Wine production in New Mexico was something I admit I had no knowledge of before we planned our trip. Much to my surprise I learned that it dates back to the early 17th century. As people began to settle in the New Mexico territory the church soon followed. Initially wine for the sacrament was shipped from Spain. In 1629 wine grapes were first planted by Franciscan Monks. By the late 19th century Grape production had expanded to more than 3000 acres throughout the Rio Grande Valley. In 1978 Wineries began to plant French Hybrid grape varieties. These French varietals did very well in the cooler climate of Northern New Mexico. Today there are more than 60 wineries in the state. We decided to go on a winery tour so that we could just enjoy the full experience and not have to worry about driving to the various wineries. the New Mexico Wine Tours Our first stop was the Estrella Del Norte vineyard which is Spanish for North Star. We tried a number of their dry reds and found that we enjoyed them. They make a chocolate Chile wine which is apparently a New Mexico tradition however this particular wine although very popular in the area just was not to my taste. Images from our tasting at Estrella Del Norte It was a bit of a drive between each winery which was another great reason not to do the driving ourselves. But seeing the beautiful New Mexico scenery was a nice distraction between wineries. Before we knew it we had arrived at the Black Mesa Winery. We found the winery grounds to be a bit eclectic. We very much enjoyed their Cabernet Sauvignon. Images from our Black Mesa Wine tasting We made our way to the Vivac winery, our third stop thus far. The Vivac winery was started by 2 brothers that studied enology at the University of California. Vivac has won numerous awards for their wines and Wine Enthusiast Magazine awarded them the title, "The Highest Red Wine Producer in New Mexico's History". Their reds were among our favorites in New Mexico. Images from the Vivac Winery After spending some time in the tasting room we moved outside where our guide had prepared a wonderful lunch overlooking some of their vineyards and the beautiful New Mexico background. Images from our lunch and several gardens An interesting note I wanted to add. At the Vivac winery they used corks as mulch in their gardens. Our next stop was La Chiripada and we were starting to feel that our taste buds were experiencing a bit of sensory overload. La Chiripada is Northern New Mexico's oldest winery. Their first plantings goes back to 1977 and the winery is located between Santa Fe and Taos to the north. The winery produces a fortified Muscat called Vino de Oro that we especially enjoyed. Images from La Chiripada winery Our day of wine tasting was winding up but we had one last stop on our way back to Santa Fe. It was actually a winery and a distillery called Don Quixote. They're tasting room offered a variety of wines some which were fortified and also spirits like Bourbon and Vodka that they produce. It turned out to be a really nice way to end our day. Images from our Don Quixote tasting It was a long day tasting wine but we very much enjoyed our time at each of the wineries we visited. We discovered that New Mexico produces many very fine wines. With the diversity of varietals and blends they produce wine lovers will find a plethora of great wines to enjoy.
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