Mexico’s wine-producing regions are gearing up for celebrations to mark the beginning of the annual grape harvest season, giving wine-lovers a great excuse to check out the source of their favorites.
Vineyards in Aguascalientes, Baja California, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Querétaro and Zacatecas will all hold events during their annual harvest, known in Spanish as la vendimia.
Concerts, festivals, dinners, bullfights, wine tastings and guided tours of vineyards are some of the events that will be on offer.
In Aguascalientes, the festivities kick off this weekend with Fiesta de la Vendimia 2018, in which three local vineyards will participate.
The event will be held at Hacienda San Luis de Letras, 17 kilometers north of the state capital in the municipality of Pabellón de Arteaga.
Attendees will be able to tour the vineyard, see the winemaking process in action and sample local red and white wines.
In Baja California, home to Mexico’s most famous wine region — Valle de Guadalupe — L.A. Cetto and Bodegas de Santo Tomás will hold vendimia events on August 11 and 18 respectively.
Both will feature wine tastings, food and music but the former event costs a hefty 6,100 pesos (US $326) to enter while the latter is free.
Mexico and the Americas’ oldest vineyard, Casa Madero in Coahuila’s Parras Valley, will hold its famous harvest event on August 9.
As usual the celebration will start with a religious ceremony followed by a traditional dance and will conclude with a dinner featuring dishes prepared by acclaimed chef Geoffroy Maillard. Dinner courses will be paired with local wines.
Another vendimia event will be held in Coahuila at the Rivero González winery on August 18.
In Chihuahua, Vinos Encinillas will hold a harvest party in the middle of next month while in Guanajuato, one of the most anticipated vendimia events of the Bajío region will be held at the Cuna de Tierra winery in Dolores Hidalgo.
The latter celebration will take place on August 25 and features a dinner with matched food and wine. A table for 10 costs 22,000 pesos (US $1,200).
Vineyards in Querétaro, especially well known for their sparkling wines, will also join in the harvest celebrations.
Finca Sala Vivé by Freixenet México will hold a three-day event from August 3 to 5 featuring live music, food and, of course, plenty of wine. Entrance is a more reasonable 400 pesos (US $21).
Finally, Zacatecas is not missing out on the fun either.
Located just a 25-minute drive away from the state capital, the Tierra Adentro winery will hold its annual vendimia party on August 25.
The event will feature wine tastings paired to a degustation menu and tours of the vineyard and wine-making facilities.
The state’s symphony orchestra will be on hand to entertain guests and is slated to play a tribute to British rock band Queen.
To quaffers and teetotalers alike: happy vendimia, have fun, stay safe and salud!
Source: El Universal (sp), Milenio (sp)
