"Is there any wine from Mexico?"
I get asked that a lot. Usually, after being questioned "where are you from?" of course.
Yes there is, is my answer.
"Is it any good? Can you buy it in the UK?"
.... yes, I guess. I don't really know. I've seen L.A. Cetto sold in the UK, in supermarkets a few years ago, in restaurants now. But just one brand, that's it. Not enough to decide if Mexico makes drinkable wine or not.
I've heard about other brands/houses that make wine in this country renowned for agave-distilled spirits. Check this article by Jancis Robinson, Seeing wine in context, for more.
The easiest way to find out is to go to Mexico, buy wine there and drink it there as well. And so, as I was travelling home for the Christmas/New Year period, I thought I'd check the wine scene out at the same time.
"Did you go to wine producing regions within Mexico?"
eeerhhh.... no. We went to the beach and then my hometown; neither of which is remotely close to those vineyards.
But there are restaurants and tourists who will want to drink wine, I thought. That would give me a glimpse of where the wine scene is currently at in my dear country.
I enjoyed asking, can I have a look at your wine list, please?
Catering for, I think, mainly American tourists, the wine lists in most places consisted of oaky Chardonnays and bland Sauvignon Blancs, Italian Pinot Grigio, sometimes Spanish Verdejo and a couple of Mexican Chenin Blanc (blends), on the whites. Plus, one or two rosées from Provence.
The reds, all mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, as a varietal or in a blend, plus Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, a couple of Argentinean Malbecs and probably a French or two. And that's that apart from a couple of sparkling wines here and there.
The lists, in the best places, included producer names, grape variety or appellation and vintage; but this was not always the case.
I guess it shouldn't really surprise me the lack of variety of styles, as the saying goes "When in Rome...". Yes, I'd like to see curated wine menus in Mexican restaurants, with those big-fat-oaked reds that people demand but also a few others, red and white alike, with a lighter-fresher style, more fruit driven, more suitable for the lovely spice that Mexican food has, I think.
"Did you try something nice then?"
Yes I did try some nice Mexican wines, it was a bit of a mixed bag really. From a chunky white blend of Chardonnay-Semillon-Colombard, to a surprisingly quaffable Nebbiolo with a few Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignons and Zinfandels in the middle.
Very ripe fruit, high alcohol and low acidity were the common denominator in these wines. Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? It is neither I reckon, they show the wines are "New World" and from hot climates. To me, they reflect that winemakers and wine-drinkers are still heavily influenced by a "100 Parker points" style; it actually reminds me a bit of Argentinian wines from ten years ago.
Mike Veseth points out something quite interesting in his article 'Everthing Old is New Again', where logistics and transportation are factors that also affect the final product, not only climate and latitudes. If you store wine in a very hot truck for long enough, the bottle that you buy in the supermarket might be all cooked fruit and no freshness. Could this have been the case with that one bottle of Cabernet Franc I sadly threw away after the second glass? I hope so... No Cabernet Franc should smell, nor taste, like port.
It is nice to see people now feel like drinking Mexican wine, if they are going to drink wine, whether on a night out or with food. I find it interesting that Spanish wines from Rioja and Ribera Del Duero command the high shelves and are the "safe" option when giving wine as a present. It saddens me to see cheap Chilean wines in such large quantities in shops but none of the higher quality producers on offer. Argentina is somewhere in the middle, recognisable names and entry level bottles are everywhere, just as well as their fancier labels.
I look forward to the day where the 'South American' wine section in a shop is made up not only of vino from Argentina and Chile, but also Mexican wine shares the shelves with those famous Malbecs and spiced Carmeneres. I can't wait to bump into Mexican wines in wine fairs and tastings.
I look forward to being asked, again, if Mexico produces quality wine.
"Did you try something nice then?"
Yes I did try some nice Mexican wines, it was a bit of a mixed bag really. From a chunky white blend of Chardonnay-Semillon-Colombard, to a surprisingly quaffable Nebbiolo with a few Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignons and Zinfandels in the middle.
Very ripe fruit, high alcohol and low acidity were the common denominator in these wines. Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? It is neither I reckon, they show the wines are "New World" and from hot climates. To me, they reflect that winemakers and wine-drinkers are still heavily influenced by a "100 Parker points" style; it actually reminds me a bit of Argentinian wines from ten years ago.
Mike Veseth points out something quite interesting in his article 'Everthing Old is New Again', where logistics and transportation are factors that also affect the final product, not only climate and latitudes. If you store wine in a very hot truck for long enough, the bottle that you buy in the supermarket might be all cooked fruit and no freshness. Could this have been the case with that one bottle of Cabernet Franc I sadly threw away after the second glass? I hope so... No Cabernet Franc should smell, nor taste, like port.
It is nice to see people now feel like drinking Mexican wine, if they are going to drink wine, whether on a night out or with food. I find it interesting that Spanish wines from Rioja and Ribera Del Duero command the high shelves and are the "safe" option when giving wine as a present. It saddens me to see cheap Chilean wines in such large quantities in shops but none of the higher quality producers on offer. Argentina is somewhere in the middle, recognisable names and entry level bottles are everywhere, just as well as their fancier labels.
I look forward to the day where the 'South American' wine section in a shop is made up not only of vino from Argentina and Chile, but also Mexican wine shares the shelves with those famous Malbecs and spiced Carmeneres. I can't wait to bump into Mexican wines in wine fairs and tastings.
I look forward to being asked, again, if Mexico produces quality wine.
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