Letter from Mexico: A five-hour wine tasting full of surprises

Mexican food, tequila and mezcal it may be the pinnacle of fashion, but the country’s wine has yet to have its moment in the sun. The sun, in fact, is a problem: the winemakers have to face a torrid heat and a notoriously dry climate.

Mexico is known for rustic, full-bodied reds without much international appeal. Its dominant wine region, Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California in the far northwest of the country, is running out of water. Resources are increasingly being diverted from wine production to the bustling local tourist scene.

But there are exciting developments on the horizon, as I learned during a five-hour tasting of mostly new wave Mexican wines handpicked by three top local wine experts in Mexico City last month. Sommeliers and wine writers Carlos Borboa and Manuel Negrete and wine consultant Sandra Fernández handpicked 27 wines for me to sample and gave me impressive background on them and the dramatic landscapes where pioneers of new wine regions are planting the ‘grape.

Wine is grown in 15 of Mexico’s 31 states, mostly in the north and center, but also further south. (I was told of one grower who somehow manages to grow fussy, cool-climate pinot noir grapes in Puebla, south of Mexico City.)

It wasn’t until I flew over the country that I realized how mountainous it was. The cool temperatures associated with the high altitude go some way to offsetting its low latitude; Mexico extends in roughly the same tropical/subtropical area as Saudi Arabia. Many of the wines I tasted came from vineyards between 1,800 and 2,000 meters, which is higher than many vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina’s most important Andean wine region.

The wines I tasted were chosen to showcase what is possible rather than what is the norm. Among these were a refined and recognizably varietal Riesling from 12-year-old vines at 1,800m “in the middle of nowhere” (in effect, Cosío in Aguascalientes); a very noteworthy response to champagne; a sophisticated Sauvignon Blanc based on a certified clone of Ch d’Yquem in Bordeaux; interesting rosés of both Sangiovese and Malbec; a beautifully pure Syrah that could very well hold its own internationally; and some hearty red blends that were a bit more typical. A significant portion of the winemakers involved came from outside Mexico, presumably bringing experience and a new vision of what is possible.

Beer and tequila remain the most popular beverages in Mexico, although for a certain type of younger drinker, wine is synonymous with sophistication, just as it has been in China. I’m told that until recently Mexicans tended to like concentration, oak and alcohol, the kind of wines that were all the rage at the turn of the century, but there are signs that tastes are starting to change to the fresher styles preferred elsewhere.

“Wine is becoming increasingly important in Mexico and people will pay for anything!” Borboa told me. According to my informants, some Mexican wines successfully sell for the equivalent of $200 a bottle, although in many cases this reflects the brands investment in packaging and marketing rather than the wine itself. Labels are very important.

My hosts told a story of serving a range of local wines blind to some fellow Mexican wine professionals, featuring a selection that included LA Cetto’s Viognier affair, Mexico’s largest winemaker. (The winery is currently based in the Valle de Guadalupe but, like many others, is developing new areas with better access to water.) LA Cetto famously offers some great value wines in its efforts to develop a market for wine in Mexico . Blind tasters reportedly liked L.A. Cetto’s delicious Don Luis Viognier, but scorned it once they saw the label. Later I bought a bottle at a very fancy liquor store in Puerto Vallarta for 267 pesos, the equivalent of $15.

Despite the influx of foreign winemakers, ownership is mostly in the hands of Mexican families. This goes for LA Cetto. An obvious exception is Domecq, owned by González Byass, but this Spanish branch also focuses on the domestic market, running the Domecq Academy in Mexico City. It will soon be offering public wine courses taught by the world leader in wine education, WSET.

In general, Mexicans need to be relatively well off to drink local wine, which is taxed far more heavily than most imports. (Chilean wine dominates.) When I suggested that this seemed unfair, I was told that wine is still seen as something foreign, an import associated with the Spanish conquistadors, rather than part of the country’s indigenous agricultural heritage. “But wine production would grow rapidly if taxes were removed,” was the wistful prediction of Borboa, who describes himself as a lover of wine in general but is one of Mexico’s most vocal critics.

However, both he and my other guests were extremely proud of Don Leo’s 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva. This was the wine that was crowned World’s Best Cabernet in 2020, in an international competition where wines from around the world are blind tasted by the French sommeliers’ association. It comes from an estate established in 2000 in the far northern state of Coahuila, just south of Texas.

Much hope for the development of Mexican winemaking is pinned on Coahuila, where 25 of the country’s more than 400 wineries are based. Coahuila is also home to Casa Madero, the oldest winery in the Americas and now a leading proponent of organic viticulture, which should be relatively easy in Mexico’s dry climate. Most of the new wineries are based on virgin land; only the soils of the Valle de Guadalupe have been affected over the years by agrochemicals.

Mexico has become an increasingly attractive destination for Americans. During my visit, Mexico City was inundated with tourists seemingly indifferent to negative travel advisories. And a fair number of Americans are now moving to Mexico. San Miguel de Allende, 274km northwest of Mexico City and described by my fellow tasters as the “Tuscany of Mexico”, has been voted Best Small City in the World three times by Condé Nast and is a popular home for retirees Americans.

One of the wines I tasted came from a San Miguel de Allende winery and was fermented in a blend of tub, amphora and Tuscan terracotta — very trendy! Winemakers are already dabbling in orange wines, and with minimal intervention.

Clearly Mexico is not a wine backwater, although a little more water would certainly help.

Tasting notes, scores and suggested drink dates on Purple Pages of JancisRobinson.com. Some international wholesalers on Wine-searcher.com

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