The oldest wine culture in the Americas: México!

After a recent visit to the wine regions in Baja California, I hosted a tasting at The Barrel Room featuring wines I had brought back from Guadalupe Valley and Ensenada. During this tasting the most frequent question I encountered from attendees was, "They make wine in Mexico? I thought they just made beer and tequila!"

a view of vineyards in Guadalupe Valley, which currently produces 90% of Mexican wines

I have become familiar with Mexican wines over the last 5 or so years through numerous visits to Baja and Mexico City. The wine culture is surprisingly advanced, with most wines being sold to the massive population of the country's capitol city. Few of these wines make it to the United States. Many producers, when asked why they don't export, respond with "Why? We sell all of our wines every year, and exporting is expensive."

Thus the American market remains unfamiliar and uninformed regarding the vast spectrum of the wines produced in Mexico, and more importantly, the country's influence on winemaking in the Americas. Below is a brief history of winemaking in Mexico, and some interesting wines you can try here in the US. Ask us at The Barrel Room for information on how to get them!

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Mexico's official wine regions

Mexico has a much more extensive history of wine than most would imagine. In fact, the first Vitis vinifera grapes brought to the Americas from Europe were planted in Mexico by the Spanish in the 1500s, long before they arrived in any other country in the New World. After unsuccessful attempts by Spanish conquistadors to grow vinifera wine grapes in the tropical areas of Mexico, cuttings were planted alongside the native varietals which grew profusely in the Parras Valley in Coahuila. Soon afterward grapes were introduced to other regions such as Puebla and Zacatecas. 

"Spanish black"?

There is some debate over what the initial grape varietal was that first crossed the Atlantic in the early colonial era. What is known for sure was that the grape was referred to as the “common black grape” of Spain, and that it gave rise to the Mission grape of California, the Criolla (Criolla Grande) grape of Argentina, and the Pais (Criolla Chica) grape of Chile. A side note: Pais and Criolla are now known to have a common ancestor that was a crossing between Muscat of Alexandria and Mission.

Casa Madero, a true Mexcian château

The planting of vinifera grapes was ordered by Hernán Cortés in the 1520s after the supply he had brought dwindled. During the next century and a half wine production in Mexico skyrocketed. Casa Madero, the first commercial winery, was established by Lorenzo Garcia in Santa Maria de las Parras (Coahuila) in 1597 and still exists today. 

A 1699 ban on wine production in the country was not officially lifted until Mexico’s independence. The ban, however, did not faze the Mexican wine producers. Juan Ugarte, a Jesuit priest, was one of the many who continued making wine despite the ban. He introduced the first vines to Baja California upon his relocation in 1701 to Loreto. The vines were transported from Loreto to the Santo Tomas Mission in 1791 by the Jesuits, then to Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe del Norte Mission in Guadalupe Valley in 1843 by Dominicans.

Bodegas Santo Tomas

A group of Russian immigrants (the Molokans) fled the Czar’s army and relocated to Guadalupe Valley and its surrounding areas. There they began making good quality wines, only to be stifled by the Mexican Revolution. Since the 1980s there has been a small revival of winemaking especially in Guadalupe Valley. This is definitely an area to keep an eye on during the next few decades…

Some Mexican wines to look out for:

 2006 L. A. Cetto 'Don Luis Cetto' Merlot, Guadalupe Valley, Baja: 

 Merlot may be the way to go in Guadalupe... this rich, chocolaty, ripe plum-filled example of a Merlot will challenge anyone who doesn't think Baja can make wine! It certainly didn't last long at The Barrel Room, and those who purchased it wished we had more... we're working on it. We also have L. A. Cettos' award-winning Nebbiolo and Petite Sirah for those who'd like to try them!

2009 Mariatinto, Guadalupe Valley, Baja:

Sommelier Bernabe de Luna of San Francisco's RN74 recently paired this wine with a mole dish at an event called "Somms in the Kitchen," a food and wine pairing competition judged by a panel of wine experts including Raj Parr. And he got first place. This Tempranillo, Grenache, and Syrah blend has been featured in Food & Wine Magazine events among others, and is a soft, fruit-forward, easy-to-drink wine that serves as an excellent accompaniment to spicy cuisine.

2010 Viñas Pijoan 'Paulinha,' Guadalupe Valley, Baja

A blend of Merlot and Zinfandel that makes me want barbacoa! Soft and supple, this wine comes from a family of serious winemakers with an underground cellar that looks like something straight out of Europe. They make a great 100% Zinfandel, too.

- Sarah