Guadalupe Valley Aims for Domestic, International Wine Prominence
From The San Diego Union Tribune
By Loic Hostetter Aug. 15, 2012
BY THE NUMBERS
729,000 - Estimated number of people who visited Baja California's wine-growing areas last year
50,000 - Expected attendance for this year's Vendimia festival
67 - Number of wineries in Baja California
457 - Number of tourism-related events planned for Baja California this year
ENSENADA - "Guadalupe Valley, the most famous wine-producing area in Mexico, plays host to vintners of every stripe - from establishments turning out
millions of bottles a year to those making just a few hundred.
Those products are being widely circulated, and sampled, this month as visitors hit the Baja "wine route" and nearby Ensenada during the annual
Vendimia (wine harvest) festival. The 17-day event, which ends Sunday, is expected to draw more than 50,000 people, according to the Baja California
tourism secretary.
Its vineyard tours, culinary parties and wine-inspired street fairs and concerts also spotlight two overarching goals in Guadalupe and six other
nearby wine valleys: produce world-class varietals and satiate a growing tourist market.
Experts said Baja California's wine country has seen a steady rise in visitors and business during the past decade, but forging an international
tourist destination from a largely rural, inland valley can make for a rocky road. While the state has emerged as Mexico's premier wine-growing region
and accounts for 90 percent of the nation's wine production, it still struggles to recapture the number of U.S. tourists from bygone years.
The reasons are varied and often tough to overcome: Drug-related violence in Mexico has scared off Americans, who continue to stay away long after
high-profile cartel battles have ended in Baja California. The Great Recession and its lingering effects have clipped the travel budget of many U.S.
families. And despite Baja California's ascending wine reputation, its bottled offerings are not widely recognized or available north of the border.
State-supported mitigation efforts are underway, most recently with the unveiling of a multimillion dollar wine museum in Guadalupe Valley.
"(The government) finds that the wine and the gastronomy is a good identity opportunity for the state," said Jorge D'Garay, president of D'Garay
Public Relations and an expert on Baja California's tourism sector.
Both federal and state governments have backed the push in the form of monetary aid, infrastructure development and promotions, including better signs
along major transportation routes, road repaving and invitations for famous chefs to tour the area, D'Garay said.
A binational approach
Guadalupe Valley's boosters envision building their region's stature not only by capturing greater U.S. interest but also by nurturing strong domestic
demand.
"We would like for the Mexican people to have national pride about their wine," said Tru Miller, who owns a vineyard and bed and breakfast in
Guadalupe Valley with her husband, Don.
For the international element, Baja California's tourism secretary and other promoters have turned to U.S. marketing specialists for help. The San
Diego-based public relations firm Allison + Partners has been brought in to help emphasize Baja's biggest attractions, particularly its wine-making
valleys, said Juan Tintos, the state's tourism secretary.
The campaign includes conducting studies to gauge Americans' perceptions of safety and recreational opportunities in Baja, he said.
Since 2005, the number of restaurants along the "wine route" has almost doubled - from 15 to 28 - and the number of hotels has soared from a single
location seven years ago to 13 today.
But tourists venturing into Mexican wine territory largely continue to arrive from domestic points of origin, Tintos said.
This is because most of Baja California's wines stay within the country's borders - and so they gain little exposure in the United States, Don Miller
said.
The moderate output of Baja's wine producers may also create a financial incentive for them to keep their product in domestic markets.
To send their wines across the border, vintners have to hire an importer and a distributor to get their bottles on store shelves and into restaurants,
a process where the cost often outweighs the benefits, Tru Miller said.
International exposure
Aside from accessibility, elevating a wine market to worldwide prominence depends greatly on visibility and quality, said Karl Storchmann, a professor
at New York University and managing editor of the Journal of Wine Economics.
To popularize a wine region's overall name and its specific brands, products must be submitted and then rank well at wine competitions and fairs, he
said.
"Once they win, then people will flock there," Storchmann added.
Award recognition and household familiarity - coupled with favorable media coverage by wine critics, culinary bloggers and other foodies - can also
stimulate a wine-making region's tourism sector, he said.
In the same manner, celebrities can be used to endorse the region, said James Laube, an expert on California wines and a senior editor of Wine
Spectator magazine.
Wine producers in Baja California are considering or already trying these strategies.
Some wineries in the state are garnering acclaim at international contests. For example, wines from L.A. Cetto in Guadalupe Valley have won more than
200 awards, some at highly regarded competitions.
The region's leaders have also courted culinary icons to give their public stamp of approval for Baja. Celebrity chefs Rick Bayless - who specializes
in traditional Mexican cuisine - and Anthony Bourdain are among the stars who have visited the area for their TV shows, Tintos said.
Such efforts are not exclusive to Baja California. Many emerging wine markets are vying for international attention as well.
Baja must still compete in quality and price with similarly burgeoning wine-producing regions in Chile, Australia and Canada, Laube said.
But even if Mexican wines never command international prominence, the domestic market may be enough.
There has been a shift in Mexicans' attitudes toward the product in recent years, Don Miller said. Their wine consumption has been rising, he said,
and more of them are choosing their own country's offerings."
loic.hostetter@utsandiego.com Twitter: @L_Hostetter (619) 293-1280
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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