Mexico

Mexico's wine sector is represented nationally by the Consejo Mexicano Vitivinicola (CMV), A.C., which describes itself as working for the growth of the national wine industry and the recognition of its quality worldwide. The CMV brings together producers, state associations, and companies across 14 winegrowing states. Mexican grapes are grouped into five vocations: table grapes, raisins, wine grapes, brandy grapes, and grapes for juices and concentrates. More than 37 thousand hectares of Mexican territory are planted to grapes across these five vocations combined. On 2018 Consejo Mexicano Vitivinicola and 2015 Gobierno de Mexico figures, the planted area was 6,474 hectares, with over 200 wineries producing an annual 2.5 million cases.

• The CMV, A.C. brings together producers, state associations, and companies across 14 winegrowing states
• More than 37 thousand hectares of Mexican territory are planted to grapes across all five vocations: raisin, table grape, wine grape, juice and concentrate grape, and brandy grape
• Planted area was 6,474 hectares, with over 200 wineries and annual production of 2.5 million cases, on 2018 Consejo Mexicano Vitivinicola and 2015 Gobierno de Mexico figures
• The CMV cites 1,500 medals won in international competitions as evidence of the quality of Mexican wine and the diversity of its styles

Decanter calls Mexico the birthplace of winemaking in the Americas. Vinifera vines arrived on Spanish ships in the 16th century, and in Coahuila's Valle de Parras the vines flourished while Jesuit missionaries helped to spread vines from California to Chile. Conquerors and missionaries brought the vine to Mexico in 1520, and planting and wine production began in 1522. In 1683, the Jesuit Eusebio Francisco Quino arrived in Baja California; the friars planted the mission grape, and the first harvest in Baja California is believed to have been made in 1707. King Charles II of Spain outlawed winemaking in the colonies to protect the interests of wine back home, so the small quantity of wine made during that period was produced by the Church. Wine production rose in the early years after Mexican independence in 1821, then succumbed to phylloxera and the Mexican Revolution of roughly 1910 to 1920, and did not recover until the 1980s, when wineries such as Monte Xanic began attracting international attention. The National Winegrowers Association (ANV) was founded in Aguascalientes in 1948 at the initiative of Don Nazario Ortiz Garza, and the Consejo Mexicano Vitivinicola was created in 2009 by merging the ANV with the CNSPU. Decanter calls Casa Madero in Coahuila, established in 1597, the oldest winery still operating in the New World.

• Conquerors and missionaries brought the vine to Mexico in 1520, and planting and wine production began in 1522
• Jesuit Eusebio Francisco Quino reached Baja California in 1683; the friars planted the mission grape, and the first Baja California harvest is believed to date to 1707
• King Charles II of Spain outlawed winemaking in the colonies; production rose after independence in 1821, then succumbed to phylloxera and the Mexican Revolution (roughly 1910-1920), not recovering until the 1980s
• The National Winegrowers Association (ANV) was founded in Aguascalientes in 1948 at the initiative of Don Nazario Ortiz Garza; the CMV formed in 2009 from the merger of the ANV and the CNSPU
• Decanter calls Casa Madero in Coahuila, established in 1597, the oldest winery still operating in the New World

Mexico's wine sector operates under the Ley de Fomento a la Industria Vitivinicola, a federal law published in the Diario Oficial de la Federacion on 23 May 2018 under President Enrique Pena Nieto. The law sets its purpose in Article 1 as promoting, encouraging, developing, and disseminating activities related to the wine sector, in coordination with Mexico's laws on productivity and competitiveness, metrology and standardization, and sustainable rural development. Article 2 applies the law to all actors involved in the chain from planting, cultivation, harvest, fermentation, aging, and bottling through to the commercialization of wine, including producers and their organizations at the national, state, regional, district, and municipal levels. Article 9 creates the Comision Intersecretarial de Fomento a la Industria Vitivinicola, and Article 10 charges this Commission with guiding, promoting, supporting, and proposing public policy. Article 11 places the presidency of the Commission with the Secretaria de Economia. Mexico has no appellation system to speak of yet for its wine regions. The law to promote the winegrowing industry was promulgated on 23 May 2018, the year the Council celebrated its 70th anniversary.

