Top 100 white wines of North
Discover the top 100 best white wines of North as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the white wines that are popular of North and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Valle de Guadalupe is the key wine region in the state of Baja California, Mexico. Baja California, in turn, is responsible for 90 percent national wine production.
At the heart of the valley is Guadalupe Village, which Lies 14 miles (20km) North of Ensenada city. The valley runs northeast to southwest on either side of Guadalupe, stretching from the Pacific coast inland for roughly 20 miles (32 km).
Over that distance the land ascends dramatically from the cliffs above Todos Santos Bay to several thousand feet above sea level.
The Valle de Guadalupe Vineyards are planted at altitudes between 1000ft and 1250ft (305m–380m), mostly on flat plains surrounded by hills. The area has a MediterraneanClimate, thanks to the proximity of the Pacific Ocean immediately to the west and the Gulf of California (the Sea of Cortez) to the east.
As there were no vitis vinifera Grape varieties in the Americas Prior to the arrival of European explorers, all present day commercial grapevines are of European origin.
Some of these are direct descendants of the original plants imported by the Jesuits for the first vineyards back in the 16th Century, and some have arrived more recently, from Europe or from California.
Almost all modern Mexican wine is made from international varieties of French, Spanish and Italian descent. Red wines from the Valle de Guadalupe are made mostly from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel, while white wines are based largely on Colombard, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and the ubiquitous Chardonnay.
Some vineyard workers and winemakers have now returned to wineries in the region from north of the border, bringing back skills acquired in the Napa and Sonoma valleys.
Pinot Gris is a grey grape variety mutated from Pinot Noir. It has its origins in Burgundy, where it is called pinot-beurot in reference to the colour of the grey robes worn by the monks of the region. Established in Alsace since the 17th century, pinot gris was called tokay until 2007. It is made up of bunches of small berries that vary in colour from pink to blue-grey. It is particularly well suited to the continental climate because it is resistant to the cold in winter and to spring frosts. This variety also likes dry limestone soils with plenty of sunshine in the summer. Pinot Gris is well suited to late harvesting or to the selection of noble grapes, depending on the year and the concentration of sugars in the berries. Pinot Gris wines are distinguished by their aromatic complexity of white fruits, mushrooms, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, etc., and their great finesse. In the Loire Valley, pinot gris is used in the Coteaux-d'Ancenis appellations. It gives dry or sweet wines with pear and peach aromas.
white wines from the region of North go well with generally quite well with dishes of rich fish (salmon, tuna etc), shellfish or vegetarian such as recipes of coulibiac of salmon, seafood and mushroom quiche or zucchini quiche.
On the nose in the region of North often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, microbio or vegetal and sometimes also flavors of tree fruit, tropical fruit or cream. In the mouth in the region of North is a powerful.