Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

In the past five years, the idea of wine from Mexico went from crazy-sounding to very enticing. A mere 113km drive south of the US-Mexico border on the

Baja Peninsula is Valle de Guadalupe, where some 150 wineries, mostly small operations, have sprouted up to take advantage of wine-friendly conditions. The region produces 90 per cent of the country’s wines.

Most well-established wine regions have rules and customs governing what gets made, but Guadalupe is in a position to experiment and see what works. “It reminds me of Paso Robles 15 years ago,” says Tomás Bracamontes, who has become a major importer of the wines through his company, La Competencia Imports. “There are no rules. You can do anything you want. Some people are making Pinot Noir and others Rhône blends.” Bracamontes’s money is on the white grape Chenin Blanc as far as up-and-comers go, and

“Tempranillo is doing really well”, he adds, referring to Spain’s great red export.

The wineries may be small, but they’ve caught the attention of industry power players. Lourdes Martinez Ojeda became a talked-about winemaker with her work for Bodegas Henri Lurton, a Valle de Guadalupe venture of Bordeaux’s renowned Lurton family (they make Château Brane-Cantenac and many others). “Having this great Bordeaux family down there has really helped,” says Jeff Harding, the beverage director at Waverly Inn in New York.

Harding, who visited the region in 2018, became a fan quickly, putting Guadalupe wines on his list.

His primary recommendation is about taste. “Bigger, riper fruit” is the overall profile compared to other places. “They’re approachable and great to drink,” he adds, “and they go great with Mexican food.”