Vinos Tanama
By John Vogel
Vinos Tanama is a boutique winery located in the South of the city of Tecate. It is easy to get to when travelling down Route 3 which is the principle road of Valle De Guadalupe. When travelling down Route 3 through Valle de Guadalupe you will enter into the city of Tecate after about 30 minutes. Tanama is located on KM 7.5 on Route 3, and so you do not have to make any turns. This area is known as the Valle de Tanama which makes up another vital part to the Wine Route. There are several wineries in this area of the city of Tecate. These vineyards date back to over 100 years ago. However recently in the last 20 years they have been bought by locals and turned into some very respectable boutique wineries.
This particular winery was founded by Alfonso and Ricardo Gonzalez in 2000. It is an area with about 10 hectares or 20 acres of grape vines. Alfonso and Ricardo decided to utilize the name of the valley for their winery. The name is from a language used by the Kumiai Indians who were the first inhabitants to this land. The name Tanama means, “Place of fertile land, where the water flows and the oak trees grow.”
The vineyards are currently growing grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Mision and Rosa de Peru. Using these grapes they have come up with three main wines to produce from this site. The three wines available are Tanama, Californio and GZ. The production of the winery is approximately 1,250 cases each year.
Unfortunately I have been unable to take a day trip to this particular winery. I have only been near the Valleys for a short time. This is a trip that I am planning to make within the next couple of weeks. When I do I will be sure to update this article with my personal experience and more details about the wine that I will most definitely try. This winery has a few great attractions that I would love to experience when I get there. They have horseback rides around the winery, beautiful gardens that I have seen in pictures, and wine tasting as well. The gardens are rented out for private events and weddings.
This winery is open to the public from May until September from 11 AM to 5 PM. It is best to make an appointment before visiting which you can do by calling (664) 215-9090. You can also send an email to one of the following addresses vinostanama@yahoo.com.mx or vinostanama@vinostanama.com.mx. You can also visit their website at vinostanama.com.
Check back soon for updates to this article.
