I had no idea that New Mexico was home to over 40 wineries until our good friends invited us to join them at Casa Rondena. As my birthday celebration they treated us to a full wine tasting, tapas, more wine and lots of laughs at the stunning winery located in Los Ranchos. They couldn't wait to tell us about the New Mexico Winery Passport. What is it you ask...well that's what I said. Here's the deal. If you visit all 43 NM wineries and attend one of three wine festivals before July 1, 2011, you win a 7-day wine tasting cruise. "That's incredible," I said, "can it be done?" Our friends have already visited 20 wineries so they're fairly confident they can do it. So here's how it works. As you visit wineries and make a minimum $5.00 purchase (basically the cost of a wine tasting) you receive a sticker to place in your NM Winery Passport. Then you register your visit at http://www.nmwine.com/ where your progress is tracked.
Back to my question, "can it be done." I'm not sure but we want to give it a try. So the adventure begins and I plan to track our progress here. This is post 1 of 44 and by July 1 I hope to be on post 44 of 44.
A little bit about Casa Rondena? You can find out all the details and particulars on their web site so here's my perspective. Anyone who's been here I think would agree that it's absolutely beautiful. As you drive through the gates it's as if you are escaping Albuquerque's North Valley and were ported directly to Tuscany. The grape vines flank the sides of the long driveway in neat and orderly rows and up ahead are the beautiful buildings that make up the estate. To the left is the tasting room and event center, in the middle is the former residence of the owner and to the right is the barrel aging room. With the building's green tile roofs, stone work and stucco that match the surrounding trees and landscape it's truly a beautiful setting.
After the tasting (because our friends are members of the 1629 club) we spent some time in the main house and former residence of the owner enjoying tapas and more wine. The house is a magnificant space where you can have dinner, relax with a glass of wine and enjoy special events.
As the afternoon ended I headed back to the tasting room and bought several bottles of my two favorites; 2007 Founder's Reseve and 2007 Clarion, both red. The Founders Reserve is a full bodied, luscious Cabernet Sauvignon and the Clarion is light, slightly tart and citrusy by contrast. If you join any of their three wine clubs you'll enjoy a discount; what's better than a discount?!
I know what you're thinking. If I spend even $100 at each winery I could have paid for the cruise a couple times over. I thought about this too BUT my spirit of adventure kicked in and I love a challenge. Plus, I'll get to experience all the wonderful wines and wineries our beautiful state has to offer. That's twice the price of admission.
Thanks for reading and check back to see how I progress on my NM Wine Country Adventure!
Wine"ing" Will
