by Rebecca Toy
America’s oldest wine region offers up plenty to bring to the table
NEW MEXICO HAS CULTIVATED VINES since around 1629, when Spanish missionaries illegally imported Vitis vinifera to their new home. Today historic European influences and high elevations produce complex varieties perfect for any autumn occasion.
Thirty years after arriving in the upper valleys of the Rio Grande, Franciscan monks could no longer tolerate the imported communion wine. Months of hot transport in lead-glazed jugs tainted the already strong and sickly sweet sherry-like taste. History credits missionaries with breaking the law forbidding the exportation of Spain’s coveted vines and smuggling cuttings to North America. Monks Fray Garcîa de Zuñiga and Antonio de Arteaga took the cuttings and planted the first vineyards in what would become the United States at a Piro Pueblo south of modern day Socorro, New Mexico.
Despite extreme weather challenges, wine flourished by the time New Mexico became a territory in 1853. Jesuit priests arrived in the 1860s with Italian winemaking techniques. Producers used better presses that yielded cleaner juice. Fermentation moved from cow-skin vats to more air-tight containers with less contamination. Quality and demand surged, and in 1880 the territory was ranked fifth in the nation for wine production.
Yet, in just a few decades, competition from California reduced New Mexican demand. Then, in 1920, Prohibition brought production to a halt. Massive flooding of the Rio Grande in 1943 decimated the remaining historic vineyards. It looked like the state’s wine industry was done.
But the memory of success remained, and a slow and steady comeback started in the late 1970s. Today, more than 50 wineries and tasting rooms produce wine commercially in the country’s oldest wine region. These three wineries are the earliest remaining startups and veterans in New Mexico’s modern wine scene.
Lescombes Family Vineyards
Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Deming, Las Cruces,Alamogordo
lescombeswinery.com
Hervé Lescombes’ family had been winemakers for generations. After making wine in Algeria and France, he brought his experience to New Mexico when he and his family immigrated in 1981. Lescombes planted a vineyard within the year and eventually settled on 200 acres in the high desert of Pyramid Valley, just outside Lordsburg, New Mexico. Lescombes found the thirty-degree swings in temperature ideal for growing grapes.
Sales director Sandra Pacheco attributes the success of the family business, now represented by its 6th generation, to its heart. “The family secured their roots in New Mexico not only in grape growing and by winemaking, but by investing in its people and its community,” says Pacheco.
Recommendations: The Lescombes family reports they create wines approachable to everyone, but president and winemaker Florent Lescombes favors the complex and not overwhelming finish of the D.H. Lescombes Limited Release 2016 Cabernet Franc.
La Chiripada
Dixon, lachiripada.com
At 6,100 feet, La Chiripada is not only one of the two oldest wineries in New Mexico but is also one of the highest commercial grape growers in the world. Patrick and Michelle Johnson purchased the property in 1976, and six months later, Patrick’s brother Michael planted Marechal Foch vines. With no formal training, the duo harvested their first commercial vintage in 1981 and opened to the public.
The high elevation brought challenges, but more than 40 years of persistence paid off. Their hearty, cold-tolerant hybrids produce award-winning wines known for food-friendly balance.
“We focus our estate grapes on creating blends that complement the spicy New Mexican cuisine effortlessly. Most of these wines have some residual sugar that will cut the heat from food and, in turn, will enhance the underlying flavors in a dish and the wine itself,” says winemaker Katie Hagan.
Recommendations: The top-selling, off-dry Rio Embudo Red is perfect for spicy and smoky foods. The versatile Tempranillo and the Embudo Blanco, with its sweet, gentle spiced apple notes, are ideal choices for a crisp fall eve.
La Viña
La Union, lavina.wolfep.com
The longest continually operated winery in New Mexico opened its doors in 1977. La Viña started as a small adobe building with 14 acres of vineyards. Winemakers Ken and Denise Stark purchased the business in 1992, eventually expanding it to 44 acres and stabilizing the vineyards in their fragile early years.
Ken Stark attributes La Viña’s decades of success to customers experiencing the brand at competitions. In addition, perseverance and the vineyard climate, noting the Mesilla Valley near El Paso, Texas, is not that different from central California’s, have also helped. Frenchhybrid varietals set the stage for La Viña, and now the winery offers 28 selections.
Recommendations: La Viña’s Pinot Noir is a crowd favorite, and their semisweet Gewürztraminer pairs well with rich poultry dishes and spicy meals.
