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!

The Adventure Begins

1/30/2011: Albuquerque, NM: 1 of 44

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.

I don't consider myself a wine expert but I do enjoy myself a little vino now and again. I'm hoping that through this experience I'll gain a better understanding and appreciation of wine, it's history and how it's made. Plus, I'll get to share my adventure with you.

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.

We did a full wine tasting of 11 wines for $8.00. Our server, Karen, was delightful and spent time talking with us about the wine, the estate and it's history (thank you Karen).

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