Greetings from Oaxaca 💀

Hi friends,

I’m trading wine glasses for copitas this week: writing to you from Oaxaca, where Día de los Muertos is in full swing. The streets are alive with color, marigolds, and music, and yes, plenty of mezcal. (Don’t worry, I’m still taking tasting notes.) 

Often we think of mezcal as a subsect of tequila, but it’s actually the other way around: tequila is a subsect of mezcal, an agave-based spirit that has to be made in specific regions. It’s not unlike Champagne being a sparkling wine that must come from the Champagne region of France. So in this case, mezcal is the sparkling wine… and you all know how I feel about sparkling wine. It’s been so much fun to explore this wildly diverse umbrella of spirits.

Just like grapes, there are countless varietals of agave, each with its own flavor profile and personality. Producers talk about terroir the same way winemakers do… the soil, elevation, and even surrounding vegetation all influence the final spirit. The best mezcals are made by small grower-producers, distilled in single-site, single-batch bottlings with huge attention to detail. They also have highly unique variations, like pechuga, which involves hanging a chicken breast in the still so that it distills it with a smoky, meaty flavor.

If this all sounds familiar, like I could be in Burgundy describing terroir-driven bottlings of wine, you’re exactly right. I’ve been repeatedly struck by how much overlap there is between high-quality grower-producer wine and mezcal: the ethos of honoring place with the utmost standards of quality is the same.

But not to worry;I haven’t forgotten about wine! I’ve been on the hunt for Mexican wines too, and while most are produced along the west coast in Valle de Guadalupe, I’ve found a few gems here in Oaxaca that we rarely see in the States. My favorites so far have been a Macabeu-Xarel lo blend from Queretero (aromatic, juicy white made from the same grapes you find in sparkling Cava) and a pet nat rose of Tempranillo and Malben from Jalisco (full of jammy red fruit and ripe rose notes with just a hint of funk)! Up until this trip, I didn’t even know they were producing wine in Jalisco!

Of course, the standout of this trip is Dia de los Muertos itself…. The colors, the music, the parties and, most importantly, the celebration of life itself. This culture really reminds you that we only get one chance to enjoy this experience here on earth and we should really make the most of it. And, also, that death is not the end. If you ever have the opportunity to come experience this week in Oaxaca, it’s truly magical.

Side note, I think it's worth mentioning that we (my family and I) were very cautious about whether or not it was appropriate to have our faces painted in the traditional Catrina makeup, but local friends told us it's considered impolite to not do so if you are here for Muertos, as the makeup makes the dead feel comfortable returning for the weekend as they see everyone looking like them. It has been so fascinating to not only learn this culture's rich traditions but also (respectfully) get to participate in honoring them.

I’ll be back next week with more cozy fall wine talk For now, I’m soaking up the Oaxacan sunshine and smoky mezcal while it lasts.

Salud y besos,
Kelsey