mexican wine
Mexico is, of course, known more for its tequila and mezcal than for its wines. Domestic consumption of wine is low, which hasn't helped the development of the industry. However, there are plenty of wineries in various regions across Mexico who are determined to express the terroirs of Mexico.
Mexico's wine never developed essentially because of the Spanish. Mexico was the jewel in Spain's imperial crown, and the Spanish were extremely protective of the newly conquered country. Vines were first planted under an edict from Cortés in the 1520s, and wine was becoming a successful industry until the Spanish saw it as a threat to its own wines and banned production in 1699. It's only in recent years that Mexico has seen a slow recovery from that prohibition centuries ago, and there are still challenges in convincing consumers of the wines' quality.
The main wine region is Valle de Guadalupe, which is in Baja California, a peninsula south of California in the USA. It's a warm climate, but it's cooled by both the Pacific Ocean (just like California) and also the Gulf of California (Golfo de California) to the east. Alongside some elevation, these factors produce conditions not dissimilar to Napa and Sonoma.
There have been a lot developments in Valle de Guadalupe in the last twenty years, with outside investment and new wineries emerging. It's a popular tourist destination as it borders California and is warm and beautiful. Many of the wineries focus on having facilities which are welcoming to tourists, following the Napa model except also with restaurants, spreading the appreciation of the wines.
One such example is Corona del Valle ("Crown of the Valley") which was founded in 2009 and which has an on-site restaurant. They initially bought grapes for their wines, and then established a 14ha vineyard in 2014. I tasted their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc; although both were very good, it was the latter that really impressed with earthy, lees aromas complementing the stone and tropical fruit aromas as well as the herbaceousness so characteristic of Sauvingon Blanc.
A wine I liked even more was a Grenache-based blend from Dominio de los Abejas. The bee-themed label changes across their different wines, referring to their sustainable, organic, yet industrious farming. It's blended with Carignan, Cinsault, Nero d'Avola, and Zinfandel for a crunchy red fruit combination of Italy, France, Spain, and, of course, Mexico. Tasting this blind, one could easily imagine the wine came from a Mediterranean country—which summarizes the climate and character of Baja California.
The quality of Mexican wine can vary as it's still a developing industry, but these wines—and others I have tasted—show that the number of interesting, exciting wines is only going to increase. Here's to the future of Mexican wine.