A pioneering winemaker in Baja California died on Friday aged 87.

Luis Cetto headed L.A. Cetto after taking over management of the company in 1983, representing the third generation of ownership. Cetto took the company’s wines to international markets and expanded their customer base in Mexico.

L.A. Cetto was started in 1928 by Angelo Cetto, an Italian who established the wine region now known as Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California.

Born on August 28, 1934 in Tijuana, Luis Cetto was the founder of the fruit juice company Jugos del Valle.

The national restaurant association Canirac posted on Twitter to pay tribute to Cetto. “At Canirac we lament the sad departure of Don Luis Cetto, a persevering man, visionary businessman and promoter of Mexican wine culture.”

“Mr. Cetto is a person that everyone loved. He and his family are very respected. He was a person who always supported restaurateurs a lot … and the people who are dedicated to wine,” the president of Canirac Tijuana, Juan José Plascencia Huerta, said.

The Mexican Wine Council (CMV) referred to Cetto as a pioneer of the wine industry who’d received international recognition.

The head of the Tijuana Tourism Committee Cotuco, José Arturo Gutiérrez, said wine production had helped the city promote tourism. “For the Tourism Committee [L.A. Cetto’s reputation] was a tool … to carry when we were going to present in exhibitions and congresses about Tijuana. The Cetto family supported us a lot in the promotion of the city,” he said.

L.A. Cetto received an award at the Vinalies Internationales 2022 wine competition in Paris alongside two other Mexican wineries, Casa Madero and Monte Xanic.

L.A. Cetto produces chardonnay, merlot, tempranillo, pinot noir and shiraz. Its wines are sold in Chile, Argentina, the United States, Canada, France, Italy and Spain.

With reports from Reforma and El Imparcial