Vintage ‘win-win’
Goblet sees it as “a natural fit” and he plans on meeting soon with the American Indian Chamber of Commerce to see if more pueblos want to grow grapes.
“There is a desire for New Mexico-grown grapes and wine,” said Bronk, adding that Santa Ana has more acreage available for grape growing.
Although the majority of wine produced in New Mexico is consumed by residents and by visiting tourists, that could also be changing as more state wineries look to send their products beyond state borders as Gruet does, Goblet said.
The Santa Ana harvest was not the work of just one pueblo. A Native American labor force picked the 30 acres along Interstate 25 by hand with contract labor crews in addition to Santa Ana’s, getting help from Santo Domingo, San Felipe, Jemez and Zia pueblos, Bronk said. This year’s harvest netted 75 tons.
Bronk earned a degree in agriculture from Auburn University and honed his skills working in the wheat and grape harvests of California.
Wine growers often speak of a region’s “terroir,” or the environment in which a wine is produced. Altitude seems to be a key ingredient in shaping the flavor of New Mexico wines. The high altitude here, where pinot noir grapes are grown at some of the highest altitudes in the world, “results in great acidity and fruit flavors,” Witherspoon said. The Engle vineyards are about 4,775 feet above sea level, while the Santa Ana Pueblo vineyard is at about 5,200 feet.
The Gruet tradition goes back to founder Gilbert Gruet producing Champagne in France in the 1950s. When the family traveled to New Mexico in 1983, they encountered European winemakers who had done well planting vineyards in Engle, and in 1984, they planted their first experimental grapes there, according to the winery’s website.
At Santa Ana, the pueblo also has its own farm growing alfalfa and corn, a custom mill grinding blue, white and yellow corn, and wheat, and a native plant nursery and retail garden center that serves the public, Bronk said.
With this year’s harvest proclaimed successful, Santa Ana and Gruet are looking to a future of cultivating more pueblo acres for grapes. The pueblo could potentially plant another 400 acres for Gruet grapes, Bronk said.
“There is definitely an opportunity to expand,” said Witherspoon. “We are optimistic about further expansion and we can always use more quality New Mexico grapes at Gruet.”