When the Spanish arrived in New Mexico their journey was long and treacherous. The late 1500's was a time of The Inquisition in Spain. The Catholic Faith was the foundation for the Crown, however the Spanish Crown prohibited growing wine in the new country. This was an issue as The Catholic Church needed wine for their sacraments. Wine represents the Blood of Christ. Why would wine growing be something that The Crown wouldn't want in the New World. Simple. The answer is the Spanish agriculture industry. During this time in history, Spain's fourth trade revenue was wine exports. Faith took a backseat to money. Franciscan Friar's went against The Crown and made sure they had their daily masses taken care of, planting the first vineyard in New Mexico. In 1580 Franciscan Friar Agustin Rodriguez brought the Mission grape, vitis vinifera to New Mexico. This variety is still grown in New Mexico today. It was around 200 years later that the Spanish missionaries planted grapes from Spain in San Diego, California. In the early 1800's these grapes had been carried to California’s Sonoma Valley by Spanish missionaries who planted the area’s first vineyard. 1629 is the year noted that the first vineyard was planted along with Rio Grande. The fifty years between Franciscan Friar Agustin Rodriguez and 1629 makes one wonder how they hid the vineyards during a time of turmoil, hardship and raids.
There are over 50 wineries in New Mexico. A guide to them is located at a website dedicated to New Mexican wine, https://nmwine.com/. Plan a trip to visit a few or all. Danyle and I started our adventure at Casa Rondeña Winery.
Casa Rondeña Winery
We travelled during weekdays, avoiding the weekend and during the off season for most travelers. This afforded us the undivided attention of the bartender while enjoying our wine tasting. The knowledge level their wines and New Mexican history from our bartender enhanced our experience. I noticed the price to buy a bottle straight from the vineyard was lower than at a liquor store. There was another group of women who were there taking advantage of the wine and atmosphere for a business retreat. We sat with them for awhile, exchanging stories and enjoying wine. Great wine and new friends, who can resist? For more on Casa Rondeña Winery visit there website at https://www.casarondena.com/.
Evenings were spent enjoying the flavor from the area we were at. Our evening near Tularosa, New Mexico was spent enjoying a glass from Tularosa Vineyards. We took a moment to visit their tasting room as well. It was rustic and the views of the Tularosa basin were amazing.
For more on Tularosa wines, visit their website, http://www.tularosavineyards.com/.
Ponderosa Valley Vineyard
A trip about an hour from Albuquerque near the Jemez Pueblo is the Ponderosa Valley Vineyard. Nestled in the scenic Ponderosa Valley on the southern slopes of the beautiful Jemez Mountains. Ponderosa Valley Vineyard is the largest Riesling vineyard in New Mexico. A description from their website: The vineyards and winery, 5800 ft. above sea level, are on deep well drained volcanic ash deposits, which along with long hot days and cool nights provide the ideal conditions to develop a unique wine character. By picking these grapes at different ripeness levels, we produce three distinctly different award winning styles. Wines, along with numerous other current releases are available in our tasting room for you to sample. For hours of operations visit their website, http://www.ponderosawinery.com/ .
Passion for life is an art. Make sure your taisteal, your journey is flavored. Take a trip to New Mexico and experience wine in a way that hasn't been commercialized, ruined from the masses. “Wine knows that having passion for life is an art itself.” - Talismanist Giebra.