- This year, there will be 14 grape harvests and one winemaking event in Dolores Hidalgo, San Miguel de Allende, San Felipe, San Diego de la Unión, Comonfort and Silao.
- Guanajuato has positioned itself in the wine market and also increased its numbers significantly.
DOLORES HIDALGO C.I.N., Guanajuato, Mexico — July 19, 2023 — In Guanajuato, the state’s annual grape harvest is appreciated and celebrated. This past weekend, producers and wine lovers gathered to celebrate the beginning of “Vendimias Guanajuato” at the Wine Museum here in Dolores Hidalgo.
Last Saturday, July 15, Juan José Álvarez Brunel, Minister of Tourism for the State of Guanajuato, inaugurated the first of 15 harvest festival celebrations that will be held this year. In the emblematic museum, representatives of more than 10 Guanajuato wineries gathered and delighted hundreds of attendees, who also enjoyed live music, distillate and mezcal tastings, gastronomy and local crafts.
“These harvest festivals and the 43 wineries — which have won 235 medals in national and international competitions — that we have in the state, give us the strength to be the fourth-[largest] producer in the country, ”said Álvarez Brunel. “Guanajuato has only been producing for a few years, but we are doing it with great quality, and that makes us a benchmark in wine tourism.”
The Guanajuato wine industry has not only positioned itself in this market but also increased its numbers significantly, According to the Secretary for Sustainable Economic Development (SDES), in 2017 the sector generated 380 jobs and 400,000 bottles in production; today, the industry generates more than 1,650 jobs and produces around 1.5 million bottles.
Cooperation between Guanajuato’s state government and the private sector has brought other benefits, including Mexico’s only state law for the promotion of viticulture activity which is already being enforced and a state wine council, according to the tourism ministry. “That gives us the chance to continue making a difference,” said the ministry in a statement.
In addition, Governor Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo this year launched the “Valle de la Independencia México” wine route, tourism corridor along which wine is the main — but not only — attraction. “The 48-mileroute runs from Comonfort to San Diego de la Unión, we have 117 tourism service providers that also play a very important role and are also part of the success of the wine industry in the state”, said Rodríguez Vallejo.
In Guanajuato, there is also a commitment to education, said Álvarez Brunel. Currently, it is the third state in Mexico to offer an educational career path related to viticulture, as a Higher University Technician in the area of Sustainable Agronomy at the Technological University of San Miguel de Allende.
The state government also places great importance on training, Today, through the SDES, 2,500 people from the restaurant sector have been trained on the state’s wines, so that they can offer an entire experience around wine and pairing.
Likewise, Guanajuato has a competitive advantage in terms of geographic location. “We are 3.5 hours by car from Mexico City and, within a radius of 5 hours, we have 70 million Mexicans, coupled with the fact that we have the most important regional international airport in the center of the country, which already offers 21 flights that connect to different states of the Mexican Republic and nine international flights,” said Álvarez Brunel. “The benefit is that the experience around wine is relatively close.”
Also present at the inauguration was Adrián Hernández Alejandri, president of Dolores Hidalgo C.I.N., who thanked the state government for strengthening and redirecting the wine projects that, without a doubt, are “strengthening our wineries in the municipality and positioning them nationally and internationally.”
Elías Torres Barrera, president of the Guanajuato Grape and Wine Association, commented that, thanks to this joint work, the Guanajuato Grape and Wine Association, founded in 2014, has grown. Membership, which stood at nine when the association was founded, has grown to 36 registered members today, in 2023 “In addition, in a short time we already have over 1,200 acres planted, and this is for the benefit of an exploding industry,” said Torres Barrera. “Thanks to the work of producers and the state government, we see these results — we have great teamwork.”
