Mexican Wine: Mexico’s Old Vine Magic

Old vines are what make Mexico’s Baja California wine country so special. They are old dry farmed, head-pruned vines of grape types such as Grenache, Carignan, and Zinfandel. Vineyards are very sparsely planted, so the old vines’ root system goes deep into the earth. They are mostly 30, 40 and 50 years old.

Most people in the region say that they produce better quality fruit than the modern vineyards, and they have fewer problems with hydraulic stress in the hot summer.

Unfortunately, thousands of old vines were grubbed up in the early 1990s when the region’s growers went through financial crisis. However, those that exist are beautiful things. Listen to the conversation I have with my Mexican friend Humberto Falcon in a secret vineyard near the village of Porvenir.