While Mexico produced 100,000 hectoliters (2.6 million gallons) of wine in 2009 – the last year for which statistics are available – powerhouses Argentina and Chile produced 12.10 million hectoliters (319 million gallons) and 8.44 million hectoliters (222 million gallons) that same year, according to California wine producer association The Wine Institute. (Ivan Alvarado/Reuters)

MEXICO CITY – Though globally praised for its products’ flavor and variety, the Mexican wine industry has slipped behind other wine-producing nations in terms of global recognition and presence.

While in certain Mexican regions the climate and soil are particularly conducive to cultivating grapes – most notably the state of Baja California – there are many barriers hurting the widespread distribution of domestic wines.

Mexico’s wine industry is hurt by the beverage’s rising prices on the global market, fluctuations in the exchange rate, suppliers’ lowering the volume of their orders and retailers’ demanding more money to stock and promote new and existing products.

“The level of [investment for] production required would simply be too large [for us] to be able to think seriously about exportation,” said Tru Miller, one of the owners of Mexican vineyard Adobe Guadalupe in Ensenada in Baja California.

As a result, interest in Mexican wine has waned during the past decade, said Philip Amery, director of Albion Wine Shippers, a London-based boutique wine merchant.

“It is not easy to import Mexican wines, mainly due to the cost of [getting] containers into and out of Mexico, and internal logistics making it difficult and expensive to get containers over to the East Coast,” said Amery, whose firm has helped pioneer the importation of Mexican wines to Europe. “Mexican wine can compete with wines from other countries, but not in a large volume because the cost is too high.”

The numbers tell the story: While Mexico produced 100,000 hectoliters (2.6 million gallons) of wine in 2009 – the last year for which statistics are available – powerhouses Argentina and Chile produced 12.10 million hectoliters (319 million gallons) and 8.44 million hectoliters (222 million gallons) that same year, according to California wine producer association The Wine Institute.

Rafa Ibarra, a Mexican food and wine critic: “Although [Mexican wines] are more weighted toward red wines, vineyards also cater to those preferring white wines, rosés, sparkling wines and sweet wines.” (Peter Noyce for Infosurhoy.com)

Another problem is simply that wine enthusiasts don’t know where to buy Mexican wines.

“I keep thinking that they should be everywhere, but they’re very hard to find,” said Corie Brown, General Manager of zesterdaily.com, a Los Angeles-based website indulging in the “culture of food and drink.”

In Spain, one of the world’s biggest wine markets, critic Nico James simply said “nada” (nothing) when asked what he knew of Mexican wine.

“There are very few wine drinkers aware of Mexican wine,” he said. “Introducing a product from a country not associated with wine production isn’t easy – it requires educating, tastings and a lot of patience.”

Birthplace of wine

The birth of winemaking in Americas isn’t rooted in the fertile valleys of Mendoza, Argentina, or on the sun-drenched plains of California, but in the rugged terrain of Mexico.

It was in Nueva España – as Mexico was known during the Spanish rule (from 1521 to 1821) – that conquistadors and missionaries first introduced wine, eventually establishing vineyards in the valleys surrounding modern day Mexico City.

The story goes back even further, as Mexico’s indigenous tribes – the Aztecs, Zapotecas and Toltecas – used to ferment fruit to create alcoholic drinks for ceremonial practices and recreational purposes.

Cabernet Sauvignon of L.A. Cetto, a Baja California winery, won the silver medal at the Tasters Guild contest in Traverse City, Michigan, in 2010. (Peter Noyce for Infosurhoy.com)

Since their fairly humble beginnings, Mexican vineyards have continued to pioneer products and expand their ranges, as many connoisseurs claim the quality of Mexican wine competes with the world’s best.

“Mexican wines are thought of highly in quality terms,” Amery said.

Wine producers have been increasing the variety of wines to cater to the growing domestic market.

“Although [Mexican wines] are more weighted toward red wines, vineyards also cater to those preferring white wines, rosés, sparkling wines and sweet wines,” said Rafa Ibarra, a Mexican food and wine critic.

Change of mind

Amery said in addition to investment and better distribution, a cultural shift is needed to promote Mexican wines.

“Mexican wines will find it difficult to establish a large market anywhere because nobody associates Mexican food with wine…but beer and tequila,” he said. “Most Mexican restaurants only want the most basic and cheapest wines.”

But some, like Ibarra, are optimistic the overall quality of Mexican wine will enable it to create a niche in the worldwide market.

Mexican wines have won numerous major awards. Cabernet Sauvignon of L.A. Cetto won the silver medal at the Tasters Guild contest in Traverse City, Michigan, in 2010, and the Casa Madero winery Chardonnay won the gold medal at the Chardonnay du Monde contest in Burgundy, France in 2007. Casa Madero was an honorable mention at the International Wine Challenge in London in 2007.

“Our fantastic wines have won hundreds of medals in international competitions,” Ibarra said. “Now, we just need a bit more support in order for more vineyards to begin crossing the borders.”