Adventures in Mexico
As a young wine director in NYC back in the early oughts I found myself in charge of two beverage programs for Chef Richard Sandoval - one very cocktail focused - but the other, in mid-town, with a Vera Cruz style seafood menu allowed me the ability to create an interesting wine list.
I was asked to find some wines from Mexico to add to the list, and at this point in my short career I had never even seen let alone tasted a wine from Mexico at a tasting, so I searched the far corners to find a wine I felt could fit my experimental and artistically curated list. I was able to source only 4 wines I felt could fit, unfortunately most of them commercial offerings such as L.A. Cetto and Santo Tomas but I did notice Italian varietals seems to fare well in the warm and dry Baja peninsula as well as Chenin Blanc with its naturally high acidity.
Fast forward a decade or so to my first trip to Valle de Guadeloupe in 2017 - deliciously surprised by this burgeoning culinary and wine destination. I began to keep my eyes and ears open to this South of the Border Region - almost out of reach in terms of earths margins for vineyard environment. The region was growing, it was finding it’s own new voice and bucking tradition in the best way. During the pandemic years I was able to make a few trips down and watch as both the newer winemakers, wineries and growing regions found footing and began to create something really interesting.
In November 2022 I decided to move to Baja temporarily, exploring not only the wines and the amazing farm to table - fusion, Mediterranean and of course traditional Mexican cuisine - but also the pulse, the energy and the ideas of the new guard, creating wine centric events - combining music, art, graffiti, tattooing and taking risks with varietals, blends and techniques. The following stories will seek to introduce and tantalize you to take notice, taste, visit and live like the people I have met and the wines I have discovered as we shared bottles and stories here in the Valle.
My first Mexican Wine - L.A. Cetto Chenin blanc c. 2003 - I remember telling my staff it reminded me of a day at the beach - tropical, ripe, with a hint of sea air. The wine now is still ripe with Melon, Tangerine, Mango - with a touch of RS and has lost that briny tension unfortunately.
The Wine which made me question my life choices - Ventana al Alma Chardonnay - I don’t drink much Chardonnay and usually its from a cool climate, picked at a low pH without new oak and not overly ripe - keeping it’s natural acidity. With only 600 bottles made, this minimal intervention wine is 13.7% ABV with 4 months in 2nd use French Oak tasted more like an aged Chenin - the acidic profile wasn’t as intense but it was honeyed with a touch of oxidation but no real new oak characteristics - clearly picked at a lower pH this wine was an eye opener.
Lastly - the experience that made me realize that the Valle needed to be explored and it’s soul discovered was in spending time at Bloodlust wine bar - a garlic bulbed shaped dome in the middle of a Greek Amphitheater like outdoor dining and stage area where both live and DJ music events happen - the food has been delicious on every visit, the partnerships with Coffee roasters, wineries, artisanal spirits and local chefs abound and the community they are creating is like nothing I have seen in the states. It’s like a collective - where young people (Remember the drinking age is 18) flock in their anti-cool fashion to taste wine and hear music.
Please follow me as I explore the wines and winemakers, the chefs and creators who are putting Valle de Guadeloupe on the map as a destination and giving it its own voice, unique in the wine world and unique to Mexico.