New Mexico Wine                                                                 

In 1629, Franciscan friar Fray Gracia de Zuniga and Antonio de Arteaga, a Capuchin monk, planted the Mission grape along the shores of the Rio Grande, at the San Antonio De Padua Mission located just south of Socorro, New Mexico making New Mexico the first grape-growing state in America. Fransciscan monks accompanied early settlers to the Rio Grande area where the demand for wine to use in sacrament became great.

By 1880, there were over 3,000 acres under vine, producing more than one million gallons of wine. New Mexico would have ranked fifth in American wine production at that time. However, within a decade the Rio Grande began to overflow, with groundwater often reaching the soil’s surface, turning the land into swamp. Grapevines rotted in the ground. By 1900, wine production was three percent of what it had been only 20 years before.

The second American wine revolution began in New Mexico in 1978, when a major, government-sponsored study encouraged vignerons to plant French hybrids. Today, the state has three approved viticultural areas and 38 wineries with over 1200 acres of both hybrids and an abundant amount of quality vinifera plantings. The high desert climate, with hot days and cool nights, makes this a quality winegrowing region with a promising future.

New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment, is proud to celebrate its return to winemaking with festivals throughout the year. New Mexico wineries are now producing award winning wines that are recognized all over the world.

Plan a day trip to a winery or festival and savor a taste of New Mexico and don’t miss a trip to the tasting room at the End of the Vine in Ruidoso New Mexico. There, you’ll have you’re share of Willmon’s Vineyards Award Winning wines as well as many other fine New Mexican wines.