BajaNomad

Baja is making a lot more great wine than you might think

elgatoloco - 12-18-2015 at 11:56 AM

http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-baja-wine-20151219-story.h...

Sweetwater - 12-18-2015 at 12:08 PM

As a vintner for the past 25 years, I find the discussion about the grapes to be fascinating. The salinity of the well water making it's way into the grapes is not positive but some other grape characteristics are.


Quote:

You get full ripeness here, where in Italy, that's sometimes difficult. The skins get darker and take on more anthocyans" — the stuff in a red grape that lends flavor, color and intensity.


The French are facing some challenges due to the nonexistent climate changes, maybe they should have some of their people train in Baja.....
Quote:

In a vineyard on the outskirts of the world’s wine capital, Agnes Destrac, a researcher with France’s National Institute for Agricultural Research, points to shriveled merlot grapes, left to linger on the vine well past harvest time to simulate the effects of rising temperatures.


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-15/merlot-fac...

elgatoloco - 12-18-2015 at 12:39 PM

It is amazing to see how many wineries have opened and how many different grapes are being grown and combined. It used to be a real novelty to take guests over the bumpy dirt road from the coast to try some wine at the few places that were there back when. There was always some really good ones and some that were not. Its kind of the same but on a much grander scale and the food choices are almost too many. Almost. :saint:

Interesting article about the French wine. Thanks.

Do you make wine? Or sell it? Is it your own? Curious.

BigBearRider - 12-18-2015 at 12:50 PM

Thanks for posting!

Hook - 12-18-2015 at 01:43 PM

I prefer salt on my STEAK.

Just cant get past the pricing on Mexican wines.............

Sweetwater - 12-18-2015 at 03:21 PM

Quote: Originally posted by elgatoloco  
It is amazing to see how many wineries have opened and how many different grapes are being grown and combined. It used to be a real novelty to take guests over the bumpy dirt road from the coast to try some wine at the few places that were there back when. There was always some really good ones and some that were not. Its kind of the same but on a much grander scale and the food choices are almost too many. Almost. :saint:

Interesting article about the French wine. Thanks.

Do you make wine? Or sell it? Is it your own? Curious.


I reside in Utah, the theocracy of the non-drinking Mormons so I began brewing beer in the 1980's. I got pretty good at it and accumulated the equipment as well as the experience with yeasts and balancing the grain/hops. Bought my first batch of grapes in 1990 and have a video somewhere of my two boys stomping them in 5 gallon buckets. They were bitty kids at that point. That was a Reisling as I recall so they didn't get stained, haha. From that point, it just escalated with me renting a press and ordering grapes from the Fruita Colorado area for quite a few years. I finally bought a crusher and basket press somewhere along the timeline. No oak casks since I can put in oak chips while the wine ages in glass carboys. The 5 gallon steel soda kegs distribute to my bottles or flasks with low pressure CO2 although technically you should use Nitrogen. Anyway, wine on tap in the wine room. Right now I've got around 50 gallons from the past 4 years. I do several 5 gallon batches so that I can experiment with blends. Cab. S, Merlot, Tempranillo, Syrah, Pinot N, Sangiovese, Barbara and Malbec are in my shelf currently. You can find good, inexpensive white wines everywhere so I stick to the reds. The best grapes available to me are up around Nampa, Idaho and I have a friend who works in Napa/Sonoma in the industry so he ships me some Cali grapes as well.

A few years ago I did a photo tutorial which I posted to AdvRider, I'll post a link when I find it. The wine is in my genes, both my immigrant grandfather's were known to make their own table wine and my background in biochemistry made this a natural fit.

[Edited on 12-18-2015 by Sweetwater]

elgatoloco - 12-23-2015 at 12:06 PM

Utah is a fun state to visit. The ying and the yang in Salt Lake City is fascinating. Will be up in January for work/ski trip. Mostly ski.

Sounds like a good time can be had at Casa Sweetwater! Must be gratifying to sip your own good wine.

You chemists are alike. My bro-in-law retired a few years back and has been honing his beer making skills to the point that we are about to outlaw his home brews from our quarterly blind tastings because he keeps winning. :saint:

Thanks for the explanation on your being a vintner.

