Wines of New Mexico (Alamogordo, Deming: home, buying, live in)

[songinthewind7]

Any wine folks here?
I went into the Pistachio Tree Ranch in Alamogordo to get some pistachios and also ended up doing some wine tasting.
My favorites are:
Chocolate Diablo which is a red wine with chocolate flavor.
Cabernet Sauvignon which is red and dry.
I enjoy red wine sometimes.
I purchased a bottle of each.
I like the fact that I'm getting something made locally and I also bought a book on the different places throughout New Mexico that have wine tastings of local makers.
Also talks about how to pick a good wine, etc. etc. which helps me because I go by what I like which is dry and red.
Any input on this???

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

Any wine folks here?
I went into the Pistachio Tree Ranch in Alamogordo to get some pistachios and also ended up doing some wine tasting.
My favorites are:
Chocolate Diablo which is a red wine with chocolate flavor.
Cabernet Sauvignon which is red and dry.
I enjoy red wine sometimes.
I purchased a bottle of each.
I like the fact that I'm getting something made locally and I also bought a book on the different places throughout New Mexico that have wine tastings of local makers.
Also talks about how to pick a good wine, etc. etc. which helps me because I go by what I like which is dry and red.
Any input on this???

You apparently like the very full-bodied reds, while I like the lighter whites on the dry side!

Arena Blanca has some very different wines, and I wasn't too carried away with most of what we sampled. Did you try the pistachio and the pomegranate ones? I didn't buy either of those. I guess they're trying to be different, but they have a lot of strange flavors on the shelf!

I thought the Chardonnay and the Sauvignon Blanc were pretty good. Most of the others were far too sweet, including the pistachio and the pomegranate.

I like Eagle Ranch Chardonnay, and also their Viva La Roja, though it is a red on the sweet side. Tularosa Red is also good, but I can't remember what else I got there when Jane and I went long, long ago.....!

I liked Eagle Ranch's Pistachio Rosé at first, but it doesn't wear very well...

[songinthewind7]

I only sampled a few. I usually like Merlot but I didn't care for the one I tasted and I don't remember some of the other ones I tasted but pomegranate was not one of them.
I don't like the fruity type or the sweet wines.
The dryer, the better.
I didn't know there was such a thing as a dry white. I learn something new everyday.

[songinthewind7]

I was just thinking back in the 80's how Boones Farm was one of the greatest things around.
Memories.....

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

I only sampled a few. I usually like Merlot but I didn't care for the one I tasted and I don't remember some of the other ones I tasted but pomegranate was not one of them.
I don't like the fruity type or the sweet wines.
The dryer, the better.
I didn't know there was such a thing as a dry white. I learn something new everyday.

I can't get my favorite dry white here (it's a Texas wine made in Fort Stockton)....I have to either pick it up when I go home, or Sis brings me some when she visits. I have a couple of bottles I brought back Christmas that I'm hoarding. I need to hop down to EP and see if one of their Sam's Clubs has it, as it isn't sold outside of the state.

Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are all usually fairly dry.

But I really like my Texas White most of all, either with food or alone. I usually don't care for the really sweet, though occasionally I will have a dessert wine after a meal if someone else offers it.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

I was just thinking back in the 80's how Boones Farm was one of the greatest things around.
Memories.....

The hangovers weren't too great.....

[tecpatl]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

Any wine folks here?
I went into the Pistachio Tree Ranch in Alamogordo to get some pistachios and also ended up doing some wine tasting.
My favorites are:
Chocolate Diablo which is a red wine with chocolate flavor.
Cabernet Sauvignon which is red and dry.
I enjoy red wine sometimes.
I purchased a bottle of each.
I like the fact that I'm getting something made locally and I also bought a book on the different places throughout New Mexico that have wine tastings of local makers.
Also talks about how to pick a good wine, etc. etc. which helps me because I go by what I like which is dry and red.
Any input on this???

I'll bore you to tears with wine chit-chat, sitw....be careful what you ask for .
There is, contrary to the opinions of some, very good wine made in New Mexico.
Now...my idea of very good is wine that is made in the classic fashion...not chocolate, chile, lemon-lime or other flavor concoctions. But that's ME....everyone has the right to pick what they want and enjoy it.
Good doesn't have anything, necessarily, to do with sweetness or dryness...some of the world's greatest and sometimes most expensive wines are dry and some are sweet or a variation somewhere in the middle.
Good means pleasant flavors...and a balance of those flavors with the acidity and, possibly some sugar left from the fermentation process found in all grape wines.
A Cabernet Sauvignon is normally made very dry...little or none of the sugars found in the ripe grapes remains after fermentation. When I taste a Cabernet that is sweet, I am immediately suspicious, because the easiest way to hide a flawed or just very uninteresting wine is to leave some sugar in it or add some after the wine is made. Sweetness can hide a multitude of sins in this case.
But a wine made deliberately sweet (usually more whites than reds), with accompanying ripe fruit flavors and some acidity to balance it, can be very fine...moderately sweet wines make for nice sipping while watching the sunset or chatting with friends. Some very sweet wines, in balance, can make for an incredible dessert, especially when paired wiht some ripe fruit and/or a tasty cheese.
The first and most important thing is to do what you've done...taste.
Find out what you like and learn more about it. Here in South New Mexico we're lucky because we live in a wine producing area. Visit wineries and tasting rooms in the region. Taste. Ask questions. Learn. Buy a few bottles to try at home with different foods. Explore. Enjoy.
If you get to Mesilla, visit Vintage, a wine bar just off the Plaza that serves New Mexico wines exclusively. They serve wine from vineyards to the North and also Southern NM vineyards. In fact, two South NM wineries have tasting rooms in Mesilla: Luna Rossa and Lascombes. You can visit their rooms, taste, compare and ask questions. Pretty soon a new winery on 28 will be opening, but if you drive down south of Mesilla now you'll get to La Vina and, later on, Zin Valle wineries. They both make great wine in many styles, and answer questions and will be happy to see you. Don't forget to buy a bottle or a few that you like. Tasting rooms aren't there to pass out free wine, they're there to sell their wine. Be polite and drop a few bucks if you find something appealing.
The nice thing about visiting a winery is that you can taste before you buy...which you can't do at a store..... and the folks there really know what's up with their wine. If you tell them what kind or style of wine you like they can guide you to something they make that will probably please you.
Besides, it's FUN. Just don't get carried away, literally or figuratively, if you're driving to visit wineries.
I'll talk about what NM wines I like another time. There are a number of them in various styles.

[songinthewind7]

Feel free to talk about them tecpatl.

I've never been one to drink white with fish or red with red meat. I do go for the taste. I told the man I normally like to drink a dry red wine and he let me try a few. I also saw the word chocolate and couldn't resist that one so I ended up buying the chocolate one which was very good and heady. I had some tonight.
I'll go back and try the fruity ones some other time. I normally wouldn't do that but I'm trying to be a little more open and try new things.

[chilegal]

I love getting local wines anywhere in the country. But I do like Tularosa Vineyards. We are heading to Tucson next week and I do want to stop in Deming and try the wines there. Great gift for our hosts.

[loborick]

Originally Posted by chilegal

I love getting local wines anywhere in the country. But I do like Tularosa Vineyards. We are heading to Tucson next week and I do want to stop in Deming and try the wines there. Great gift for our hosts.

I'm not much of a wine drinker, but I enjoy the reisling from Blue Teal Vineyards in Deming. Very nice.