Food & Wine

Mexico by the Glass
By Dick Avery June 13, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

In a rut on the ruta

The vista at Adobe Guadalupe.

The Ruta del Vino (wine route) is a 15-mile stretch of two-lane blacktop running northeast out of the little town of El Sauzal, a handful of miles north of Ensenada on the west coast of the northern Baja.

Any resemblance to urban living disappears fast. A herd of goats may amble across your path, or maybe a farmer with a cart filled with firewood may slow you down. Cows amble along on the side of the road looking for lunch. But slowing down will work to your benefit, because shortly after leaving El Sauzal behind you are in the Valle de Guadalupe, where 90 percent of the wine made in Mexico is produced.

Fifteen years ago, only about 15 wineries operated in the Valle; now the number is close to 40. They range from the big gun, L.A. Cetto, clocking in at just under a million cases annually of maybe 15 different varietals, to the small, artesanal operation producing a handful of cases of maybe only one varietal, most of which is consumed locally.

In this issue of “Mexico by the Glass,” we’ll zero in on a medium-sized operation, Adobe Guadalupe, and the big boy on the block, L.A. Cetto. One produces only red wine, the other a wide variety of offerings. We’ll examine others in future articles, so stay tuned!

Now, pause, take a deep breath and think high-end juice. Think in the realm of Stag’s Leap, Opus One, Caymus, and others who make powerhouse reds.

Winemaker Don Miller and Dick Avery sampling the wares at Adobe Guadalupe.

Don Miller, a very successful Orange County, California banker, and his Dutch linguist wife, Tru, fulfilled a dream originating from a tragedy. Tru’s son, Arlo, had been fascinated all his life with all aspects of Mexican culture. Unfortunately, Arlo died in an auto accident. Shortly after the accident, Tru, felt she had received a spiritual sign while on a trip to Paris visiting Notre Dame. Just inside the door, she saw a Mexican chair with a serape draped over it. It seemed so out of place, the image stayed with her. On a subsequent visit to Paris to lay Arlo’s ashes, she returned to Notre Dame and found that not only the chair and serape were still there, but a whole altar display dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. These “proofs of Grace” came together when she and Don were looking up the origins of Mexican wines from the Valle. They ventured into the Valle and the site that would eventually become their winery. The dedication date on the deed of the property was the same date as Arlo’s death.

That was 10 years ago. Today it’s easy to feel the sense of spirituality and serenity at Adobe Guadalupe Winery. Low-lying adobe buildings blend into the landscape. The theme of the winery is, appropriately, angels. Angels are everywhere. All the rooms in the B & B are named after angels. An old water tank that came with the property has sprouted wings and presides over 50 acres of vineyards planted to some 10 different red varietals, from which Don produces 6,000 cases annually of four blends of Rhone-style reds. All, appropriately, are named for archangels. Don and Tru preside over this special place with warmth and enthusiasm. Don gave us a private tasting of all four of his “angels” (followed by the ever-present gaggle of Weimaraners). All of the wines were teeth-staining, high-extract, silky smooth, intense, Rhone-style lip-smackers!

Dick Avery standing in front of L.A. Cetto in the Valle de Guadalupe.

Don Angelo Cetto had no idea what lay ahead for him when, in the early twenties, he left his native Italy and stepped off the boat in Veracruz. Drifting north, taking laboring jobs where he could find them, he settled in Tijuana. Somehow, he obtained a wine dealership, setting up what was to become the largest winemaking operation in the country.

His store, Santa Fe, sold all sorts of wines and liquors, plus a special item. In his back room, Angelo produced his own blend of wines from grapes from local vintners. Sales of “the back room” blend were good; so good, in fact that he began to bottle his own juice under the Cetto label.

Angelo’s second son, Luis Agustin, inherited his father’s passion for the tradition of winemaking and began aggressively expanding distribution of Cetto wines, which have now grown into several styles and blends. More vineyard lands were brought into the fold and by the early nineties, in the Valle de Guadalupe alone, over 2,400 acres of vineyards were producing quality wines.

Luis brought the famed oenologist Camillo on board in the mid-sixties. Magoni immediately installed state-of-the-art technology and stainless steel fermentation equipment, a revolutionary improvement at that time. Magoni and Luis insisted that all managers and workers learn and employ the latest technologies in the production process. By the mid-seventies, the revitalized winery was named L.A. Cetto.

Today, a third generation in the form of Luis’s son, Luis Alberto, continues the tradition. Twenty years after joining the firm, Luis Alberto has one goal—to grow as fast as possible and to occupy every market in the world. Currently, Cetto is in over 25 countries and has won over 95 international prizes and medals.