Hook - we totally agree on both the salt factor and the cost factor. While we have tasted and bought some really good wines in the Valle we wish our dollar would stretch a bit more. Its almost a good thing that you can't take more than a liter each back north. ;D Our last trip we did get a Syrah Grenache blend form Mogor Badan for $23.00 that was REALLY good. Went back for more a while later and they were all out.

Martyman - 12-23-2015 at 01:57 PM

I had Fusione last night which is a cab/merlot blend from Montefiori in Guadelupe valley. It tasted better in Mexico... Most wines from Guadelupe have that hot finish that comes from warm climates.

pauldavidmena - 12-23-2015 at 03:26 PM

I first read this topic as "Baja is making a lot more great wine than you can drink", but then I thought, that can't be true...

Vina De Frannes

bajaguy - 12-23-2015 at 03:38 PM

Next time you are in the Valle de Guadalupe, try Vina De Frannes, 12 different varietals, restaurant on site.

Located off the El Tigre-El Porvenir highway, tucked in a canyon behind Cheatu Camou. Take the marked dirt road between the Jersey Maid Parque del Nino and the driveway to Monte Xanic, follow it past Chateau Camou.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vina-De-Frannes/6645662170118...

[Edited on 12-23-2015 by bajaguy]

Santiago - 12-23-2015 at 04:09 PM

Thanks for that; after 5 or 6 trips it's amazing of how few wineries I've been to.

bajaguy - 12-23-2015 at 04:32 PM

Jim - We were up there a couple of weeks ago. Very interesting history. This particular winery has been in the Camou family since 1831 according to our guide/host. On site store and tasting, plus restaurant. They get their water from springs and wells up in their canyon

https://www.google.com.mx/maps/@32.1115604,-116.6038763,308m...
Quote: Originally posted by Santiago  
Thanks for that; after 5 or 6 trips it's amazing of how few wineries I've been to.

23S52N - 12-23-2015 at 05:13 PM

I really enjoy all vintages from LA CETTO'S vineyard in Valle de Guadalupe. Matches with the best although I am most partial to Chilean wines. The unfortunate part is that Mexico has a very high tariff on their vintners making their wines more costly than the better chilean.

Hopefully they will be successful in getting the tariffs reduced or removed.

And I am by no means a conoisseur, I just know what I like.

Feliz Navidad
Keith

bajaguy - 12-23-2015 at 05:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by 23S52N  
The unfortunate part is that Mexico has a very high tariff on their vintners making their wines more costly than the better chilean.

Hopefully they will be successful in getting the tariffs reduced or removed.

Feliz Navidad
Keith





We have found that you can buy Baja wines in the States (at selected San Diego area COSTCO stores) and on-line (www.LMAwines.com) usually cheaper than you can purchase them in Mexico

Hook - 12-23-2015 at 08:26 PM

I guess I dont understand this tariff issue I keep hearing about, when the wines are more expensive in Mexico than outside it. What kind of tariff could that be?

Santiago - 12-23-2015 at 09:19 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajaguy  
Jim - We were up there a couple of weeks ago. Very interesting history. This particular winery has been in the Camou family since 1831 according to our guide/host. On site store and tasting, plus restaurant. They get their water from springs and wells up in their canyon

https://www.google.com.mx/maps/@32.1115604,-116.6038763,308m...

Quote: Originally posted by Santiago  

Thanks BG: will stop in on my next trip, when ever that is.:(

23S52N - 12-24-2015 at 12:20 PM

Perhaps one of the vintners on here could better clarify the tariff issue but to my understanding it is the taxes imposed on the vintners by the state and federal govt. in Mexico. They have been fighting to have them removed but I am not aware of any success.

Regards,
Keith

BajaGeoff - 12-24-2015 at 01:34 PM

This is from 2012 but explains the taxation issue:

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2012/mar/21/baja-wine-region-faces-...

willardguy - 12-24-2015 at 02:22 PM

more.......

Most Mexican wineries want to increase their exports as well as carve out a
domestic niche with quality wines. Tariffs are low on Mexican wine imports to
the United States and if Mexican vintners export their wine, they get a
substantial tax break at home.