Central N.M. Wineries Bottle Gold-Medal Vintages
Published Mar 26, 2007
Established in 1995, Casa Rondeña Winery blends influences from Albuquerque and the Andalucian area of southern Spain.
Albuquerque area wineries revive a tradition dating from the 17th century
Established in 1995, Casa Rondeña Winery blends influences from Albuquerque and the Andalucian area of southern Spain.
When John Calvin opened Casa Rondeña Winery in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque in 1995, he joined a long line of area vintners, dating back to Franciscan monks in 1629.
“New Mexico is the oldest wine-producing region in America,” Calvin says, “and I wanted to further that history.”
Calvin’s wines are making some history of their own. He says that in eight competitions since 2003, Casa Rondeña’s Meritage Red earned more gold and double-gold medals than any other red wine, even outscoring products from California’s renowned Napa and Sonoma valleys.
“We’re learning we can make some real top-quality wines here,” he says. “It’s really a true reflection of the soils – and of the culture of the Southwestern United States.”
Calvin’s winery offers tours, tastings and summer chamber-music concerts. It blends influences from his native Albuquerque and from Rondeña, a village in southern Spain where he spent time as a young flamenco musician.
Calvin not only named his winery after that Andalucian village, but he also designed the building to reflect the combination of ancient Roman and Arabic architecture found there.
Many of the warmer-weather grapes that grow well in Europe also flourish here, he says, particularly those around southern Rome. More surprisingly, so do German varieties such as Riesling and Gewürztraminer, which are used to make Casa Rondeña’s Serenade, the offi cial tricentennial wine of Albuquerque.
“The majority of New Mexico is not conducive to growing grapes,” Calvin says.
However, as Casa Rondeña and a half-dozen other wineries have found, the Albuquerque area’s latitude, high altitude and consistently sunny weather provide an ideal growing environment as the region nears four centuries of wine production.
Story by Jessy Yancey
Photo by Brian McCord
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