The largest and probably the most powerful Mexican winery is set to face the future.

Dick Avery is a freelance writer and head sipper at VinoClubSMA, a wine club featuring boutique Mexican wines through free tastings. His website is www.vinoclubsma.com. He can be reached at vinoclubsma@gmail.com

Vino y Paella returns to San Miguel
By Atención staff

Third Festival Gastronomico de San Miguel de Allende
Sat, June 28, 1–11pm
Benefit for Centro de Crecimiento
Rancho San Luis Gonzaga
Carretera a Querétaro
700 pesos, free shuttle bus

Indulge yourself at the third annual Wine and Paella festival when all the goodies are again brought to San Miguel. You can spend the day sampling the paellas of 11 hotels and restaurants from around Mexico.

Since the range is from Acapulco to Monterrey and Mexico City to Querétaro, you would need a week just to visit and lots of pesos for the excursion.

To augment your gastronomic delights, sample wine from eight vineyards. For more ardent spirits, try Bacardi, Jaral de Berrio and José Cuervo. With desserts, coffee and cigars from multiple sources, you can raise hedonism in San Miguel to new heights. Repent later.

Further distraction will be provided by the Andrea Zanetti Show and Alma 4 Flamenco.

Tickets may be purchased at Casa Maxwell, El Pegaso and Hotel la Morada. Twenty percent of ticket sales will be donated to Centro de Crecimiento, a local nonprofit which provides medical care to children.

For more information, call (415) 154-4496 or visit www.festivalgastronomicodesanmigueldeallende.com/index. 

Paellas made by: -Hotel El Cano, Acapulco -El Caserío, Celaya -Hotel Villa María Cristina, Guanajuato -Bros, D.O. and Pujol; Mexico City -Restaurante Básico, Monterrey -Cocinarte and La Giralda, Querétaro -Harry’s and El Asador Catalán, San Miguel

Wines from:

Chile – Concha y Toro, Montes Alpha and Viñedos Emiliana 

Mexico – L.A Cetto

Spain – Cava Rondel, Freixenet and Viñas del Vero 

US (California) – Casa Torres 


History of Paella

More than 1,400 varieties of rice exist in the world and more than half the world's population has rice as a basic food in its diet.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, more than 90 percent of Spanish rice was produced in the province of Valencia, almost all in the Ribera Alta and the Baja del Júcar.

The community of Valencia in Spain has made an art of the perfect preparation of the grain, which absorbs the variety of rich flavors such as fish, shellfish, beef and chicken, giving these dishes an unparalleled richness and unequalled flavors.

In Spain, there are actually more 1,000 recipes for paellas, each community accounting for their own recipes. In the Levant region, the famous Fideuá de Gandía substitutes noodles for rice.

The largest paella ever prepared measured 20m (65ft 7in) in diameter and was made by Juan Carlos Galbis and a team of helpers in Valencia, Spain on March 8, 1992. It was eaten by 100,000 people.

Paella and its variations are typical picnic dishes for the Spanish spring and summer. The dish is also typically consumed during the Falles in Valencia.

The Dinner Goddess
By Lila Shaw Lash

The future of food through her eyes

Kirsten West came to Mexican food as a continuing love affair with the culinary world—her father claims she was born with a mixing spoon in her hand. Her first “break” was cooking for 25 hungry farmhands over a wood-burning hearth in the middle of the Black Forest of Bavaria—even with this challenging start, she knew she was hooked.

Over the years she has run her own catering company and restaurant in Los Angeles, worked for Diana Kennedy and Rick Bayless, traveled across Mexico in search of the perfect torta, introduced Mick Jagger to the wonders of Mexican food when she was his personal chef (it was chichilo, a special Oaxacan mole, and he was smitten) and, most recently, moved to Mexico to continue living and learning about the cuisine.

Her recent projects have brought her back to her original roots—advocating and agitating for more organic, local food sourcing. Through the engaged, active network of expats obsessed with food in San Miguel, West is endeavoring to make a difference by preserving small, local farms and saving our heirloom seeds from forever being lost to genetically modified competitors.

For more information on her projects and how you can join, please visit www.kirstenwest.info. 

Kirsten West on the patio of her casita in San Miguel.

LSL: How did you become interested in Mexican cuisine?

KW: In 1970, I drove from San Francisco down to Mexico City in a Volkswagen bus. I went for the Mexican culture, which I had learned about while I was in school in Germany, but I had no idea what the food was going to be like so, I must say, it was love at first bite.

LSL: What is one of your fondest memories from your Mexican culinary career?

