SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1006877
VINEDOS DE LA REINA: A RISING STAR IN BAJA'S WINE COUNTRy SCORE Fans increasingly visit Baja’s wine country that is helping vineyards like this one, gain worldwide notoriety For many years Baja California has had a long-standing culinary tradition which includes the origins of such world famous creations as the Margarita cocktail and the Caesars Salad. In the culinary world, Baja is also famous for offering what many consider the best oriental food this side of San Francisco, as well as its famous sweet bread, magnificent Mexican food, and an outstanding wine and beer production. But more recently the region has gone through a gastronomic revolution that has combined the area’s great traditions, new ingredients, and a unique creativity and innovation in its various dishes. As a result, Baja California is now referred to as a global Avant garde cuisine destination thanks to the "Baja Med Cuisine" and "Urban Food" concepts recognized by famous Chefs from around the world. Adding to this is what many consider as the best craft beer production in Mexico, as well as its production of over 80-percent of Mexico's wines. It is because of the area ’s excellent and fast growing wine production that Baja California has positioned itself among the best regions in the world, thanks to around 150 wine houses throughout the state. A HOBBY THAT TURNED INTO A BUSINESS One very special example of the area’s quality wine production is Vinedos de la Reina. The winery is a rising star in the famed "Wine Route" of Baja California owned and operated by the well-known and esteemed Curiel family. We recently caught up with Ruben Curiel, who's in charge of the winery and talked about its origins, the tremendous growth, and the winery’s promising future. "Our winery is a family project that my father started as a hobby many years ago and now is a formal business,” said Curiel. “In 2006 he started planting vines in the Guadalupe Valley, where we now have 10 acres, as well as 114 acres in the San Vicente Valley south of Ensenada. The name Reina (Queen) is in honor of my mother who my father called Reina." After only five years in operation, the winery is distributing all across Mexico and is moving into distribution into the United States. “We have been selling wine for about five years now and are currently producing 4,500 cases per year,” says Curiel. “We distribute all over Mexico including Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, Guadalajara and Mexico City, and now we are starting to export to the U.S. Vinedos de la Reina’s wines have won international recognition, as it continues to add more labels to its product. “We presently have two labels,” says Curiel. “Our Duquesa is a young and fresh wine with no oak, and produces white, rose and red. Vino de la Reina we produce in Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Nebbiolo. These are all single varietal and aged in new and old oak. Our enologist, Hector Villasenor, has been with us for four years now and has helped us improve the quality of our wines. As a result of this, just in the past year, we have won international recognition, including a Double Gold Medal with our 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. This year we already won a Silver Medal with our 2014 Pinot Noir at the Concours Mondial in Bruxelles, which is considered the most important wine competition in the world." Located in the Guadalupe Valley, the winery is readily accessible to tourists and SCORE fans who take the time to visit and taste what Vinedos de la Reina offers. "We formally inaugurated our facility in August of 2017 in the Guadalupe Valley, which included a tasting room, wine club, and a wine bar, as well as an event area,” says Curiel. “We are also scheduled to open a restaurant in July which will be a concept of an Asador Campestre, (Country Barbeque) preparing Baja-style cuisine with outdoor and indoor areas for our visitors.” Making it even easier for visitors to stay and enjoy the tastes of the vineyard, Curiel also says they will be adding an exclusive 10 room Boutique hotel. “We are very excited and honored with the alliance we started with Score International," says Curiel. “It's a great opportunity to promote the best that Baja California has to offer thanks to the world-class races they organize in our state.”SJ Ruben Curiel runs one of Baja’s rising wineries in the Guadalupe Valley