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.

Tierra Encantada 3 of 44



At the bar.



How do you make a small fortune in wine making? Start with a great one. Words of wisdom from Pat Coil, the proprietor of Tierra Encantada Winery.

The Tierra Encantada winery is a hidden South Valley treasure...literally. Unless you know where Cinco Puntos (5 Points) is, you might need your GPS to find it but what better place than in one of Albuquerque's oldest agricultural settings. Once there however, you will be amazed by the variety of wine and enchanted, pun intended, by the spirit and vitality of proprietor, Pat Coil.

Pat started the winery over 6 years ago with her husband, who has since passed away. Through teary eyes she told us of their vision to have a boutique winery where the proprietors are intimately involved with the wine making. Pat has managed to keep this vision alive and proved her passion for wine making as she gave us a brief history and recipe of each of the wines in her wonderful selection. Tierra Encantada's collection includes white, blush and red wine, all of which Pat takes part in creating.

Although there are tables for gathering we chose to sit at the antique bar that greets guests as they enter the front door. The bar's beautiful oak fronts and white marble top made for the perfect setting to begin our tasting. At Tierra Encantada you get one taste for free and 5 for $5. We chose 5 of the reds; Shiraz, Chambourcin, Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Melot and we chose Atrisco Sunset as our free taste.



Three wines stood out as our favorites: The Chambourcin, Tempranillo and the Cabernet Franc. The Chambourcin is wonderfully dry with hints of pepper, spices and cloves. The Tempranillo is mild and smooth with a fabulous oaky finish and more tart than the Chambourcin. The Cabernet Franc is quite smooth and soft on the pallet and won best of show at the 2009 NM State Fair.  All three made their way home with us. The Atrisco Sunset is syrupy sweet and the perfect dessert wine if you like dark chocolate.



Through jokes, chit chatting, trying to decipher the delicate flavors within the wine or what type of meal you would pair it with, something magical happens when you share a glass of wine with a group of people. They grow closer. Just as the winery brought Pat and her husband together, our experience at Tierra Encantada brought our group closer together and now, Pat is part of that experience. Thank you Pat, we'll be back!

Vino de pata.

If you go: There is plenty of free parking and bring your camera to capture a moment behind the scene wall. There is no fee to join the wine club. 5 Points Road is just a few blocks South of Central and Atrisco.





Guadalupe Vineyards 2 of 44

Sunday: March 13, 2011.

Today was a beautiful, warm, sunny day in New Mexico. The kind of day made for Sunday drives. About one hour West of Albuquerque is Guadalupe Vineyards, our first destination for the day's wine tastings. The quaint, boutique vineyard is nestled in the foothills of Mount Taylor and about 1/2 mile up a gravel road off of old route 66 and quite easy to find.



Our hosts; Salina and Vato.

 The tasting room is located in a beautifully kept, modern adobe style house with incredible vegas spanning the great room. Our hostess, Salina, was delightful and met us at the front door with Vato, the 1/2 wolf sheppard. She was more than willing to pose for a picture and share with us the history of the winery as we made our way though the three wine offerings. 

Started by Antonio Trujillo and his wife, Lucinda, Guadalupe Vineyards bottles strictly German white varieties. When they bought the property close to 11 years ago they found three struggling grape vines and cultivated them into the award winning business they have today. Most recently, their 2009 Riesling won the 2010 Gold award at the New York International wine festival. 

Being mainly a dry, red wine drinker, I have to admit I was skeptical about finding a wine I would like while visiting a winery that only sells white wine. But, I reminded my self that wine cruise contents don't win themselves and the mission is to visit all of New Mexico's 43 wineries  (and one of the festivals) regardless of their offerings. Besides, a georgeous day and excellent company (Abel, Karen and Dan) was a recipe for success, regardless.




Vato: Had no wine, just napping like he did.

Guadalupe's wines include a 2009 Riesling, 2010 Gewurztraminer and a 2010 Muscat. The Riesling was first and had a clean taste with hints of green apple, grapefruit, black pepper and, to my pleasant surprise, was thoroughly refreshing. Dan bought a bottle and we drank it there. "What?, You want to drink it now!? Well, ok, twist my arm." :) As I sipped I imagined a warm summer night, relaxing on the patio and enjoying this light wine with cheese and crackers.

Now on to the others; the 2010 Gewurztraminer, much sweeter than the Riesling, had hits of peach and cloves and a wonderfully smooth, rich finish. Again, while I preferred the crisp finish of the Riesling, I was pleasantely surprised by the Gewurztraminer and could imagine enjoying it with a lovely light, fish and salad.

Next came the sweetest of the three, the 2010 Muscat. This dessert wine and 2010 Winner of San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Bronze Medal tasted to me of tropical fruits and would go best with desserts or chocolate.

We finished our tasting, said goodbye to Salina and Vato and made our way back down the gravel road. In the rear view mirror I could see the deep blue New Mexico sky framing the Guadalupe Vineyard and the hills surrounding it.

If you go: Stop at Route 66 Casino for brunch or lunch. The vineyard is just a short drive from the casino.

2 down, 42 to go. The adventure continues. See you next time!