The History of Wine in New Mexico

The story of wine in New Mexico starts almost 10,000 years before Spanish colonization, with wine being produced and consumed in other parts of the world. Wine is one of the oldest documented beverages consumed; the oldest known site dates back to Armenia approximately 6,000 years ago, where archaeologists discovered a wine press, ollas, and other materials associated with wine-making.

New Mexico is reported to be the oldest wine-growing region in the United States. Oñate came to New Mexico from Mexico in 1598. His arrival is significant to the wine story because, when the Franciscan friars planted grape vines in 1629, those vines came from Mexico, not Spain, as had been thought previously. Recent evidence suggests that wine was being made here even before the arrival of the Spanish — the Mimbres people may have been making wine from wild grapes as far back as the 1000s.

Wine has been made at El Rancho since 1995, when the first grape stomping demonstration was introduced at that year’s Harvest Festival. Though the methods have changed over the years – from stomping into tinas (Spanish for tubs or vats) to the safer method of stomping into barrels – the tradition remains.

 

In this talk, Heidi will discuss the history of wine in New Mexico from the post-colonization period to the present, with a focus on the wine-making techniques employed by the Spanish and those that were introduced after the arrival of the Santa Fe Trail and the railroad. Details about the rancho’s wine-making demonstration will also be shared.

 

At Las Golondrinas, during our Harvest Festival, guests who participate in de-stemming or stomping wash their hands or feet in a sodium bisulfate solution – virtually everything that comes into contact with the wine is sterilized with this solution!