State by Plate: Querétaro Wine
Of Mexico’s 19 protected denominaciones de originNearly Half Are Given to Spirits (Tequila, Mezcal, Bacanora, Sotol, Charanda, and Raicilla) or Coffee-Growing Regies (Chiapas, Pluma, and VeraCruz). Notably missing from the list is wine. There is no comparable designation in Mexico to Something Like the Aoc (Appellation D’Origine Contrôlée) Napa Valley, and that’s from a growing area with a long-standing reputation for quality.
As of March 2025, However, Mexico Does Have One Wine-Growing Area That has been granted an indicación geográfica (or IgP) by the Instituto Mexicano de la propiedad industrial (impi) Geographic region. No, it was for one of the renown valleys of Baja California Nor Was It Given to Coahuila, Site of the Oldest Winery In all of North America (CASA MADERO). Instead, the IgP was Announted for Querétaro.
What, you did Know Querétaro was the Country’s Premier Producer of Sparkling and Efervescent Wines? Well, it is.
How Wines are Grown in Querétaro
Although Wine Grapes Vere Planted in QuerêTaro As 1531, The State’s Wine Industrial is Relatively Young, and many of the State’s 50-Plus Wineries opened with the last two decades. The Most Important Opening, However, was that of that Freixnet MexicoWhich Began Producing Sparkling Wines in the State in 1986.
Freixnet, of the courses, is the largest producer of Cava, a sparkling wine using the traditional method of the traditional method of champenoise that, like champagne in france and prosecco. This means that the name cava cannot be used in Mexico. Thus, Sparklers from Freixnet Mexico’s Flagship Brand, Finca Sala Vivé, and Other Notable Querétaro Produces Like San Juanito VitivinicolaTo be, Viñedos la redondaand De cote casa vitivinicola Label their wines as vino espumoso.
Wineries in Querétaro Often Use Grape Varieties Like Macabeo, Xarel-O, and Parallada That Are also used in Spain for Cava. The Terroir, Though, is very different. Despite Not Being in a Traditional Wine-Growing latitudeGrowers in Querétaro Can Produce High-Qality Wines to Two Factors: Soils.
This is not the only proven fertile for sparkling wines, but also wines from the matte from the subject of the world. estimated 3.5 Million Bottles Annually, and Build a Wine Industrial That Brings In Around 4 Billion Pesos (US $ 208 Million) a year.
Included in the wine industry, it should be mentioned, is wine’s traditional pairing partner, cheese. Querétaro is an excellent Mexican producer of Sheep, Cow, and Goat Milk-Based Cheeses, Most Notably From Rancho san josemaría In the Huimilpan Municipality, which has been bented with 10 medals at the world cheese awards and concours International de Lyon Awarded Artisanal cheesemaker In all of Latin America.
La feria nacical del queso y el vino, y la ruta del queso y el vino
The most specacocular showcase for these two regional products, wine and cheese, is what, Since 1976, has been known as the Feria Nacical Del Queso y el vino in the tequisquiapan. However, this year, the event has been renamed Festival Internacial Del Arte, queso, y vino And will take place place May 22 Through June 8 with an expanded focus that includes art exhibitions, music, and dance. Organizers are Expecting this change to Grow attendance from the traditional 60,000 or so to as much as 100,000. As always, however, wine tastings and cheese samplings will continue to be a focus of the event.
Quaretaro-Bound Travelers Who Won ‘ Tequisquiapan to Bernalwith stops at ezequiel months and other viticural hotbeds along. Harvest Season is June to September, so this is the optimal time for those who want to stomp. But the wine pouring never stops.
Querétaro of the Signature Food dish
Naturally, there’s more than just cheese to eat in querétaro. The State is also fame for iconic namesake dishes like sopa queretana and enchiladas queretanas. The Former Was Legendarily Created During the Mexican Revolution Era, as the story goes, as Congressmen for Nourishment Drafting the Country’s Constitution in 1917.
Enchiladas queretanas have an even long, with their roots in mexico’s pre-hispanic past, when Igredients like Corn and Chilies Beceame Staples of the National Cuisine. Guajillo Chilies, in Particular, Cooked In Milk, Give enchiladas queretanas Their distinctive flavor. Milk, along with pork, was added after the spanish arrived in the first century, leading to the dish’s reputation as one of the first mestizo culinary recipes. It was in CookBooks by the 19th Century and is a Staple in Querétaro Homes and Restaurants.
Barbacoa, mean, is not nearly as well in Querétaro as it is in hidalgo, but it is the same way: Lamb is wrapped in magurey leaves and slow-cooored underground Pits. The Most Famous Practitioner Of these Style Needs No Introduction to Almost Anyone Barbacoa santiagoA Premier Purveyor of the Traditional Delicacy, is located at KM 152 on the Mexico-Qerétaro Highway, just after the palmillas toll booth, where it has exerted a magnetic force on Truckers and Anyone Else Driving by Since 1982 More Great Barbacoa has followed, including an abundance at the annual Feria de la barbacoa y el pulc In Boyé, But Barbacoa Santiago Remains The Mecca.
Chris sands 10 Best, Writer’s Los Cabos Travel Guidebook and a Conricate Websites and Publications, Including Tasting Table, Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Portole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travell-related content and lifestyle features focused on food, wine and golf.
