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Winery visits in New Mexico? What do they make -- maybe a cactus wine or something?
We can't blame you for being somewhat skeptical. When you think wineries, your mind doesn't leap to Santa Fe, New Mexico first.
Maybe it should. The wineries we visited were all making very respectable wines and, in some cases, very adventurous wines as well.
They're the first to tell you that New Mexico is the oldest wine grape growing region in the United States. Most grapes are being cultivated in the southern part of the state (around Deming and Las Cruces). The wineries around Santa Fe buy much of the grapes from there, but some are also growing their own along the Rio Grande.
These are all small wineries, most of them either right on Highway 84/285 or 68 north of Santa Fe on your way to Taos. And most of their sales are at the winery itself.
(20 miles north of Santa Fe on Highway 84/285 - can't miss it)
This was our first visit of the trip and it certainly set the stage for the rest of the trip.
The wines at Santa Fe were all good. Our favorite was the Tinto Del Sol, a red table wine with nice balance, fruit, and a little bit of spice.
www.blackmesawinery.com
(Right on Highway 68)
Black Mesa was our favorite of the bunch. It has a bright, open tasting room. There are 20 wines you can taste (as few or as many as you like). And the winemaker might just come in and spend as much time as you'd like talking about his wines (he did with us, but finally excused himself to work on taxes -- it was April 14th when we visited).
They grow 30% of their own grapes along the Rio Grande and they plan to increase that to 50% soon. Their wines range from Chardonnay, Fume Blanc, and a beautiful Gewurtraminer to a nice Sangiovese, a Merlot and some great blends ("Antelope," a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend, and "Coyote," a Cab/Syrah blend being our favorites).
We bought a bottle of the Cabernet Franc, which was a beautiful wine. Cabernet Franc is generally used as a blending grape, but some wineries are making stand-alones that are excellent. This one was smooth, rich, well balanced, and faithful to the Cabernet Franc grape.
www.lachiripada.com
(on Highway 75, just off Highway 68)
This is the winery that's furthest off the beaten path, but still easy to get to (they also have a tasting room in Taos). La Chiripada is the only winery we visited that had vines outside the tasting room.
They make over a dozen different wines and all that we tasted were good. The one we just loved was an apple wine. Yes, apples. It's called "Embudo Blanco" and it's made from all organically grown apples from New Mexico (it's their only non-grape wine). It's light, crisp, and refreshing with just the slightest hint of apple in the taste. A fun, delicious wine!
They also produce Port. We tried both they had available and really liked the '97 New Mexico Port. It's deep, rich, and very smooth.
500 South Gaudalupe, near the Plaza
505.983.5721
There is no shortage of great food in Santa Fe. As you would expect, it's a food paradise for anyone who likes Mexican food. One of our favorites was Tomisita's. The food is incredible, their sopapillas (like a homemade tortilla that's puffed up) are incredible -- both stuffed and on their own -- and they make the best Sangria we've ever had.
428 Agua Fria, near the Plaza
505.995.1996
This is the perfect restaurant for wine lovers. The food is delicious with a great variety on the menu, the wine list is long and very reasonably priced, and they serve their wine in Reidel crystal glasses. Now that's class! They have a cute patio in the front that's makes for a very romantic setting in the evening. The service was excellent and very friendly.
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