Mexican winemaking dates back to the 16th century, but it is in the last 40 years that it has really burst onto the world stage. Longstanding family-owned companies in Baja California, Coahuila and central Mexico share space with independent boutique vineyards experimenting with bold new blends of grapes and the latest technology to improve quality and bring out the notes and flavors inspired by the terroir. The creativity of these wine producers has garnered more than 2,000 awards in international festivals in Belgium, France, Italy and Argentina in recent years.
Some Mexican wine history
The country’s pre-Hispanic cultures were familiar with fermentation and produced “pulque wine” from agave plants in ancient times. However, the Spanish conquistadores introduced the first grape vines to the country in 1521, after the fall of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. In 1524, as Governor of the new colony, Hernán Cortés ordered all settlers to grow vines, including monasteries, which had their own vineyards to produce wine for communion. From that moment on, Mexico, land of the Aztecs and the Maya, of cacao, pulque and balché, also became a land of wine. Not long afterwards, Spanish ruler Carlos V commanded all ships bound for Mexico to carry vines and olive trees. As the colonial population multiplied, the demand for wine began to grow and another decree was issued ordering all hacendados or estate owners to plant 1,000 feet of vines for every 100 Indians working on their estates.
In 1597, Casa Madero, the oldest family-owned vineyard in Mexico and the Americas was founded in Valle de Parras in Coahuila. Vineyards also began to spring up in Querétaro, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí, the Spanish heartland, and Jesuit missionaries took vines with them as they traveled to found new missions in the deserts and sierras in northern Mexico. In 1683, Fray Junípero Sierra planted the first vines in Baja California.
The country’s wine industry proved so successful that it soon began to compete with Spanish production and in 1697, King Felipe II prohibited grape cultivation in Mexico and all production of wine and brandy, with the exception of Casa Madero and the monasteries.
It wasn’t until the turn of the 19th century that the fortunes of Mexican wines began to rise again. Pioneers of the California wine industry persuaded the Mexican government to exploit the wine producing potential of Baja California and several varieties of French grape were planted in the country for the first time. Founded in 1888, Bodegas de Santo Tomás near Ensenada spearheaded this movement.
In 1893, the Casa Madero estate in Coahuila was purchased from a French company by Don Evaristo Madero, who also planted French grapes and utilized the “modern” wine making techniques of the age as he expanded his vineyards.
During the late 19th-century, European vines were laid waste by the phylloxera blight. Vines from Mexico and California were discovered to be immune to the pest and the technique of grafting European vines to American rootstocks saved vineyards in France and Italy.
In 1926, Italian immigrant Angelo Cetto settled in Baja California and founded a vineyard called Bodegas Cetto. In 1979, L.A. Cetto became the first Mexican winery to produce varietals or wines made from a single grape variety and its new collection hit markets in 1983.
In 2000, a renaissance began in the Mexican wine industry with Monte Xanic in Baja California. The area opened up to French, Spanish and Italian wine producers who joined local vineyards spurring production, experimentation with new grape varietals, blends and the emergence of new wines. Today, approximately 85 percent of all Mexican red wine is produced in Baja California and there are more than 150 wineries in Valle de Guadalupe, San Antonio de las Minas, Ojos Negros, Valle de la Grulla, San Vicente and Valle Santo Tomás, all benefiting from the Mediterranean climate, mineral-rich soil and the influence of the sea.
Other important regions are Valle de Parras in Coahuila where the arid climate, greater altitude and cool, misty nights are factors, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Queretaro, Hidalgo and Guanajuato in central Mexico. The country has some of the highest vineyards in the world, at altitudes of 2,000 and 2,500 meters in Queretaro and Zacatecas.
Some Mexican wines to try
Here is a selection of Mexican wines to try, many are on the award-winning wine list in El Faro Grill at Grand Residences.
