Wine Tasting

Mexico has not, until recently, had a wine culture. Decent wine was difficult to fine, was imported and expensive.

Wino that I am, this proved to be a challenge when I first arrived. Then I discovered the Argentinean and Chilean imports that were very drinkable and reasonably priced. I was saved.

But things are changing. Apparently Mexico has been producing wines out of Baja California for some time now and people are beginning to step up and take notice. This could not have been more evidenced than by the Celebration of Mexican Wines event held last weekend at Hacienda Las Trancas.

When my niece sent me information about the event, I immediately wanted to attend. I sent an email out to the gang to see if it peaked anyone else’s interest and all were non-responsive except Christine. She was in. So a week before the event I asked her to pick up tickets for us, since the sales office was close to her office. She called after to say that she’d gotten the last available tickets.

As the event approached, my other friends began to respond with interest. “Too late,” I had to tell them. Some tried anyway and were unsuccessful.

In addition to the wine tasting, the venue appealed to me as well. Hacienda Las Trancas is 40,000 square feet with 50 rooms under one roof (many still in need of renovation), set on 10 acres. It is about an hour from San Miguel de Allende. (I highly recommend that you visit their website and read the story of the gringo couple who are bringing this place back to life. If nothing else, check out the photos.) I had visited once before and was extremely impressed with the place and what the owners are accomplishing.

The tickets included bus transportation but we decided to drive in case we wanted to depart before the busses were scheduled to leave. Rodrigo, Christine and her Match.com date Mario, and I arrived a few minutes before the event was to begin. Tuxedoed waiters were still frantically setting up. Kellie, the owner, met us at the entrance. “This is Mexico,” she said, “Why are you here on time?”

We were handed our glasses at the entrance and ventured into the enormous courtyard where tables were set up representing each of the wineries. As we tasted, we were able to wander through many of the impressive guestrooms, the gardens, stables, swimming pool area and a gym that makes anything in San Miguel look shabby. Then the busses began to arrive. Hundreds of gringos and well-to-do Mexicans poured into the Hacienda.

Each of the tables had bowls of tiny pieces of bread to clean your palate between tastes. At the entrance table a dog was eyeing the bowl and wagging his tail expectantly. A few minutes later I saw Kelley, in her beautiful black cocktail dress, scoop up the dog and carry him out of the Hacienda.

As the crowd thickened, waiters began to serve a variety of exotic and tasty appetizers. Always looking out for our vegetarian friend Christine, I asked what was in the little round balls that one of the waiters was serving. In Spanish, he told me that it was cheese and tuna. Biting into it I found that it was indeed cheese but also some kind of shredded beef. “Don’t eat those,” I told Christine. Later we found wonderful ceviche stuffed cucumbers that Christine was able to consume.

The event began at 6:00 PM, which, when you think about it, is early-bird special time for the retired crowd. These types began to close in on the dinning room and waiters could barely clear the doorway before little age-spotted hands cleared their serving trays.

All in all, I was very impressed with the event, and especially with the wines. We left around 7:30 but heard that the first bus was not scheduled to leave until 9:30. Had we taken a bus, we would have been very drunk and hungry by 9:30

Vineyards are beginning to pop up around San Miguel. I couldn’t be happier and do my best every night to support the industry.