Page 23 - OCEAN BLUE - WINTER 2016
P. 23
+++MONEY ++ MONEY ++ MONEY+++
To date some As with Mexican wine production,
remarkable Mexican wine consumption has
vintners have increased, including in circles where
emerged people claim to ‘only drink Mexican
imbuing their own particular flairs, wine’. There are collectors who have
such as those of Pau Pijoan, whose dedicated priority space in their
earliest wines are known as the wine cellars for certain vintners and
‘women of Pijoan’ as they are named restaurateurs who previously left
for his wife and daughters and for local wines off their wine lists who
his latest red and pink blend delicacy are now intentionally seeking them
wines, with names based on fast cars, out. Ninety per cent of Mexican
like Red Convertible. His annual wine is produced in Ensenada and
batch of a popular high-end wine, the its valleys, but other regions’ wine-
Carmen Maria, and others such as the makers are using different types of
Leonora 2015, are now produced in grapes and methods of vinification, in
commemorative editions. some cases revitalizing vineyards that
have previously existed. Sometimes
Alvaro Pt’cnick has created his criticized for pricey labels that do not
famous Albarolo, made with a blend warrant them, today this is not the
of Italian and Baja Californian general rule.
grapes, producing special annual In addition to the recognized
editions. Chief winemaker Joaquín producers and vintners where the art of
Prieto crafts some of the top Mexican wine-making is practically imprinted
wines, including Elegance and the on their DNA, there are also some
Baja California wines named after young up-and-coming winemakers
the Kiliwa, the name of the local to watch out for, including Andrés
indigenous people from the area Blanco, Daniel Longberg, Reynaldo
where the grapes are grown. Prieto’s Rodríguez and Alberto Rubio, among
brand names are based on words from an extensive and growing list. In
the Kiliwa language including: Jala, a reality, the selection of fine, premium
Kiliwa word for God, Kuwal, which Mexican wine continues to grow each
translates to red and Kojaa, from the year.
word wine.
Today, with 25 years of refining wine- In fact, this growth of wine production
making in the Mexican terroir, wines in both the Old and New Worlds are
of great quality with impeccable still exporting only about one-third
production are being bottled, in some of their wine production leaving
cases, with internationally famous plenty for globalization of Mexican
winemakers collaborating on national wine to progress further in the future.
soil. These dedicated efforts have borne The wines themselves are earning
fruit and Mexican wine pioneers have enough accolades and medals to make
created a new wine lexis that is the sommeliers and critics take notice.
pride and pleasure of Mexico.
Dieter Esch
Chairman
Source Paulina VelezAlba
www.oceanblueMAGAZINE.com 23
