Quick: When you hear New Mexico, what do you think of?
I’ll bet it isn’t wine. But the New Mexico Tourism Department (NMTD) is seeking to change that, ,launch the New Mexico Wine & Where quiz, an online tool that lets you easily explore the different wine varieties of America’s oldest wine region.
As a fun way to learn the region and support local wineries, the interactive pairing tool prompts you to select from categories like flavor, comfort zone and travel vibe and gives your ideal pairing of New Mexico’s finest wines and most unforgettable destinations. All of the wines featured in the quiz, including Montepulciano, Rosé of Dolcetto, Vino de Secondino – Capulin, are available for purchase online.
“This is a fun and engaging way for us to elevate New Mexico’s grape growers and wineries at a time when local businesses need support,” New Mexico Tourism Secretary Jen Paul Schroer said. “Due to the pandemic, many winegrowers have been unable to showcase and sell their product through events, so this is an interactive way we can share the heritage of New Mexico’s viticulture and encourage folks to buy New Mexico True.”
Though New Mexico viticulture dates back to 1629, the wines produced are only recently becoming more widely known. In the four centuries since New Mexico’s first plantings, local grape growers have experimented with vitis vinifera and French hybrids in search of the perfect marriage of climate, soil and terrain. The state offers a diverse array of non-traditional varieties honoring traditional heritage planted in high-desert elevations ranging from 3,300 to 6,000 feet above sea level.