Heart of the Dessert 9 of 44

Heart of the Dessert is a tasting room located in Alamogordo, New Mexico. They do grow their own grapes but the wine is manufactured by other wineries. When you first enter Heart of the Dessert you'll notice it's more of a gift shop selling knick-knacks, jewelry and pistachios than it is a tasting room but if you continue to the back you'll notice a very nicely appointed room reserved for tasting wine. On the day I visited Heart of the Dessert, the tasting room was closed but they directed us to a small counter in the front of the store for tasting.

Perhaps it was the chaotic location of the tasting counter being located directly by the cash register with line of patrons buying knick-knacks that made the wine hostess this day seem a little bothered and distracted. Or perhaps it was her comment that, "I've been a bar tender for years and "they" don't swirl or smell the wine as "they" taste it," correcting us as we did so, that has me believing this. I might have put a little credence to her comment if it hadn’t been for the way she lead into it by saying, "I don't drink wine but..."

First, we are the "they" of whom she speaks and second, correct me if I’m wrong here but in my experience, patrons that order drinks from a bar tender are not typically interested in the experiential nature of tasting their drinks like someone visiting a winery. When was the last time you saw someone swirl and sniff their martini and to carry the thought a step further, why would you care if they did? So I've come to the conclusion, after viewing a few references, that an ex-bar tender does not a good wine hostess make. Let's leave it at that.

If you go: I wouldn't.

Acequia Vineyards & Winery 8 of 44

Acequia Vineyards & Winery, in its first year of business, is a "garage" winery by all accounts; the owner literally converted his garage into a lovely tasting room with your choice of either the tasting bar or a bistro table on which to complete your tasting. Acequia is located on the West side of Corrales at 240 Reclining Acres Rd.

We tasted three of Acequia's wines: the Kestrel, Chardonnay and red Zinfandel. The Kestrel is a white, sweet, smooth wine with flavors of pear and a tart finish. The Chardonnay is crisp and clean with a fruity bouquet. The red Zinfandel is light bodied with overtones of oak and spices. All three are rich in flavor that envelopes the palate and delightes the taste buds. I highly recommend all of them.    



Al, Karen, William & Abel

 



I've come to realize that the personality of the wine host, be it the owner or hired hand, is crucial to an enjoyable experience and directly affects my decision to purchase wine both at the vineyard and later as I look to replenish my stock at the store. Acequia is at the top of my list in this respect. The owner greeted us with a happy, welcoming smile and continued with a cheerful demeanor through our entire visit sharing his wine making stories and experience with us. Al, you're awesome, thank you!

If you go: There is no event schedule at Acequia but that doesn't mean you won't have an enjoyable and relaxing time with Al tasting some of the best wine in New Mexico.



Custom made Acequia pottery bowl

First Impressions

I'm sure you've all heard that first impressions are everything. This age old adage is never more "real" than when one is visiting a winery. With everyday shopping you typically already know what you want or you want to survey the stock so aren't really interested in asking for help. It's different for me when visiting a winery because of the personal nature of the tasting process.

Allow me to paint the picture: The host pours you a smattering of an often times award winning wine and you put it in your mouth and make an assessment of its taste and character...all while the maker watches with gleeful expectation. To me, it's an experience with certain intimacies similar to tasting your grandmother's family-favorite pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving while she looks on with a loving smile. You'd never dream of spitting it out followed by a hearty, "YUCK" now would you?

So there is a balance that has to be struck between taster and host and as with any other retail establishment, the personality of the staff (in this case the wine host or hostess) is in direct proportion to the guest's first impression and enjoyment of the wine and the winery. When the customer is made to feel inadequate or dumb by a self centered host, it affects how much the customer purchases both at the time of tasting and later when in other stores as they look to replenish their supply. Conversely, if the host is friendly and opens up to the tasters to help create a mutually respectful relationship and inviting atmosphere, the customer is more likely to not only buy wine but to spread the word about their positive experience at the winery to their wine loving friends.

