New Mexico is home to nearly 50 wineries, nine of which are located in the greater Albuquerque area.
Operations like the Corrales Winery have on-site vineyards and face unique challenges harvesting grapes in such a dry climate. Keith Johnstone, co-owner of the winery, said winter is a major obstacle for vineyards here.
“While the dryness is an advantage during the growing season, it’s a problem in the course of the winter because one of the problems we have (in New Mexico) is desiccation,” he said. “The humidity gets so low, and we get so little moisture in the winter time, the vines dry out and if the roots dry out they die and we have to replant. We have to irrigate through the winter just to keep our plants alive.”
Keeping the vineyard healthy is vital, he said, because growing the best grapes possible is essential to making wine.
“The quality of the grapes at the time of the picking has the major impact on the quality of the wine. You can’t make a good wine out of bad grapes,” Johnstone said.
Despite the challenges, Albuquerque’s “wine maestro” Jim Hammond, said he has tasted wine from all over the world and the wine made in Albuquerque and Corrales is as good as any, with all things taken into account.
“Considering the soil characteristics and weather isn’t as kind to us as it is in California, Oregon or Washington, I’d say our quality is equal to theirs,” he said. “There are a lot more challenges we have to deal with to make wine, and our wine-makers here have done a great job.”
Hammond has been on the New Mexico wine scene since 1999 and said that the quality of the wine produced here has steadily gotten better.
“Wine makers are learning more. It takes a while to learn this; this is not a typical environment people would grow grapes in,” he said.
Hammond considers Corrales specifically one of the best places for wine lovers.
“There are a number of really good wines made around here. This I’d say is one of the best areas for getting a variety of well-made, good wines,” he said.
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In addition, Hammond said adventures such as the Corrales Wine Loop can’t be found anywhere else in the nation, possibly the world.
“Only in New Mexico have we had this concentration of wineries in this close of an area. Almost everywhere else they’re more spread out,” he said.
Johnstone said the key behind wineries’ success in New Mexico was their owners adjusting to the state’s environment and climate.
“People were trying to make California wine in New Mexico,” he said. “We started trying to make New Mexico wines because we just couldn’t do it. We needed to make the best wines we could make, from the grapes we have, under the conditions we can grow them here.”
Shelley Bennett, community relations coordinator of the Idaho Wine Commission, has limited experience tasting New Mexico wine, but said she is excited about our local wine scene.
“Phenomenal wine can be made in any state in the country and there’s lots of wine makers out there making really great wine, and I’m sure there’s plenty of it in New Mexico,” she said.
Bennett said she believes the state’s wine industry will continue to grow and expand into the future.
“I’m excited to try more New Mexico wine,” she said. “I think it’s great that the industry is growing out there, and I think it’s going to be fun to watch.”
Mychal Miltenberger, Kyle Lord and Scott McCoy are journalism students at UNM. This article was written for the Daily Lobo as part of UNM’s New Mexico News Port project.
