10 Influential Latinx-Owned Wineries | Wine Enthusiast
When it comes to winemaking in the U.S., Latinx, Latines, Latinos, Hispanics—whatever you’d like to call our cohort—have indelibly made their mark.
While wine is produced in all 50 states, the majority of U.S. wine production is still based largely in California (nearly 81%), and Latinos have not only worked the vineyards, but have become enmeshed in the industry’s history.
Now, younger cohorts, particularly with Mexican and Central-American roots, have seen their family’s work in the fields transcend to winemaking, and even more so, to owning wineries. Adding to this, recent arrivals of Latinos from the Caribbean and South America have also entered the wine realm in the U.S., helping to create new wine opportunities not only in California, but in all parts of the U.S., from Oregon to New York.
To further this movement, Maria Calvert and Lydia Richards co-founded nonprofit Hispanics in Wine, alongside board member Gabriela Fernandez, to provide educational and career-advancement opportunities to the ever-growing Hispanic and Latine community of beverage professionals in the United States and worldwide.
“Sometimes you can’t know what’s possible if you can’t see what’s there,” says Fernandez. “When we did the LatinX Wine Summit, it was really meant to bring together a whole bunch of people so that we didn’t feel all disconnected and create that space and that platform… it was [also] the first time that many producers had been in one space that were all Latinos. And I heard from so many consumers being like, ‘I didn’t even know that this many Latino brands existed.’”
The Latino wine consumer is misunderstood, as well. With $1.9 trillion in buying power, it’s a market that hasn’t been properly catered to.
Calvert says that while there is more research about the market, there isn’t an understanding of how to tap into it “because they don’t have the right people in the room who understand the community,” she says.
For Latinos, it seems that often the missing factor is that focus on community. While not a monolith, Latinos are typically family and community-oriented, and that can impact how they both make wine, and how it perhaps should be marketed to the Latino consumer.
“I always compare Latinos to [Old World] European consumption—they are including wine as part of the celebration, in the family gatherings. And that’s something that I love to see,” says Martha Cisneros Paja, the creator of Latinas Wine Club, a group of Latina wine industry professionals and wine lovers. “The old European consumer, they drank wine with family with food—that was the important part. So, that’s something that I don’t think is very well researched [when it comes to the Latino community].”
As much as both the Latino winemaker and consumer are seemingly misunderstood, as the broader wine industry seeks a more diverse future, many Latino wine professionals are finally getting their due. “I know there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, but seeing them occupy those [mainstream] spaces is really, really great,” says Richards.
“Wine is really about community, and I think we’re just seeing the Latino wine making community just stronger, stronger than ever,” emphasizes Fernandez. “And it’s just going to keep going up.”
Here are 10 of the most influential wineries forgoing that path.
Every expert mentioned Cristina Gonzales’ wine company when asked who they’d shout out, and it’s easy to see why. Not only are her wines great, but she’s constantly thinking about not only the Latinx community, but the community at large.
“She’s a small brand and does it on her own,” says Calvert. “She was also in our summit and had really great conversations about just being a female doing wine in Oregon, but actually one thing that she was able to do is partner with Vivianne Kennedy of Ram Cellars and they opened up Community Wine Bar” right in the city of Portland where “they provide their wines together.”
Born in Wisconsin, she’s the granddaughter of migrant farmworkers who moved from Texas to pick cherries and provide a better life for their Mexican-American family. She was inspired to take up wine while visiting Argentina, and in particular, drinking Malbec. Now, based in Oregon, she produces a roster of wines that reflects what she herself likes to drink: Malbec (of course); aromatic whites, such as Riesling and Gewürztraminer; and bold reds, like Syrah and Petit Verdot.
The phrase “boss lady,” comes to mind with Nancy Ulloa, head winemaker and owner of Ulloa Cellars, in Paso Robles. Her authentic expression, both personality wise and in her wines, has people talking.
“She really leans into her Latinidad—she’s extremely true to herself,” says Richards. “If you see her posts and the way that she makes her wines, it’s really about her being a woman, her being a Latina and being damn proud of it.”
Ulloa began making wine as a side project, but steadily gained fans, particularly in her community, and is now in her cellar full time thanks to that support. And the wines are delicious. Her 2023 Albariño earned 91 points from Wine Enthusiast reviewer Matt Kettman.
In 1967, Pablo Ceja, his wife Juanita and their six children said goodbye to family and friends in Mexico and immigrated to the United States, where they worked in the Bracero Program, which allowed Mexican farm workers to immigrate.
Soon, they made their way to St. Helena in the Napa Valley, where Pablo and Juanita learned all about winemaking and worked at different wineries before moving to Carneros.