KW: Actually, on that first trip, there was some snag in getting money from the bank and we were down to our last peso, so for a week, we ate a torta every day. At the time, it was a 10-cent affair, and I still dream of those tortas. They were prepared with thinly sliced pork, and the works, from mayonesa to crema and everything in between. The bolillos were crisp and wonderful, and we had those three times a day. Like I said, I’ve never had a torta like that ever again...I dream about them, literally.

LSL: Based on your wide-ranging interest in food, what do you see as the role the organic movement could play in the future of food in Mexico?

KW: Well, I hope we go back to what food used to be like; that’s hopefully what the organic movement will do. Before we had all the chemical fertilizers, food was basically organic, and that’s how I grew up in the countryside, with “so to speak” organic food.

LSL: How are you currently involved in food activism? What are your recommendations for others who might want to be involved?

KW: I think we’re just on the ground floor of starting a movement in San Miguel and I’m very fortunate to have found so many people who have many of the same interests that I have, which is basically to make the food better and make things more organic. Also, raising awareness of where people can already get very good food. Also, what we need to protect are the heirloom seeds. One thing I hope we can improve are the tomatoes. This is the country where tomatoes came from and we need to have really, really good tomatoes.

LSL: Describe the “greatest Mexican meal” that you would prepare and who would you invite to dine with you?

KW: I would probably make pozole, even if it is a bit of a headache at times, to pinch off all those corn kernels, but the result is definitely worth it. It’s a very convivial meal, where everyone can participate. Who would I invite? I would probably invite my father. He was the one who introduced me to good food and raised my awareness of food, and then he never had Mexican food, so I think he would really enjoy a good bowl of pozole. And then maybe I would invite Careme (Marie-Antoine Careme, famous French chef from the eighteenth century, well known for simplifying and codifying haute cuisine). Monsieur French food, he probably needed to taste a good bowl of pozole and lighten up a bit. He was an incredible innovator in the way of food, but I think pozole would have done him some good. And the third person would probably be a woman, and I’ve always had a lot of respect for Madame Curie (Marie Curie, Polish-born physicist and chemist who won Nobel prizes in chemistry and physics). You know she worked so hard and I don’t think she had ever had a really, really fabulous meal. She could probably relax with a bowl of pozole because it would be something that was approachable and not very pretentious.

Lila Shaw Lash is the chef with the Dinner Goddess, one of the expats obsessed with food in San Miguel, and a close friend of Kirsten's. She loves to learn as much as she can from spending long evenings with Kirsten, talking about Mexican cuisine and swapping stories over palomas.










House and Garden Tour

No tour on Sunday, June 15, because of Día de los Locos. The next tour is June 22.

Well-Being

What is Dharma Art?
By Christina Hager June 13, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Dharma Art Program
Fri–Sun, June 27–29
Shambhala San Miguel
Christina Hager, 152-5814

The map is not the territory. —Alfred Korzbyski

The truth of the thing is not the think of it but the feel of it. —Stanley Kubrick

One eye sees, the other feels. —Paul Klee

There is such a thing as unconditional expression that does not come from self or other. It manifests out of nowhere like mushrooms in a meadow, like hailstones, like thundershowers. —Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Dharma Art, or Shambhala Arts, is a process, a product and an arts education program. As a process, it brings wakefulness and awareness to the creative and viewing process through the integration of contemplation and meditation. Once a view and path are established it can be put into practice within any artistic discipline. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the developer of Shambhala Arts and author of the book Dharma Art, said, “Genuine art tells the truth.”

To artist or nonartist, the creative process may seem mysterious and magical. How do we give a physical reality to some ephemeral inspiration and in turn communicate its essential nature beyond the limits of its container? Dharma Art’s purpose is to explore 

the creative process, the viewing process and the product we call art—all from the viewpoint of a meditative discipline. It is a viewpoint that encourages us to see things as they are, rather than only how we think or imagine they are. 

Dharma means “truth.” In the context of art, it refers to the state before you lay your hand on your brush, your clay, your canvas—basic, peaceful and free from distortion. Art refers to all activities of our life, including any artistic disciplines that we practice. It is not an occupation; it is our whole being. Dharma Art does not teach a particular skill or technique, such as painting, sculpture or dance. It is about the source of inspiration, its manifestation and how it speaks to us—as artist or as viewer of works of art. It is an attitude of directness and unselfconsciousness in one’s creative life. The creative process requires that we first perceive our world as it is before we can represent it in an art form or use it is a launching pad for expression.

Christina Hager is a member of the San Miguel Shambhala Buddhist Meditation Center. For questions or more information about Dharma Art and Shambhala Arts, email her at: shambhalactrsma@gmail. com or call 152-5814.