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!