Viñedo Dos Búhos, Guanajuato

Mexico certainly isn’t the first place we think of when we think of wine growing countries, but in fact it is the oldest region outside of Europe*. While South American wine growing took off in the 19th century, due to the arrival of phylloxera in Europe, in Mexico it was as early as the 1530s when Hernán Cortés decreed all farmers should plant 10 grape vines per year for every Indian slave on their estate. Unfortunately, Mexico’s vineyards today don’t date back quite that far, as in 1595 the king of Spain banned new vineyards and ordered a wide scale uprooting of Mexican vines in order to protect the Spanish wine industry.

Dos Búhos Winery, in Guanajuato - just outside of San Miguel de Allende - has a much more recent start with the estate’s agricultural history dating back 60 years, but the first vines dating back to 2006. The conversion to completely organic farming however started in 2000 and today Dos Búhos remains one of the only organic vineyards in the Guanajuato region of Mexico.

We stopped by Dos Búhos during winter, when the vines were in their dormant period, and began our tour with Vino Rosado, a rosé using Grenache - once the most widely planted grape in Spain and well-suited to the warmer temperatures of Mexico’s Guanajuato region. This Rosé Grenache from Dos Búhos takes on deeper hues of pink than the subtle blush pink from Provence - the most popular and influential style of rosé - but on the nose and the palate it is still full of the citrus, peach and red fruits that rosé drinkers crave.

Shortly after we whet our appetites on the rosé, a garnet bottle of Grenache was waiting for us on the edge of the vineyard, at the time covered with netting to protect vines from occasional hail as well as hungry critters who might be roaming the area. Much like the rosé, Dos Búhos’ Grenache when drank young and had a pleasant blend of tart red fruits, although with an added hint of wood from the 24 months in French oak - perfectly suited to the sunny skies and cooling breeze.

Aside from Grenache, Dos Búhos have recently expanded their vineyards in order to experiment with a range of internationally popular grapes that will work in the climate and on the unique terroir. Their Cabernet Sauvignon, aged a few years before release, shows a much deeper colour giving some indiction of the rich black fruits that add to the strawberry and cherry notes. As with the Grenache, the wine spent 24 months in French oak but those woody flavours come through a bit more here along with a hint of age, detected through a slightly earthy, leather character.

One of the more interesting varieties we noticed the vineyard was experimenting with was Aglianico and while not included on the vineyard tour tasting we couldn't resist taking a bottle home with us. Aglianico is rarely seen outside of Italy and is most lorded from the Taurasi DOCG region, which is why we were so surprised to see it in Mexico. Slightly unfairly, we opened our Dos Búhos Aglianico alongside a Taurasi DOCG which we had brought back from Campania on an earlier trip.

As such a young vineyard, the vines at Dos Búhos have not quite had the time to mature, producing more concentrated grapes like those from the regions of Taurasi DOCG. Though a little bit less concentrated, the winemaking at Dos Búhos shows a lot of skill, along with the commitment to organic farming, and we can’t wait to sample some future bottles.

a bottle of wine waits on a barrel with vines covered in netting beyond — A bottle of Grenache to taste waits on a barrel in front of the vineyards of Dos Búhos.

Vines covered in netting with mountains in the background — Vineyards in Dos Búhos covered with netting in order to protect vines from hail in the dormant season.

Dining room with artwork in the background — Function rooms in Dos Búhos vineyard can be booked for weddings and other special events.

A pull harvester in front of vineyard — Nods to tradition scattered across the grounds of Dos Búhos vineyard.

traditional Mexican architecture — Beautiful architecture houses the Dos Búhos tasting rooms and more.

A traditional bar with pig ornament hung up on mantel — Peeking into the bar on the grounds of Dos Búhos.

Grounds with traditional Mexican architecture in the background — Dos Búhos grounds

Tall trees in sprawling lawn — Dos Búhos grounds.

*Mexico is the oldest vineyard outside of Europe, according to The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson, although we suspect there may be some regions of the Middle East that have been making wine for thousands of years.

Aglianico originally grows in the Campania region. If you want to know about more wines from the Campania region, read produced by Bosco de Medici. Check out our photo journal for San Miguel de Allende for more places to visit in the Guanajuato region.