I rolled my eyes when our ground operator, Journey Mexico, included an excursion to a winery near San Miguel de Allende in our itinerary. Unlike Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe or the Valle de Parras in Coahuila, the state of Guanajuato doesn’t have much of a fine winemaking tradition. I suspected the wineries near San Miguel existed to help slake tourists’ bottomless thirst for alcohol, not because the region was conducive to high-quality wine.

But traditions have to start sometime. As evidenced by our visit to the Cuna de Tierra winery, Guanajuato’s history of fine winemaking has begun.

Cuna de Tierra

As explained by Paco, our engaging guide at the winery, the owners of Cuna de Tierra didn’t start making wine for the money. It was a hobby, a passion, not a business. To this day, the priority of the owners is to produce good wine. And they are succeeding, winning award after award in international competitions.