{"id":7293,"date":"2016-04-07T01:11:13","date_gmt":"2016-04-07T05:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.playadelcarmen.com\/blog\/?p=7293"},"modified":"2020-01-09T12:40:01","modified_gmt":"2020-01-09T17:40:01","slug":"mexican-wine-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.playadelcarmen.com\/blog\/mexican-wine-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Riviera Maya Mexican Wine Festival Returns to Mexican Caribbean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drink! for you know not whence you came nor why: drink! for you know not why you go, nor where.<\/i><\/p>\n

Omar Khayyam<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It’s been five long years. But now, the wait is over.<\/p>\n

Make a toast, wine lovers, the Riviera Maya Mexican Wine Festival<\/strong> is back.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Wine<\/p>\n

From April 13th<\/sup>\u00a0through the 15th<\/sup><\/strong>, locals and tourists alike will have the opportunity to enjoy one of the spirit world’s best kept secrets: Mexican wines<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

16 different Mexican wineries<\/strong> will participate in this thirst-inducing event, as will 25 diverse restaurants from the Mexican Caribbean<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s important to support this festival because we are trying to expand Mexican wine culture to our guests and staff. We truly believe that Mexican wine is amazing, and most tourists don’t know anything about this tradition in Mexico,\u201d said Pedro Abascal<\/strong>, Executive Chef at Thompson Hotels<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Clementina

Clementina del Tejo Corral, Secretary of Tourism for Quintana Roo, speaks at the Riviera Maya Mexican Wine Festival press conference held at La Casa del Agua restaurant<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cMexican wines have a really strong character. They can be really creative. It goes along with Mexico’s personality. So you can find many different blends that are not common for Latin America or the rest of the world for that matter. They’re really different,\u201d added Abascal.<\/p>\n

\"Javier

Event organizers Javier Martinez, Edna Vega and Chef Pedro Abascal at the press conference in La Casa del Agua<\/p><\/div>\n

For Javier Martinez Fonseca<\/strong>, President of the Riviera Maya Mexican Wine Festival, the desire to organize this tribute to Mexican wineries<\/strong>\u00a0developed out of the realization that he found himself in one of Mexico’s premier\u00a0tourist destinations, yet almost nobody was selling Mexican wines.<\/p>\n

\u201cTen years ago there was only one Mexican wine<\/strong> in Playa del Carmen<\/strong>, and it was bad,\u201d admitted Martinez.<\/p>\n

\"Wine<\/p>\n

For too many years, most wines available in the Mexican Caribbean<\/strong> came from well-known wine producing nations such as France, Italy, Spain, Chile, and Argentina. Almost none of them came from Mexico, in spite of the country producing quality wines.<\/p>\n

It’s what motivated Mr. Martinez to seek out Mexican wineries and try to make their products available here. Along the way, he teamed up with the Riviera Maya Tourism Board’s President, Dario Flota<\/strong>, and the Riviera Maya Mexican Wine Festival was born.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Now following a five year hiatus, the grapes have fermented and the festival has returned.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Mexican wine is still underrepresented in the Riviera Maya.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people only know 4 or 5 wineries. Casa Madero<\/strong>, Santo Tomas<\/strong>, Mont Xanic<\/strong>, La Redonda<\/strong>, L.A. Cetto<\/strong>. That’s it,\u00a0but\u00a0there are many other\u00a0excellent\u00a0wineries here in Mexico in addition to the well known brands,\u201d added Martinez.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Riviera Maya Mexican Wine Festival will bring these wines to a wider public. To help make them known, there will be a series of conferences, pairings and tastings to allow a thirsty public the opportunity to savor the world-class quality of Mexican wines.<\/p>\n

Some of the participating wineries include Aldo Palafox<\/strong>, Cuna de Tierra<\/strong>, El Cielo<\/strong>, Mont Xanic<\/strong>, Moebius<\/strong> and Roganto<\/strong>, among others.<\/p>\n

\"Participating<\/p>\n

Because of limited spacing and the high level of interest by the local business community eager to diversify their product line with fine Mexican wines, the best opportunity for the general public to indulge in this feast of the senses will be in the evenings, when 25 different restaurants will prepare special menus and pair them with these fabulous Mexican wines.<\/p>\n

It is highly recommended that you reserve with sufficient anticipation, as seating is limited to about 20 to 30 people per restaurant<\/strong>. The cost per pairing is $700 pesos and does not include tip<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Participating restaurants in Playa del Carmen:<\/p>\n