A night of Mexican wine tasting

A trip to Puerto Vallarta is typically filled with sun, sand, guacamole, margaritas and fun. On a recent trip to the city with my family, I insisted that our trip included a few things out of the ordinary. We chose a fantastic trek from Boca de Tomatlan to Playa las Animas, a beautiful beach only accessible via foot or boat, guided by Israel. I also found something that surprised and delighted me: a Mexican wine tasting class. As a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) student through the Napa Valley Wine Academy, currently enrolled in the Level 2 of the sommelier courses, I was excited to experience Mexican wine while in county.

The majority of Mexico lies south of the ideal latitude for winemaking, however the Baja California region is known for its Mediterranean climate and wine making expertise. Beyond Baja California, there are other areas in the country that benefit from topography, particularly the more mountainous regions in the center that are at a higher altitude. Despite this, many people are unaware of the delicious wine that is made in Mexico.

Our evening of learning and discovery began at Granvas Wine Shop in Puerto Vallarta with our host, and owner, Mau. In addition to the Mexican wines at hand, Mau ensured that our daughters, ages 15 and 13, had a ‘flight’ of warm drinks: Mexican hot chocolate, Mexican hot white chocolate, a chai latte and a matcha latte - a delight for them!

We began our sampling with Pozo de Luna, 2020 Sauvignon Blanc. The Pozo de Luna vineyard is located in San Luis Potosí, Mexico at the foothills of the Sierra Gorda, silvermine country. Closer to the equator than most vineyards, the city is about 6,115 feet above sea level (1,864m), making the climate more mild than its location would suggest, including the much needed cold winters for the vines to rest. As a Sauvignon Blanc, this light bodied, medium acidic wine has aromas of lemon, lime and rosemary. Upon tasting, the wine revealed those flavors as well as lychee and lemon rind.

Next we sampled Shui by Alximia, 2021 Sauvignon Blanc - from a can. Alximia vineyard is in Baja California, Mexican wine country. As the name suggests, Alximia, the vineyard specializes in the alchemy of wine and Shui is no exception. A crisp, biodynamic wine, it exhibits some sediment after pouring. The wine is medium-bodied with aromas of orange rind, mango and toast. Tasting revealed several additional flavors including strawberry, tart apple and caramel. A refreshing choice.?

On to the red wines for the evening. Our first red was Zapa, 2020 Vino Tinto, a mix of 30% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Malbec, and 10% Merlot from Ramos Arzipe, Coahuila, Mexico. Similar to San Luis Potosí, the Ramos Arzipe area benefits from its altitude. The region has been an agriculture center since the 1500s. The medium-bodied wine has aromas of black cherry, plum, currant, vanilla and smoke. After tasting it, we experienced many more flavors including pepper, tobacco and the unique flavor of Saigon cinnamon. The last flavor would have been lost if Mau hadn’t had a giant jar of the spice on hand for reference! We purchased this wine to enjoy back home.

Our second red was La Santisima Trinidad, 2019 Merlot Reserva. This beautiful vineyard is located in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In addition to the tasting room, the winemaker has a hotel, lavender fields and polo grounds for guests to enjoy, definitely on my list of future trips! While San Miguel de Allende is located further south than most vineyards throughout the world, its elevation, 6.200 ft (1,900 m) provides the ideal climate for growing grapes, cool in the winter months and warm and sunny in the summer. The Merlot has aromas of raspberry, pineapple, red cherry, strawberry, hibiscus, vanilla and smoke. After tasting we noticed additional flavors of leather, earth, dates, plum and cranberry. This was another wine purchased for our future enjoyment.

We had a wonderful time learning about Mexican wine with Mau. So much so, we didn’t end our tasting after the four promised wines. The aromas and flavors of Mexican wine were somewhat different from those we typically drink. Mau insisted we try another wine from the? Alximia vineyard, Helios a 2019 Grenache Rosé also from Baja California, Mexico. We are very glad that he did - another unique and surprising wine from Alximia! The nose on this Rosé is similar to many rosé wines with aromas of grapefruit, passion fruit, cranberry, and cloudberries. The taste is truly unique! In addition to the aromas, we tasted lemon rind and the distinct crisp flavor of green olives. It is the perfect wine for warm, tropical evenings. We purchased it to enjoy during our stay in Puerto Vallarta.

Mexican wines may not be plentiful in most wine shops in the United States, if you can find them I highly recommend a night of tasting. We certainly enjoyed ours!

#WSET #airbnb #NapaValleyWineAcademy #PuertoVallarta #Mexicanwine

19 August 2022