Cenzontle Blanco – by Mike Leavy

At this time’s article is about wine. I do know nothing about wine. Properly, not actually nothing. I do know that there are a number of colours, like white and pink and varied shades in between. And I am conversant in phrases like Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Past that, my “experience” grinds to a halt. However one of many functions of Mexico Listo is to have fun varied points of Mexico’s tradition, geography, and delicacies. And a few current information from the wine world (which I do know nothing about) is price celebrating.

So apparently, there are folks on the market on the planet who take wine very critically. So critically, in actual fact, that they sometimes like to carry competitions whereby professional drinkers of wine are referred to as upon to do issues like scent corks, bottles, and glasses partially full of wine. Additionally they drink this wine, or a minimum of slosh it round of their mouths a bit. All this to find out which wines are subjectively higher than different wines.

One such competitors is the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which is a French approach of claiming “Brussels World Competitors”. 2023 was the thirtieth yr of this worldwide wine competitors. It was held in Poreč, Croatia, as a result of this competitors strikes to a special native yearly (so I am unsure why it has Brussels in its identify, but it surely does so let’s simply settle for it and transfer on).

So why am I speaking a couple of Belgian competitors with a French identify that was held in Croatia? As a result of this previous Could, a Mexican wine received first place. Cenzontle Blanco, a white wine (critically, the phrase “blanco” ought to have tipped you off) from the Valle de Guadalupe area of Mexico, claimed the very best rating of all the opposite white wines from different locations on the planet that develop grapes and switch them into wine.

Valle de Guadalupe is a area in Baja California Norte, about 90 miles south of the worldwide border with San Diego. Whereas there are a number of wine producing areas in Mexico, Valle de Guadalupe is (once more, subjectively – every thing within the wine world is subjective) essentially the most well-known and acclaimed. Mexican wine makers have been commercially producing wine in Valle de Guadalupe for the reason that Nineteen Eighties

, and the world is in style with wine fans who like to go to the numerous vineyards within the space. After all, wine is often served alongside meals, and plenty of of those vineyards have tremendous eating places as nicely. Regardless that I do know nothing about wine (have I discussed that?), visiting the Valle de Guadalupe is excessive on my checklist of “issues I wish to do this I have not executed but”, and even increased on my checklist of “issues I wish to do on a bicycle that I have not executed but on a bicycle”. As a result of wine apart, I do like meals. And bicycles. And driving bicycles by way of fields of grapes.

The Cenzontle Blanco (Cenzontle Blanco, by the way in which, is Spanish for White Mockingbird, therefore the mockingbird on the wine’s label) that received the “Grand Gold Medal” is a 2019 classic. It’s composed of 20% Chardonnay, 70% Sauvignon blanc, and 10% Palomino (I hope that does not seek advice from the horse). The winery that produces this wine is Finca El Empecinado, and in keeping with their web site you may get a bottle of their award-winning wine for MX 600, or about 34 USD at as we speak’s change charge of 17.5 to 1.

Finca El Empecinado’s entry was considered one of 7,504 rivals from 50 international locations in its class. This isn’t the primary time {that a} Finca El Empecinado wine has one first place within the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles: they’ve received twice earlier than: as soon as with a pink wine, and as soon as with a white. The truth that they’ve received for each a pink and a white makes them the one competitor ever to have received this prestigious award for each a pink and a white wine.

Mexican wines usually made an excellent exhibiting at this yr’s competitors: in whole, 85 Mexican wines had been awarded medals. Good to see Mexico’s wine producers taking the stage at worldwide competitions. It’ll make subsequent yr’s occasion – which can be held in early June in Guanajuato, Mexico – all of the extra thrilling.

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