Sparkling rosé
Nicole Extra Brut Cava Quintanilla
Region: Villa Arista, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
Varietals: Chardonnay 40% Pinot Noir 40% Nebbiolo 20%
This sparkling wine is a brilliant pink color with a glint of salmon and long-lasting bubbles. It has a fruity bouquet with the fragrance of fresh fruit, strawberry, cherry, raspberry and peach. It has a vibrant and fresh flavor and is smooth on the palate with notes of red berries and tropical fruit. The acidity is well-balanced, and it has a delightful finish.
This wine is the perfect pairing for risottos, oysters, creamy desserts and can be served as an aperitif.
White wines
Casa Grande Gran Reserva, Casa Madero
100% Chardonnay, Valla de Parras, Coahuila, Mexico
Aged six months in oak barrels, this chardonnay from the Casa Madero vineyards is straw colored with golden tints. With a fragrance of apricot, peach, melted butter, vanilla and a hint of toast. It is full of the flavors of ripe fruit, almonds, brioche and toast on the palate, and has a pleasing finish and well-balanced acidity.
Serve with fish and poultry, pasta in creamy sauces, classic pork dishes: cochinita pibil and pastor-style tacos and traditional chiles en nogada.
Henry Lurton Sauvignon Blanc
Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California
This sauvignon blanc is fermented and aged for three years at low temperatures in steel barrels. A pale-yellow color, it has a subtle fragrance and notes of grapefruit and jasmine; hints of minerals and blackcurrant give it an extra layer of richness. It is crisp and well balanced on the palate with a lingering aftertaste full of flavor.
Try this wine with all kinds of seafood, it goes well with ceviche, tiraditos, fresh oysters and green salads.
Red wines
Madera 5 Nebbiolo
San Vicente Valley, Baja California
100% Nebbiolo
This elegant red wine from the Madera 5 vineyard is bursting with the fruit flavors of Nebbiolo grapes. It is stored in wood barrels for a year giving it a deep red color and intensity. Clean, crisp and well balanced, it lingers on the palate and has notes of ripe black fruit, flowers, spices and cacao.
This wine is ideal for serving with roast turkey and cranberry sauce, roast beef or roast pork.
Casa Madero Gran Reserva Shiraz
Valle de Parras, Coahuila
100% Shiraz
Intense carmine with glints of ruby and tile
Elegant and complex with fresh notes of red and black fruit, figs, cranberries, strawberry, plum, flowers, vanilla and spices. You’ll also perceive a hint of rosemary, eucalyptus, caramel, Jamaica and red roses.
This Shiraz is silky, well-bodied with fine and fresh flavors, with notes of plum, bougainvillea, Jamaica, rose, leather, oak, cocoa and nuts.
Concierto Enológico, Forza
Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California
Grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Barbera
Stored for 12 months in stainless steel barrels
Cherry to deep violet-red in color, this is a complex, well balanced wine. The bouquet is full of the fragrance of raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, cherries and figs, a hint of licorice, dark chocolate, cinnamon and even a touch of tobacco, giving way to dried fruit, dates and almonds. The rich flavors of ripe berries linger on the palate for an elegant finish evoking red berry compotes and jam and dates.
This Mexican wine is the perfect pairing for wild mushroom fettuccine or for grilled steaks and Puebla-style mole.
Jardín Secreto, Adobe Guadalupe, 2018
100% Tempranillo, Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
An intense ruby red color, this full-bodied wine is aged in French oak barrels for 10 months. It has notes of red fruit, cherries, red apples, caramel and vanilla. Smooth and velvety on the palate, it has soft tannins, pleasant fresh acidity and a long aftertaste
Serve with pasta, steaks and cheese boards.
Megacero, Bodega Encinillas
Encinillas Valley, Chihuahua
Grape varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah
The wine is stored in French oak barrels for 16 months.
Deep cherry red in color, this bold wine has notes of ripe black cherries and raspberries, flowers, spices, tobacco, leather and coffee. It is full bodied and velvety smooth with soft mature tannins and a hint of vanilla and caramel.
Order Mexican wine with your dinner in Hacienda Sisal, Los Murales, El Faro Grill or Flor de Canela. If you are staying at Grand Residences, ask your Concierge about the Mexican Wine Experience, an enjoyable and interesting tasting event with the Sommelier.
