Land of Enchantment

My Harvest Host site is a winery—supposedly the oldest one in New Mexico. Huge flat easy parking lot. After settling in and taking the dogs for a long walk I went inside for the obligatory wine tasting. Tried some nice reds, but I know their secret—they aren’t using the grapes they grow here—there is a whole field of vines with the fruit dried in clumps. I asked the woman working about it—she said it was the left over grapes after the machines pick, but it isn’t. Whole clumps on every vine. See pictures.

After I got my wine and settled at a table, another couple came in and took the last empty table—so when a couple of old guys came in I offered to share my large table with them. We had a lively chat—the two of them have been friends for years, one plays music at the winery (he must have finished before I arrived because another guy was playing on the patio while I was there.)

One of them told me that all the local wineries are getting their grapes from California, now. I don’t know if that’s true, but it lines up with what I saw outside.

Anyway the wine tasting was lovely, good cheese and crackers to go with. I bought a bottle of cab because I quite liked it.