Chris Goblet, Executive Director of New Mexico Wine & Grape Growers Association, has been promoting the state’s more than 400-year-old wine making industry for almost a decade. The non-profit was founded in 1991 but growing grapes and making wine in the Land of Enchantment goes back to Spanish Conquistadors and the Catholic priests and monks who accompanied them in the 1500s.
Harvest Wine Festivals
Las Cruces, August 31-September 2
Southern New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo
Albuquerque, August 31-September 2 Balloon Fiesta Park
“New Mexico’s first wine festival was in Las Cruces 33 years ago,” says Goblet, “and with that success, Albuquerque launched one in Bernalillo a couple of years later. The impetus for both was that no one would carry New Mexico wines in stores. So NM Wine created the festivals as a way to sell directly to and educate the public and promote the wineries. Now we do have retailers who will carry local wines. But the festivals are so popular. And growing into traditions.”
Goblet says the two Labor Day weekend festivals have distinctly different feels. The Las Cruces event has a family friendly picnic atmosphere. You will find play areas for kids with yard games, entertainment, and music for younger crowds, and samplings for adults. Plus, everyone can shop to stock their holiday cellars.
By contrast, the northern event, now held at Balloon Fiesta Park, is designed for those 21+. You’ll need to be an adult to partake in this fun afternoon of wine sampling. Silent discos and a putt-putt golf station add to the spectrum of grown-up fun.
New Mexico’s wine culture is aging well. 55 wineries, 75 tasting rooms, and these and other festivals draw some 50,000 attendees to enjoy themselves. In fact, New Mexico Wine will open a new tasting room in Old Town Albuquerque this fall (date TBD) that will serve as a welcome center, retail outlet, and an education and event space.
Story by Kelly Koepe
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