Top 100 wines of Mexico - Page 5
Discover the top 100 best wines of Mexico as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Mexico and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Discovering the wine region of Mexico
The Vitis vinifera Vine and the concept of winemaking arrived in Mexico with the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. Before the colony's wine production could meet local demand, wine was imported from Spanish vineyards, which maintained a healthy Flow of ships and trade between Spain and Nueva Espana ("New Spain" as Mexico was called at the time). This trade was so important that the King of Spain, King Carlos II, banned commercial wine production to keep it going.
Local wine production was only allowed for ceremonial purposes, but it was this legal exception that kept a tiny Mexican wine industry going until the early 19th century, when Mexico gained its independence from Spain.
The first Mexican vineyards were planted around the town of Parras de la Fuente, which translates as "vineyards of the spring," nestled in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains.
The wine regions of modern Mexico are now located in the slightly cooler, ocean-moderated Climate of northwestern Baja California, far west of the original wine-growing areas. Ninety percent of Mexican wine is now produced at the northern end of the Long, thin Baja California peninsula, in the valleys of Guadalupe, Calafia, Santo Tomas, San Vicente and San Antonio de las Minas. There are also scattered vineyards in La Laguna and further South in Zacateca and Aguascalientes where table Grapes are more common.
Because of the hot, sunny climate, irrigation is required in almost all locations; most Mexican vineyards are at a latitude similar to the deserts of Iraq and the northern Sahara. Rainfall is low, with the driest areas receiving as little as 200 millimeters (8 inches) per year. The entire region, with the exception of the northwestern corner of Baja California, is classified as a hot arid desert on the Koppen climate classification scale; viticulture is made possible by the presence of the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Gulf of California to the east.
There are no native vinifera varieties in the Americas, so Mexican wine is produced from "international" varieties of French, Spanish and Italian origin.
Discover the grape variety: Chardonnay
The white Chardonnay is a grape variety that originated in France (Burgundy). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by small bunches, and small grapes. White Chardonnay can be found in many vineyards: South West, Burgundy, Jura, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Savoie & Bugey, Loire Valley, Champagne, Rhone Valley, Armagnac, Lorraine, Alsace, Provence & Corsica.
Food and wine pairing with a wine of Mexico
wines from the region of Mexico go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of steak tartare, lamb chops with lemon and herbs or turnip confit with parma cheese.
Organoleptic analysis of wine of Mexico
On the nose in the region of Mexico often reveals types of flavors of cherry, green apple or dried fig and sometimes also flavors of cheese, dark fruit or cedar. In the mouth in the region of Mexico is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.
News from the vineyard of Mexico
Decanter magazine latest issue: October 2022
Inside the October 2022 issue of Decanter Magazine: FEATURES French influence in Argentina Tim Atkin MW traces a long and mutually beneficial relationship California Cabernet Franc It’s a red on the rise, says Karen MacNeil Willamette Valley Pinot Gris Advantage Oregon? By Clive Pursehouse & Michael Alberty País in Chile By Darren Smith Uruguay’s coastal whites A fresh look, with Amanda Barnes Chianti Classico & Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Michaela Morris on the Tuscan new-vintage rele ...
Belgium destroys Miller High Life cans bearing ‘Champagne of Beers’ slogan
Champagne is a protected denomination of origin (PDO) in the EU, just like Parmigiano Reggiano, Kalamata olive oil from Greece and paprika from Murcia in Spain. Belgian officials determined that Miller High Life’s century-old motto represents an infringement of the PDO, and they ruled that the cans were therefore illicit goods. Workers at a plant in Ypres destroyed the batch, sending out a clear warning to the world that the Champagne brand is not to be messed with. ‘The Comité Champagne helps t ...
La Rioja Alta expands with ‘artisanal vineyard’ deals
Guillermo de Aranzabal Bittner, a director at La Rioja Alta, said the company had acquired 35ha of old vines, with a minimum age of 45 years, in the village of Elvillar at an average altitude of 600 metres. He also said La Rioja Alta would buy more old vines this year, bringing total ‘artisanal vineyard’ acquisitions to a minimum of 5oha, and potentially up to 75ha, by the end of 2022. ‘We are buying very old vineyards, pruned in the traditional way with very low production, some of which are fi ...