Here's the point of this post. If you visit a winery and you aren't met with a sincere greeting and then made to feel as though the host or hostess wants you there, leave. It really is that simple. As I've been visiting wineries over the past few months on my quest to win a wine cruise there have been some wineries where the visit turns into a lovely time of chatting and tasting and buying. Then there have been others where I can't wait to leave; sometimes before ever tasting a drop. I didn't leave because I want to complete the contest but I can assure you that when this contest is over, I won't be going back.

Corrales Winery, Corrales, NM - 7 of 44

The White Buffalo is Corrales Winery's Mascot

Directly across Highway 528 from Matheson Winery and down Corrales road no more than a few miles is Corrales Winery. This winery, founded by a former Sandia Laboratories engineer, is nestled in the lovely village of Corrales, NM and boasts that it is solar powered and completely "off the grid." Once inside, the view from the tasting room is breathtaking. You hardly notice that the vines in the foreground, while starting to sweat, are not yet in full bloom as the Sandia mountains in the background envelope the huge picture windows. It has to be one of the most magnificant views of the Sandia mountains I've ever seen from inside a dwelling.

Sweating Vines

Corrales uses 100% New Mexico grown grapes, as do most of the wineries we've visited so far. Since they were sold out of all but two of the wines, I tasted both. The Cabernet Sauvignon and the Rojo Blendido. The Cabernet has a deep, rich color with hints of plum and a dry finish. The Rojo is sweet and syrupy and reminds me of black currents. We took a bottle of the Cabernet with us and made our way back down the long driveway to Corrales Road. Another winery awaits.

Trivia: Vines sweat (emit small droplets of water) just before their first buds of greenery appear in the Spring.

If you go: Hours are Wed-Sun from noon to 5. They typically sell out of all wine so if you like a wine you've tasted, don't wait, pick it up. Better yet, join the wine club.

Matheson Winery, Rio Rancho - 6 of 44



Mark, William, Karen and Abel

What this "urban" winery lacks in curb appeal it more than makes up for in warmth, wine variety, taste and personality. This award winning winery is located in a non-descript strip mall complex right on Highway 528 in North Rio Rancho at 528 and Sundt. It is owned and operated by Mark Matheson who also founded Assets Grille; Albuquerque's first brew pub. Mr. Matheson's pedigree of brewing and wine making is evident in the knowlege of wine and of the New Mexico wine making industry he delightfully shared with us as we tasted. From hauling the grapes to his winery to pressing, firmenting, bottling and selling, Mr. Matheson does it all. If you don't believe me, there are pictures on the walls to prove it.


Matheson makes mostly red wine so I was a happy camper but we did try all the wines this day; two of which were white. The 2009 Carnivale is a Muscat, Malvaisa and Reisling blend that is sweet yet with a crisp soft finish. The 2007 Chardonnay has a delightful tart/vanilla flavor that isn't buttery. I could imagine sipping the Chardonnay as the last little bit of the summer sun casts long shadows across my newly mown lawn. Or, it would make a great gift for friends who love Chardonnay.  

Award winning Matheson Wine

The five reds range from dry to sweet beginning with the Rio Cuvee which is light bodied and dry with a tart finish to the Doce which is a sweet port made syrupy with brandy. This one was reminisient of the wine I had as a kid during holy communion that warmed me down to my toes. In between lie the Cabernet Sauvignon with a lovely smooth, oak flavor you'd expect from a Cabernet to the Sagio Franc, slightly sweeter and fruiter than the Cabernet to the Tres which is smooth, sweet with hints of spicy cloves.

I took home the Rio Cuvee and the Chardonnay but don't get your hopes up, the Chardonnay is a gift.

As with many of the wineries the wine club has no membership fee and they also offer a Prefered Customer Card that offers increasing discounts, up to 20%, as you purchase wine throughout the year.

If you go: The tasting room is open Wed-Sunday from noon to 5:00. If you ask, Mr. Matheson just might give you a tour of the bottling room.

Screw tops waiting for their perfect pairing.

