Mexico boasts the longest winemaking tradition of any country in the New World, with over four centuries of winemaking history influencing the sparkling renaissance of Mexican winemaking happening today.
The profundity of this heritage serves as a backdrop against which a new generation of young and adventurous Mexican winemakers are seeking to assert their country’s viticultural identity. These winemakers, who are both tied to the old-world heritage of Mexico’s wine history and also free to experiment in their wine growing and winemaking practices, are producing wines that are marked by their restraint, balance, and elegance. At the same time, the dramatic and often intense nature of terroir in which Mexican winemaking is taking place is clearly evident in the glass, producing expressions that are truly and wholly unique.
Although production has ebbed and flowed over its history, many of Mexico’s most prolific wine producing regions can trace their origins back to the earliest part of the Spanish conquest and colonization of the country. The vineyards and wineries of this country can be found stretching from the Pacific coastal highlands of Baja California, to the mountains and valleys of Coahuila, Guanajuato, Queretaro and beyond. The early centuries of Mexican wine production saw missionaries carry Old World grape varieties into vineyards throughout the country, establishing the basis for a collection of heritage varietals that still make up a small but enduring part of the wines that are produced in Mexico. In the later part of the 20th century a wide range of international varieties were introduced, sparking an explosion of experimentation and research that have informed the multifaceted variety of Mexican wines that we see being produced today. As we see these regions become more clearly defined by Mexico’s winemakers, an exciting future lies ahead for this country that is both rich in wine history and bursting with innovation.
