A law to help viniculture in Guanajuato

In the State of Guanajuato 1,500 direct jobs are generated by this delicious industry

The law is being written and all parts are working to make a more competitive wine industry in our State

Guanajuato/Gto News

In Guanajuato the Law of Promotion of the Viniculture Activity is in the process and it is being written to strengthen the links of the productive chain of the sectors of Tourism,  Agro-foods, Production, Services and Trade.

Working in the distance

The Comission of Tourism in the State Chamber of Representatives headed by Mary Carmen Vaca, held a virtual forum on the initiative of the law.

Juan Jose Alvarez Brunel, the Secretary of Tourism was in the event and presented the topic “Wine Tourism in Guanajuato”.

The law will try to establish a “State Viniculture Council”, a “State Viniculture Program”, a “State Viniculture Registry” and a “Quality Seal”, to promote public policies, that establishes goals, serve as a source of consultation and certify that the policies are observed.

Legislators at work

Lorena Alfaro, a Representative who has worked in the initiative, said that, as wine producers need the normative basis of the activity to be established, they are working in this Law of 28 Articles that apply to wine-makers, organizations, associations, comitees and councils in the State.

The wine producing activity in Guanajuato is a referral in Mexico as it is in the 4th place in the country with 350 hectares of grapes being grown for wine, only less than Baja California, Coahuila and Queretaro, according to data from the Mexican Council of Viniculture.

The wine places:

• 31 vineyards
• 19 vineyards that you can visit
• 4 vineyards include a hotel
• 7 have a residential area

In the last 6 years, the State has registered a growth in wine production of more than 600%, there is an annual production of 300 thousand bottles of wine, among them the most noted are Cabernet, Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Semillon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.

A well established sector

This important activity has generated the 5 Routes of Wine, The Vendimias and the event Vinum Guanajuato and, of course, this work of promotion will be strengthened with this law, said Alvarez Brunel.

In his message, Alvarez Brunel said that the wine tourism, has the goal to boost and administer the wineculture tradition through wine tasting and visits to wine cellars and vineyards.

Alvarez Brunel said that Guanajuato is the second State in Central Mexico with more vineyards open to the public, that is, of the 31 existing vineyards you can visit 19; among them, 4 vineyards include a hotel and 7 have a residential area.

The activity in Guanajuato

• 4th place in Mexico
• 3 first wine producers: Baja California, Coahuila and Queretaro
• 350 hectares of vineyards in Guanajuato
• 600% growth of the industry in the last 6 years
• 300 thousand bottles of wine produced a year

Source: Mexican Council of Viniculture.

Wine goes well with everything

The Secretary of Tourism noted that in Guanajuato the offer of wine tourism should be diversified according to the vocation and style of each vineyard, respecting the protocols and trends of today, and include mixed segments like the mix of wellness tourism and wine, adventure and wine, culture and wine, art and wine.

“This initiative gives us the opportunity to coordinate efforts that integrate competitive and comparative advantages that we have in Guanajuato, to strengthen an industry that is already in the mind of the consumer”, said Alvarez Brunel.

High quality wine

Ramon Velez, comercial director of Cuna de Tierra and a representative of the Association of Grapes and Wine of Guanajuato A.C., an organization that groups more than 30 producers, noted that producers from Guanajuato have made a great job in generating high quality wine.

“We have studied the land and the weather characteristics of the region, and we have looked for the best varieties and the best practices to Mexican wines and they now prefer to ask for wines made in Mexico”, said the oenologist.

Ramon Velez said that the wines from Guanajuato have been present at important European contests and that they have come back home with more than 50 gold, silver and bronze medals.

Grape varieties grown in Guanajuato:

• Cabernet, Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Semillon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.

Taxes affect the industry

“What legislators are doing in Guanajuato is really important”, said Ivan Enrique Silva Jaime, sommeliere by the National Association of Sommelieres of Mexico and the sommeliere for El Gaucho Tradicional, one of the most traditional restaurants in Leon.

“The wine producers of Guanajuato want taxes on wine consumption to be more competitive, because today they are really high, and that makes it expensive for many people to enjoy or get used to consuming wine”

Ivan Enrique Silva Jaime
Sommeliere at El Gaucho Tradicional

“Taxes limit the degrees of alcohol in wine, and in Mexico most wines are limited to 14 degrees at the most, while in other places like California, Italia, Argentina or Chile, you can find wines with 20 degrees of alcohol and at a better price”, said the sommeliere Ivan Enrique Silva.

A growing industry

In Guanajuato wine is produced in 8 municipalities:

• Dolores Hidalgo
• San Miguel de Allende
• Comonfort
• San Felipe Torres Mochas
• San Diego de la Union
• San Francisco del Rincon
• Guanajuato, the State Capital
• San Luis de la Paz