I drove over the Mexican and American border yesterday morning, and I was thinking how close but yet so far we are from Mexico. It’s a completely different world, a fascinating one with completely different dynamics. I have a deep affection for the country. I travel there regularly.
It only makes my interest in Mexican wine stronger. It’s also why I made my charity wine there – One Wine One World. And I bottle one barrel of wine each year with some friends under my personal label, El Sueno.
I tasted a couple dozen outstanding wines during my two-day tour of the region. I reviewed about 120 wines in a blind tasting at the Adobe Guadalupe Inn in the Valle de Guadalupe, about 20 miles east of the costal town of Ensenada.
The wines included just about everything you could think of, from Cabernet and Grenache to Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. And there were lots of fun blends. The whites were less successful, although I found a reserve barrel-fermented Chardonnay from the Mexican wine giant L.A. Cetto that was excellent.
Mexicans are very proud of their wines. And most of the top ones are sold in smart restaurants and wine shops throughout the vast country. Very little is exported.
The younger generation of Mexican wine lovers is keen on social media, so I asked on Twitter what hashtag I could use to signify an exciting Mexican wine. It seems the most popular was #vinochingon, which means in slang, “f’ing good wine!”
Eso me gusta… I like it!
Joe Herman
Saludos,