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From the 1930s onward, Mexican viticulture, particularly in Baja California, received various forms of support from the federal government.

Thus, in 1933, Abelardo L. Rodríguez declared the border free zones; later, Lázaro Cárdenas would propose higher tariffs on foreign wines, and in 1942, Manuel Ávila Camacho enacted the Wine Law.

By 1950, there were around twelve wineries in Baja California. The companies that were already producing wine on an industrial scale were Bodegas de Santo Tomás, Bodegas Miramar, Bodegas Terrasola, and Bodegas Urbiñón in the Ensenada valleys; Vinícola Regional, Bodegas Cetto, and Bodegas Murúa Martínez in Tijuana; and Bodegas de Rancho Viejo, La Providencia, and Vinícola de Tecate in Tecate.

Since then, wine production has become the main socioeconomic activity in the valleys of Baja California. Between 1960 and 1970, the major wine companies were established in the region, including Bodegas Miramar, Casa Domecq, and L.A. Cetto; by contrast, during the 1980s and 1990s, smaller wineries experienced significant growth, such as Monte Xanic, Cavas Valmar, Vinos Roganto, Mogor Badán, Casa Liceaga, Chateau Camou, Barón Balché, Viñedos Lafarga, Paralelo, Casa de Piedra, Villa Montefiori, Viñas Pijoan, Adobe Guadalupe, Pasionbiba, Vinos Shimul, Vinos Bibayoff, Vinícola Don Juan, Vinos Sueños, and Vinícola JC Bravo, among others.

As a result of this growth and the increasing interest in wine production, in 2004 Hugo D’Acosta, with government support, established the Estación de Oficios, better known as “La Escuelita,” where enthusiasts and small producers are taught the winemaking process, grape cultivation, and techniques for handling and marketing, resulting primarily in the production of artisanal wines.

Translated by Maria Escartín Rodríguez

Contact: 628027233 | Instagram: @mariaescartiin

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