Baja California Wine Industry
By Adina Moloman
Source: El Economista
Baja California is not only about the Maquiladora Industry, is also about the wine industry, who has been gaining recognition in the past years.
The idea is to promote Baja California not only as the biggest producer of Mexican wine but also to make Baja California the capital of the wine industry all over the world. This is an ambition plan but so far there are remarkable achievements such as: Baja California becoming the biggest producer of Mexican wine, primarily in the Guadalupe Valley; Mexican wines picked up 12 medals at last year’s International Wine and Spirits competition in Spain; it signed an agreement with the region Champagne-Ardenn in France; it also created the famous “Wine Route” recognized as the 2011 Best Touristic Route in Mexico, etc.
The wine route offers a wide range of attractions that goes from small familiar wineries to the industrial wineries, restaurants, hotels, wine shops, craft centers, campsites, among other. The two-centuries-long wine tradition of the region is to focus on organizing concerts and bringing gourmet cuisine. Here is also promoted the culinary concept of the fusion menu known as ‘Baja Med‘, Baja Med cuisine that combines the oriental and Mediterranean cuisine with regional flavors, sea ingredients and spices.
Many are mentioning that The Guadalupe Valley might be the next Napa Valley, but Baja California has only about 8,000 acres of vineyards, compared to Napa’s 45,000 acres.
The main advantage in Baja California is the Mediterranean weather, perfect for growing grapevines but the land is arid. The beauty of the Baja California wine region is it the entirely concept mentioned above, where the wines reflect the character of the grapes, the location, and its producers and most importantly it’s a handcrafted product.
The grapes that are given here are white like Chenin Blanc, Colombard, Souvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and reds like Cabernet souvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Genache, Carignan, Barbera, Nebbiolo , Zinfandel.
The main wineries in Baja are CETTO, DOMECQ and SANTO TOMAS.
There are also negative aspects such as taxes to the wineries, which can be as high as 45 percent and the water for the regional production needs.
