Mexico

Question 1

Is Mexico part of North America?

Answer 1

Yes, and It is bordered to the north by the United States and to the southeast by Guatemala and Belize.

Question 2

What are the 2 main climates of Mexico?

Answer 2

1. Hot Mediterranean
2. Semi-desert

Question 3

What are the 2 physical features that affect Mexico’s climate?

Answer 3

1. Pacific Ocean
2. Mountains

Question 4

How does the Pacific Ocean moderate Mexico’s climate?

Answer 4

Provides climate moderating fog and cooling breezes.

Question 5

How do the mountains moderate Mexico’s climate?

Answer 5

• Cooler at higher elevations.
• Diurnal shifts with cooler nights.

Question 6

Fill in the blank.

The soil type found in Mexico is mixed with a lot of _____.

Answer 6

Sand

Sandy soils keep away phylloxera!

Question 7

Water is in short supply in Mexico.

Is irrigation allowed there?

Answer 7

Yes, irrigation is essential in the hot, arid climate.

Question 8

Are the grapes grown in Mexico limited to one type of variety, or is it a melting pot of grapes varieties planted?

Answer 8

A melting pot of Italian, French and Spanish grape varieties.

Question 9

Select the correct answer.

The blends coming out of Mexico are:

a. Traditional blends
b. Non-traditional blends

Answer 9

b. Non-traditional blends

The goal is to produce premium wine, and some new oak is used.

Question 10

What are the top 4 white grape varieties grown in Mexico?

Answer 10

1. Chenin Blanc
2. Chardonnay
3. Viognier
4. Sauvignon Blanc

White wines can range from crisp and dry to round and full-bodied depending on the grape variety.

Question 11

What are the top 7 red grape varieties grown in Mexico?

Answer 11

1. Tempranillo
2. Nebbiolo
3. Cabernet Sauvignon
4. Merlot
5. Zinfandel
6. Grenache
7. Barbera

Red wines are fruit-driven, deeply colored and have elevated alcohol due to the warm climate.

Question 12

What are the wine laws of Mexico?

Answer 12

There are no wine laws in Mexico.

Question 13

90% of Mexican wine production is in which area(s) of Mexico?

Answer 13

Baja California - Valle de Guadalupe

Question 14

Where is Valle de Guadalupe in Mexico?

Answer 14

Within Baja California.

Question 15

Valleys in Mexico help usher in cooling fog and Pacific breezes.

What is the orientation of these valleys?

Answer 15

Southwest to northeast.

Question 16

What is the elevation of Mexico’s winegrowing areas?

Answer 16

3704ft / 1129m of elevation

Question 17

True or False:

Mexico is the oldest wine industry outside of Europe.

Answer 17

True

Question 18

Give a brief history of how Mexico came to grow grapes.

Answer 18

• 1520s Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés defeated the Aztec Empire claiming it for Spain.
• Orders from The King of Spain decreed planting 1,000nvines per each native slave (this was when Vitis vinifera, brought over from Europe, was introduced).
• Soon after the defeat of the Aztec Empire, priests began to travel north on missions, seeking to convert the native people. For sacramental use, they cultivated the Listán Prieto grape, also known as Mission. New Spain’s fledgling wine industry soon became so successful that it began exporting wine to Spain, rivaling the industry in the Old World.
• In the 1600s, Charles II of Spain retaliated by prohibiting winemaking in New Spain. He ordered most vines in the territory to be destroyed, with only a few surviving to produce wine for religious purposes. His law remained in effect until Mexican Independence in 1821.