Anasazi Fields Winery - Placitas, NM 5 of 44

Iron sign: Anasazi Fields

I love this winery. I love it becuase 1.) it's not pretentious, 2.) all the wines are made from fruit besides grapes and 3.) Jim Fish, the owner, is a delight! Besides being a wine maker, he's a poet. You can purchase his published book of poetry at the winery. Jim was more than willing to spend time with us telling us how each wine is made and where he gets the fruit. From the moment you drive onto the property you get the feeling that this winery is different. Different in a good way; a way that makes you feel comfortable.

Anasazi Fields Winery is in Placitas, New Mexico which is about 25 miles North of Albuquerque and tucked back in the Sandia mountains where it's quiet and peaceful. Almost all the fruit used to make the wines is grown in Placitas. To find out why I say "almost" you'll have to keep reading.

I know what you're thinking....because I was thinking the same thing....fruit wine must be sweet. Not true. From the Peach to the Apple to the Raspberry to the Wild Cherry (and I could go on), these wines are dry, tart, refreshing and such a surprise to the palate.

William, Abel, Jim, Karen and Dan

My favorite, and the one that came home with me, is the Rojo Seco. This is a blend of two wines, a 2008 Syrah and a 2006 Wild Cherry. It has a beautiful rich color and is dry and flavorful with hints of cinnamon. Jim said this wine would go great with game and dark chocolate. Or, if you're like me and the last time you actually had "game" was never, would go perfect with grilled steak or salmon.

My second favorite is the 2010 Wild Cherry. This wine has flavors of black cherry and cinnamon. While to me not as robust as the Rojo Seco, it has a wonderfully smooth finish.

The most surprising wine, and the only one made from fruit not grown in New Mexico (good, you kept reading), is the American Cranberry. This wine is made from pure fruit, not blended, and has a dry fruity (cranberry) taste. Surprisingly, this wine isn't syrupy, as I thought it might be. Jim said this wine sells best at Thanksgiving time. Hum? I'll swap out the cranberry sauce for the cranberry wine anytime.

Trivia: You'll notice that Anasazi wines have petroglyphs on their labels. The renderings were photographed from ancient drawings Jim found in the Placitas wilderness.

Artwork abounds.

If you go: Check their event schedule because they have events almost every weekend. From poetry readings to live music and art shows, there's alwasys something happening.

St. Clair Winery Albuquerque 4 of 44

St. Clair Winery & Bistro is a departure from the traditional wineries we've visited so far. You know, the ones with a nice quiet tasting room and the owner more than happy to chat, take care of us and pose for a picture. St. Clair is the largest winery in the state with multiple locations and this time we visited the location near Old Town Albuquerque. This location is a full-on restaurant and while less intimate than the others it has fabulous food, entertainment and a attentive wait staff to take care of us. We happend to go on Sunday night and they had a live jazz band in the bar area which made for a great evening of tasting, noshing and toe tapping. In the summer the bands are on the expansive patio.

Wine flights are $6.00 for 6 choices.  I chose all red, of course (one of these days I will expand my selections...promise!). St. Clair produces over forty wines under four different labels. This is unlike the other wineries we've visited so far who have just one label, but none the less. For my wine flight I chose the St. Clair Cab Zin (mild, tart and light bodied), DH Lecombs Syrah (my favorite of the night; oaky, smokey, smooth and full of body), St. Clair Reserve Merlot (dry with hints of black cherry and medium body), St. Clair Meritage (tart, light and a little bland for me), Blue Teal Cabernet Sauvignon (dark color with sweek oak overtones)and DH Lescombs Cabernet Sauvignon (full flavored).

I have to admit that tasting (or should I say drinking and enjoying) 6 wines (albeit small glasses) in a row is a little like having 6 kids. The first two get all the attention, pictures and video and then by the time you get to the 6th, they're kind of on their own...now, which one's Johnny? Same for my notes on the last couple wines; all bets were off and my notes are a little sketchy. I'll pay more attention to this next time.

By visiting this winery I completed the first prize level in the contest. I like prizes.
If you go: Go on Sunday night for live jazz. Local jazz artists will knock your socks off.