• Ley de Fomento a la Industria Vitivinicola published in the Diario Oficial de la Federacion on 23 May 2018
• Article 1 sets the law's purpose as promoting, encouraging, developing, and disseminating activities related to the wine sector
• Article 9 creates the Comision Intersecretarial de Fomento a la Industria Vitivinicola; Article 11 places its presidency with the Secretaria de Economia
• Mexico has no wine appellation system to speak of yet

Baja California accounts for between 80 and 90 percent of the country's total wine production and dominates the Mexican wine industry. The cool California Current runs along the coast, generating morning fogs that roll in off the Pacific and funnel marine air into the coastal valleys, while vineyards further inland benefit from sites around 800 meters above sea level. Decanter calls Valle de Guadalupe the epicentre of Mexican wine's modern renaissance. A former seabed, the valley has soils ranging from sand and loam near the coast to clay and granite near the mountains; other valleys establishing their names on Baja's wine scene include Calafia, Puerta Norte, Ojos Negros, Santo Tomas, San Vicente, and San Antonio de las Minas. Decanter rates the Valle de Parras as Coahuila's most promising region. Vineyard altitudes there exceed 1,500 meters, which ensures a significant diurnal shift, with cool nights tempering the heat of the days despite the valley's position along the Tropic of Cancer. Queretaro is Mexico's most southerly wine-producing state, and its most noteworthy vineyards sit 1,500 to 2,000 meters above sea level. Classic Cava varieties such as Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada go into the state's sparkling wines, and Decanter singles out wines from Ezequiel Montes and Tequisquiapan. Zacatecas is landlocked and mountainous; vineyards such as those of Tierra Adentro sit high in its mountain ranges, and some reach nearly 2,300 meters.

• Baja California accounts for 80 to 90 percent of Mexico's total wine production; the cool California Current brings morning fogs off the Pacific
• Decanter calls Valle de Guadalupe the epicentre of Mexico's modern wine renaissance; the valley is a former seabed with sand, loam, clay, and granite soils
• Valle de Parras vineyards in Coahuila sit above 1,500 meters, ensuring a significant diurnal shift despite the valley's position along the Tropic of Cancer
• Queretaro, Mexico's most southerly wine-producing state, has its most noteworthy vineyards at 1,500 to 2,000 meters and makes sparkling wine from Cava varieties
• Zacatecas vineyards, including those of Tierra Adentro, sit high in the mountains, with some reaching nearly 2,300 meters

Mexico's major red grapes are Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Mission (Listan Prieto), Nebbiolo, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, and Zinfandel, and its major white grapes are Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc, and Semillon. Major varieties planted in Baja California include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, and Decanter finds that Nebbiolo also performs well there. Many Mexican winemakers craft blends outside the classical European styles, combining Iberian, Italian, and French grape varieties. Listan Prieto, an original variety brought over by the Spanish and known today as the Mission grape, is still found in vineyards around the country and is being revived by producers such as Bichi.

• Major red grapes: Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Mission (Listan Prieto), Nebbiolo, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Zinfandel
• Major white grapes: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Colombard, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
• Major varieties planted in Baja California include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc; Decanter finds that Nebbiolo also performs well there
• Listan Prieto, an original variety brought over by the Spanish and known today as the Mission grape, is still grown around the country and is being revived by producers such as Bichi

The Consejo Mexicano Vitivinicola describes itself as the voice of the industry for more than 72 years. It represents 65 associates, including producers of table grapes, raisins, wine, brandy, juices, and concentrates, as well as state winemaker associations. The CMV represents the industry's interests before authorities and public and private organizations, defends its associates' interests, and seeks to promote the creation of oenological stations and other technical organizations. The CMV and its associates hold that the sector must commit to sustainable production and contribute to economic and social development in Mexico's wine-producing regions. Mexico joined the International Office of Vine and Wine, now the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), in 1970; the OIV's 70th General Wine Assembly was held in Mexico in 1980; Mexico stepped out of the OIV in 2009, re-entered it in 2016, and hosted an OIV congress in 2022. In 2020, the CMV received the official Collective Brand of Mexican Wine document from the IMPI. In 2023, the federal government published a decree in the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF) establishing 7 October as the National Day of Mexican Wine, which the CMV describes as recognition of the wine industry as the second-largest source of employment in the agricultural sector.

• The CMV represents 65 associates across table grapes, raisins, wine, brandy, juices, and concentrates, plus state winemaker associations
• Mexico joined the OIV in 1970, stepped out in 2009, and re-entered the OIV in 2016
• The CMV received the official Collective Brand of Mexican Wine document from IMPI in 2020
• A 2023 federal decree established 7 October as the National Day of Mexican Wine, which the CMV presents as recognition of the industry as the second-largest source of employment in the agricultural sector

Primary sources: https://uvayvino.org.mx/home/, https://uvayvino.org.mx/who-we-are/, https://uvayvino.org.mx/time-line/, https://uvayvino.org.mx/producers/, https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LFIV_230518.pdf. Secondary source: https://www.decanter.com/premium/mexican-wine-introductory-guide-plus-12-top-bottles-to-try-505045/. Last verified 2026-10-05