Every Sunday, with a little more of an educational edge, I explore specific appellations or sub-regions, taking you along for the ride. If you’ve learned about or traveled to these regions in the past, this will be an opportunity for you to brush up on some fading facts and if it’s uncharted territory, why not learn something new? If you’re already an expert or you call this region home, then feel free to comment and share your experiences with everyone.

The first vineyard plantings in the United States were within the borders of what would become the state of New Mexico. They were Mission grapes (known as Pais in Chile) planted by Franciscan and Capuchin monks in 1629, more than 100 years before vines would be rooted in California. Vineyard area slowly grew over the next couple of centuries, peaking in 1880 with 3,150 acres producing nearly 4 million liters of wine, before constant flooding of the Rio Grande over the following 30 years destroyed the vineyards.

(image from Milagrow Vineyards)

With the end of the twentieth century came a small resurgence and today, New Mexico is home to over 30 wineries and roughly 1200 acres of vines (although the exact figure varies widely) spread out around the state. There are 4 American Viticultural Areas: Mimbres Valley AVA in the southwest, Mesilla Valley AVA in the south which extends into Texas, Rio Grande Valley AVA along the banks of the Rio Grande in the north and Middle Rio Grande Valley AVA just a little further south.

(Map from the New Mexico Wine Grower’s Association)

The soils tend to be deep silt and clay loam with good drainage. The weather is as hot and dry as you’d expect and the vines require irrigation. The saving grace is the high altitude where many of the vineyards are planted, allowing the plants and fruit to cool down at night. The list of grape varieties is expansive, but also include a number of hybrids from the 70′s and 80′s, when growers were encouraged by the government to plant them.

Gruet Brut NV – New Mexico

Gilbert Gruet founded Gruet et Fils in France and began producing Champagne in the 1950′s. Following the lead of fellow European winemakers he met on a vacation to the US in the 1980′s, Gilbert purchased land and planted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes in New Mexico. Gruet Winery‘s vineyards are some of the highest in the United States at 4300 ft (1300 m). They produce 100,000 cases of 7 different sparkling labels using the Méthode Champenoise. There is no shortage of this wine in the US as it’s distributed to 48 states, yet I haven’t seen it before in Canada.

The Gruet NV Brut is slightly neutral with characters of red apple skin and faint tropical fruit. Good acidity and a touch of toasty yeastiness on the palate. Fairly straightforward and inoffensive. At $12.99 a bottle, it could certainly serve a purpose as good value party bubble or as an exceptional blending partner with orange juice. I found it at BevMo.

As always, please feel free to contribute any information, experience or tasting notes that you feel are relevant and check back next Sunday. Check out past Sunday posts here.