Yes, grapes grow in New Mexico, and the end of August is a time of harvest.In 1884 New Mexico was fifth in the nation in wine production with vineyards up and down the Rio Grande. Orchards and vineyards in Placitas date back over a thousand years and were watered by spring-fed irrigation systems still used today by Anasazi Fields Winery in the Village of Placitas. In the early days wine production in the lowlands was always affected by the constant flooding of the Rio Grande River. Prohibition in 1920 was the coup de grace to wine production for almost 50 years. Today, however, thanks to the work of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, which began in the 1920s to reclaim land for agriculture, river flooding has been controlled by1200 miles of ditches and canals, providing irrigation water for farmlands, open space, wildlife, and recreational opportunities. New Mexico is back in wine production with over 20 operating wineries. Labor Day weekend is celebrated in Bernalillo by a huge Wine Festival, attended by most of the wineries with wine for tasting and for sale. There will be music, local foods and art and all our neighbors clinking glasses and having fun.
~Lucy Noyes, CRB, CRS, Associate Broker
