It all started in Mexico...
Mexico is the first place in the New World that grapes were planted to make wine, yet their wines are only recently becoming known worldwide. Planting of vines in the land we now call Mexico occurred in lockstep with Spanish colonization of the region as they made it mandatory to plant a certain number of vines per hectare the colonized. This practice stared in 1521, so the history of winemaking in Mexico goes back over 500 years.
Today, five centuries later, the diversity of Mexico’s wines regions is immense. 14 out of Mexico’s 32 states are planted with grapes to make wine, and vineyards can be found from the Pacific coast of Baja to the 9,500 ft mountain sites of central Mexico. Throughout this varied landscape, the best wines are coming from small family-owned wineries who own their own vineyards and make wines that express place.
While such wineries can be found throughout the nation, there is a high concentration in Northern Baja where this farmer winemaker paradigm is the norm. Generally referred to collectively as Valle de Guadalupe, the area under vine is actually composed of 7 valleys and it is here that the small production, estate-owned concept is at its strongest. With over 200 registered wineries, the diversity here is unparalleled - with over 50 white and red grape varities being used to make excellent red, white, rosé, orange, and sparkling wines.
The landscape in Baja’s northern viticultural region is charmingly dotted with small vineyard sites, each of which is used to make singularly expressive wines. It is, in short, a wine-lovers dream, where one finds estate after estate working with hand-picked, estate-grown fruit to make wines that express place in every bottle.
More than Valle de Guadalupe...
As wines from Mexico become more readily available in the US market, there is more conversation about the wines of Baja than anywhere else, and specifically the name Valle de Guadalupe. It’s widely misunderstood to be the name of the region when in fact it’s the name of only one of the 7 valleys under vine in northern Baja.
Heading south down the Pacific coast, one first arrives at Valle de Guadalupe, then Valle del Tigre, Valle de las Grullas, Valle de Santo Tomás and finally Valle de San Vicente. The last two (Valle de Ojos Negros and Valle Seco) are isolated from the Pacific by a 4,000 ft mountain range and are the only two that don’t terminate in the ocean.
While almost all of the wine tourism is focused in Valle de Guadalupe, it’s important to recognize that the land under vine is far more expansive and diverse than Valle de Guadalupe alone. It’s thanks to the variations in climate, soil and other factors in each of these valleys that the region owes its incredibly complex diversity of wines.
It is said that the best wines in the world come from places where place matters, and this is very much the case in the boutique estates in Mexico. This is true from vineyard site to vineyard site within each valley, and even more so from valley to valley within the same region. The high elevation continental climate of Valle de Ojos Negros and Valle Seco for example, produces conditions completely unlike the costal marine influenced lowland valleys of Guadalupe, San Vicente and the rest. And this is to say nothing of the climate variations within each undulation of each valley itself.
In the hands of a winemaker whose intention it is to highlight expression of place in their wines, grapes from each plot in each valley are making excitingly different and unique wines that are endlessly rewarding to discover and explore. The exploration of the full chorus of what each valley and each vineyard has to say is enthralling. This diversity forms the basis of what makes this such an interesting region.
It's not just about the climate and the soil.
While Mexico has climate and soil conditions in its favor, the boutique size of the wineries and sincerity of spirit of the families behind them is what makes them truly great. The passion runs deep here, so it’s clear we have only just begun to see what the country is capable of. That said, as the boutique movement expands, and as small farmers stop selling their grapes to large consolidators, expect to see wines of exciting quality coming from all the winegrowing regions in Mexico. The concept is far more advanced in Baja than it is in other regions, but the shift is happening country-wide and the quality is turning heads.
In northern Baja, the boutique movement is already well underway, a combination of ancient vineyard sites, (dating as far back as 1791), a talented new generation of winemakers, and the development of a worldclass culinary scene form the basis of a local tourism that revolves around viticulture. From these wine-centric boutique projects who are all oriented towards sustainability is emerging a paradigm of land development in the local communities that goes against the grain of the large developers now looking toward the region.
It is farmers and families like these that we are making every effort to support at Patrick Neri Selections and as popular as it has become, the region needs our help. Sustainable use of limited resources and preservation of a fragile environment needs to form the backbone of the region’s path forward.
As the wines and wineries of Mexico have begun to win hard fought positions in the global community of wine aficionados, the world is watching to see if they will continue to go from strength to strength as they have been vintage after vintage for several decades. What is clear is that they currently have everything going for them. The stage is set, and the current performers are in many cases mind-bendingly good.
Where land and culture have the meter of poetry
Like the best places in the world of wine, Mexico’s wine regions are settings of incredible beauty. With the cuisine of Mexico now exploding on the world scene with its nuance and regional complexity, it’s only making exploring its wines all the more appealing. Our goal to be sure no one in the US is wanting for access to these incredible wines. With nationwide temp-controlled shipping and over 200 wines, MexicanWine.us is the nation’s leading source for wines of Mexico.
With deep information about each wine on offer, our hope is that all visitors, whether they buy or not, leave the site understanding that Mexican wines are a serious undertaking that’s not going away. This is only the beginning of the wave and if you’re reading this now riding it. Now go keep exploring the collection. Wonders await.
