Alumni Winery Tour August 11

Las Vegas, N.M. – The Highlands University Alumni Office is sponsoring a tour of northern New Mexico wineries Aug. 11.

The tour will visit four award-winning wineries, including Vino del Corazon in Santa Fe, Estrella del Norte in Nambe, Black Mesa in Velarde, and Los Alamos’ Don Quixote, which is also a distillery.

New Mexico is the oldest wine-producing region in the country, with Catholic missionary priests planting the first vines in 1629 south of present-day Socorro. Historians agree that New Mexico’s wineries predated California’s wineries by approximately 140 years.

Today, New Mexico has 42 wineries and tasting rooms, producing almost 700,000 gallons of wine each year.

“This wine tour will be an opportunity for our alumni to see New Mexico’s oldest industry,“ said Mark Bentley, who coordinates alumni chapter development. “The tour will include spectacular vineyard scenery, including lunch at Estrella del Norte.

“A strong feature of the wine tour is learning about the wines and their genesis, as well as how to properly taste and test wines to discover what you like,” Bentley said.

He added that New Mexico wines are now considered some of the best in the country.

The $75 per-person fee for the wine tour includes a boxed breakfast and a boxed lunch from the 5^th Quarter Grill, tasting fees, and transportation.

The bus for the alumni wine tour will depart from the university’s Wilson Complex, 1241 9^th St., at 9 a.m. and return at about 5:30 p.m.  

The wine tour is limited to 35 people. Advance tickets are available at the Foundation/Alumni Office, Margaret Kennedy Alumni Hall, 905 University Ave. Advance tickets are encouraged to help plan the meals for the tour.  

For more information, call Bentley at 505-429-5853.