in an endless series of complex puzzle pieces has fallen into place. We are many years away from our goal, but the opening of this tasting room is a very, very important step towards achieving those goals. Thank you all for your steadfast support." Keenan and his partner Eric Glomski have been pushing to make the northern Arizona area known for winemaking through the development of their vineyards and wineries in the Sedona area.

Jerome itself has a colorful history. The former mining village, once a completely abandoned ghost town, is now home to artists, writers and other independent types. Keenan told The Pulse of Radio why it's a fascinating place: "It's a magic spot, and it was a copper mining, gold mining town back in the late 1800s, early 1900s. And of course the mines slowed down and closed up, and a lot of people bailed, and it went down to about a population of 50. It's one of the most activity ghost towns in theory. It's been voted a couple of times in different 'ghost' publications as being the most haunted town in the United States."

The Caduceus Cellars & Merkin Vineyards tasting room is open daily, 365 days a year. It's open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, and 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

A film about Keenan and Glomski's winemaking efforts, called "Blood Into Wine", is currently in production and slated for a February 2010 release.

The pair have visited Whole Foods supermarkets in 24 cities to promote their wines with bottle signings.

TOOL will play this Saturday (July 18) at the Mile High Festival in Denver as part of a short run of U.S. dates.