Mexican wine
[2] After Independence, wine making for personal purposes was no longer prohibited and production rose, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
[2] This area is promoted heavily for enotourism with the “Ruta del Vino” (Wine Route), which connects over fifty wineries with the port of Ensenada and the border and the annual Vendimia harvest festival.
[6] According to legend, Hernán Cortés and his soldiers quickly depleted the wine they brought with them from Spain celebrating the conquest of the Aztec Empire in 1521.
[1][2] In 1597, Casa Madero was founded by Lorenzo García in the town of Santa María de las Parras (Holy Mary of the Grapevines) as the oldest winery in the Americas.
[1][3][7] However, many missionaries refused to abide by the edict and continued to produce wine for normal consumption on a small scale.
[2] One of these was Jesuit priest Juan Ugarte, who planted the first vines in Baja California when he arrived at the Loreto mission in 1701.
The Santo Tomás Mission, founded in Baja California by Jesuit priests in 1791, reactivated larger scale production of wine in Mexico.
[7] During the period of Mexican history known as the Porfiriato (1880–1910), wine production in Mexico increased and spread to other regions of the country.
[3] In the Baja California area in 1904, Russian immigrants known as Molokans, a pacifist religious group fleeing service in the Tsar's army, purchased 40 hectares (100 acres) of land and began producing wine grapes.
[4] Since the 1980s, wine production, especially in Baja California, has been steadily improving with better tending of vineyards and incorporating modern advancements in winemaking.
[4][7] Most of the wine consumed in Mexico is imported from Europe, Chile, Australia and New Zealand, with about forty percent coming from domestic wineries.
[12] However, wine consumption continues to grow with one factor being increased interest in it by the middle classes, especially in Mexico City.
[15] The last of Mexico's tariffs on imported brandy were lifted in the first decade of the 21st century, with sales and consumption expected to rise.
[1] The La Laguna region is the oldest wine-making area of Mexico, and straddles the states of Coahuila and Durango, with grapes thriving in the Parras Valley.
[11] The valley has warm days, cool nights and low humidity which inhibits insect and fungus damage to the vines.
[1] Another interesting winery is located in Tarahumara country at the edge of the Copper Canyon in Chihuahua, in a small valley named Cerocahui.
When the Jesuits were forced out of Mexico in the 18th century, the Cerocahui vineyards were destroyed except for a few cuttings secretly kept and grown by the José María Sánchez family.
Another vintner called La Ronda specializes in growing grapes to make Kosher wine sold in certain markets in Mexico City.
Wineries here are smaller operations than in other parts of the country, with the best known local label being Casa Cachola just outside Valle de las Arcinas.
[1][2][8] This area is noted for its deep granite soils, warm sunny days, and nights cool due to breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
[8] Don Miller owns a ranch and winery called Casa Adobe Guadalupe with a wine school here to help small producers make a profit and draw tourists.
The Route connects over fifty wineries, along with upscale restaurants, hotels, museums and other attractions of this part of Baja California state.
[4] Another major tourism draw is the Fiesta de la Vendimia (Vintage Festival), which takes place in Ensenada and the Valley of Guadalupe every year in August.
The festivals include wine tasting and contests, winery tours, fishing tournaments, cook-offs, gourmet food and concerts.
The event showcases the area's wines as well as other local products such as handcrafts, candies, denim clothing and food.
[21] In the Center area, Tequisquiapan, Querétaro sponsors an annual cheese and wine festival called the Feria Nacional del Queso y de Vino in the month of June.
[22] A more local celebration in the same area is Querétaro's version of the Vendimia first harvest festival which occurs at various wineries in the state in July.
The most notable events occur at the Viñedos La Redonda Winery near Tequisquiapan with music, wine tasting and competitions, gourmet food and a handcrafts exposition.
