| The wine jewels of Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara employed a Mexican cheap and qualified manpower. That is why we wanted to get to know this network of workers by going South towards Baja California. Tijuana was full of maquiladoras: these North American subcontracting factories employed the desperate people stuck at the border. The cerco, the wall of the shame between this two Californias, diked the stream of emigrants to the United States. The waves of people from Frida Kahlo's country kept on sweeping against this painful breakwater. |
| Baja California, magnificent eldorado, had beautiful sierras and deserts landscapes. We enjoyed the discreet and singular fauna, made of snakes, coyotes and vultures. We also liked the thorny ecosystem for its cardoons - the biggest cactus of the world - its yuccas and its agaves. This plant, cultivated for its heart and harvested for its sap, was used to produce tequila, the famous spirit which entered into the composition of margarita, along with lime, orange liqueur and salt. Enseneda, home of this world known cocktail, showed us its hospitality. |
| Heterogeneous mixture between Anglo-Saxon and Latin cultures, this city presented an urban configuration with straight avenues, similar to that of the metropolises of North America. Its Pacific coasts were populated with gulls, cormorants and pelicans. The cold and agitated waters abounded in lobsters, in crabs and in mollusks, that we ate with enjoyment, especially served in tortillas, tacos and burritos. Soul of the Guadalupe valley, this impressive fishing harbour became our base camp to visit the Mexican vineyard. |
| The ocean and its role of natural regulator brought some humidity to this dry peninsula. The Spanish, Italian and French grape varieties - especially the cabernet sauvignon - managed their adaptation in this area where one fifth of the vineyard was run by the Mexican group Cetto. Even though beer remained the most popular drink, 85% of the wine production was consumed on the domestic market. As in all the producing countries we visited, wine was a strong patriotic component of the national identity. |
| Ensenada: LA Cetto valle de Guadalupe, Vides del Guadalupe Domecq, Viña de liceaga, Château Camou. |
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mexico
grape picker at Viña de liceaga
bricks and mozaïque in a hacienda
wine route in Guadalupe valley
cactus in rancho Ma Teresa
sombrero from Ensenada
2005 harvest in Baja California