Two of their sons and their wives eventually bought their own land and created their own winery in the ’80s, and that’s how Ceja Vineyards was born. There are now 113 producing acres and in 1999, Ceja Vineyards, Inc., was established to produce premium Carneros wines.
Located on the North Fork of Long Island, RGNY Vineyards was created by a Mexican winemaking family who own wine stores in Mexico, where they also grow grapes in the Parras region.
They bought vineyards in North Fork in 2018, and, in 2019, officially rebranded to RGNY Vineyards. Growing a number of varietals, the certified sustainable winery is headed by Maria Rivero González, and focuses on quality.
“I think having that Mexican background and having a business in Mexico that is thriving and excelling at providing wine experiences, and translating into New York and the North Fork experience is what they are doing best,” says Cisneros Paja, who mentions the winery hosts Day of the Dead and other cultural celebrations. “I think they’re doing a great marketing job attracting people from all over the city for their [wines.]”
Mi Sueño Winery, founded by Rolando and Lorena Herrera in 1997, is a Napa Valley winery that embodies the “American Dream,” according to the founders. Rolando is a Mexican immigrant, and Lorena comes from a long line of grape growers in Sonoma and Napa.
The winery’s offerings began with a Los Carneros Chardonnay and soon expanded to a diverse portfolio of bottlings, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Tempranillo. Their exclusive Herrera wines, named after family members, are limited to small productions. Mi Sueño emphasizes vineyard quality and offers both in-person and virtual tasting experiences. The wines are available online and through their wine club.
Esfuerzo Wines began in 1974 with Salvador Zepeda, who was the first to cultivate grapes for the Firestone family in 1974. His son, Armando Zepeda, planted the first vines in Buttonwood Vineyards in 1983.
Over the ensuing decades, the Flores and Zepeda families have become viticulture and winemaking masters, significantly contributing to the esteem of the Solvang wine region.
Fidencio Flores, a new-age vintner, merges traditional and modern techniques to craft exceptional bottles, spanning from a Grenache pét nat and Pinot Noir rosé to Riesling. His father, Lupe, serves as the cellar master, while Armando Zepeda, the grape master, oversees vineyard health.
Story of Soil, founded by Jessica Gasca, is driven by her love for winemaking that began during her first harvest in 2009. With years of hands-on experience at wineries like Sanguis, Gasca learned the art of winemaking through meticulous attention to detail.
In 2012, she produced her first vintage. “It’s still fairly small, but I’ve been [living in the area] for only a year and a half and I’ve already seen the growth,” says Richards. “She is also the president of the Santa Barbara Vintners Association. And whenever I’ve heard her speak—really, every time I’ve heard her speak—she comes through and mentions the fact that she is a Latina and she’s very proud of it.”
Anaya Vineyards, located in California’s Central Valley, was founded by Victor Anaya in 1944. Initially, the family sold grapes to premium wineries, but Gerardo Espinosa, Victor’s grandson, later pursued the craft of winemaking himself.
After experimenting with the grapes and working toward the right expression, Gerardo released the first estate-grown wine under the label “Vinedos Aurora” in 2007. Today, Gerardo blends tradition with modern techniques to create wines ranging from Cabernet Sauvignon to Pinot Grigio, maintaining family involvement in every aspect of production.
Founders Ricardo and Davya Jimenez fell in love with wine through their travels. For many years, the Venezuelan-born couple who live in Florida, dreamed of owning a winery in California. In 2021, their dream came true, when they were able to purchase the Firetree Vineyard from Silverado Vineyards. It’s become a family affair. Along with their oldest daughter Sophya, an avid botany enthusiast, the brand produces two estate Chardonnays inspired by their travels to Burgundy.
Cattleya Wines is a small, passion-driven winery started by Bibiana González Rave. “With roots in Colombia and a love for winemaking, she creates unique, handcrafted wines in California,” says Richards. “Each bottle reflects her attention to detail, using grapes from top vineyards to produce wines that are flavorful, elegant, and expressive. Whether it’s a single-vineyard wine or a blend, you can taste the care.”
Critics have taken notice, as well. The 2022 The Reward Syrah, for example, scored 94 Points in a Wine Enthusiast blind tasting for its “unctuous, silky aromas of dark red fruit and baking spice layered in hefty flavors of polished boysenberry wrapped in seamless tannins,” wrote reviewer Matt Kettman.
That level of coverage and praise, Richards believes, is helping to lift the entire community. “Seeing [Latinx winemakers] more in a mainstream [publication], I know there’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” she says. “But seeing them occupy those spaces is really, really great.”
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Published: September 18, 2024
