Mezcal as Wine

Hi friends,

So many of you reached out after last week’s note from Oaxaca with questions about mezcal that I thought I’d do one more newsletter breaking down what I now consider to be the most fascinating spirit on the planet.

Since there are so many parallels between wine and mezcal, I’m going to do my best to explain what I learned about agave through the lens of grapes. 

I’m hoping I can make it as clear for you as the wonderful mezcal master Javier Suarez at Mezcalogía did for me, when he let me sit at his bar with my notebook, pestering him with questions for over two hours. Thank you, Javier, for sharing your time and knowledge!

So let’s start with the basics. Because if you, like me, once thought mezcal was just smoky tequila, that couldn’t be further from the truth...

Mezcal vs. Tequila: what’s the difference?

To be called mezcal, a spirit must be distilled purely from the juice of the agave (or maguey) plant.

Tequila is made from both the juice and the fibrous pulp of the plant, which gives it more grip and intensity. It also has a strict Denomination of Origin, much like Champagne or Barolo; it can only come from Jalisco and parts of four neighboring states.

Mezcal, on the other hand, can be made in nine Mexican states (Oaxaca, Guerrero, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Puebla, and Guanajuato) with Oaxaca producing the majority.

Maguey vs. Agave: same plant, different story

“Maguey” is the indigenous name for the plant, while “agave” came later from the Europeans. When the Spanish arrived and saw how many uses the local people had for this plant (food, fiber, rope, needles, roofing, even medicine) they were awestruck and named it agave, from the Greek agavos, meaning noble or admirable. Javier explained it as them being "awe-struck" or "agape" at the many wonders of this one plant, and the name stuck.

To put it in wine terms...

Calling it maguey is like using the local term 'uvas' or, in English, simply saying 'grapes.' . Saying agave is more like referring to the scientific name vitis vinifera.

And just as wine has thousands of different grape varieties, there are over 280 varieties of maguey... each one capable of being turned into mezcal and each one expressing its own unique flavors and characteristics.

Oaxaca and its "Grapes"

Think of Oaxaca as a wine region. Just like the Loire Valley has its signature grapes (Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc etc.), Oaxaca has its own set of maguey species that thrive in its specific soil and climate.

There are eight main maguey varieties in Oaxaca and the five I saw most commonly were:

• Espadín (Agave angustifolia) — the most common and often the base for many blends. More neutral in flavor profile

• Tobalá (Agave potatorum) — small and slow-growing, with concentrated fruit flavor; very high quality and often expensive.

• Jabalí (Agave convallis) — wild, earthy, and complex; usually triple-distilled due to the juice being notoriously foamy.

• Cuishe (Agave karwinskii) — woody and floral, gives lifted herbal notes.

• Arroqueño (Agave americana) — most naturally smoky in flavor; intense savory mineral aromas.

Travel a few hours in any direction and you’ll find other dominant maguey varieties. Head to Puebla or Michoacán, and it’s a bit like crossing from Burgundy to Bordeaux, where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay give way to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Just as in wine, the varietal (the grape or, in this case, the maguey) profoundly shapes the final product, but so does the method of production... 

Artisanal vs. Ancestral

On a Mezcal label you’ll often see “Método Artesanal” or “Método Ancestral.” Think of it as the difference between stainless-steel vs. amphora in wine,  but with other production requirements attached...

Artesanal Mezcal is made using high quality but more modern tools: agave hearts cook in clay/brick ovens, milling might use a mechanical mill, fermentation often happens in wood or stone vats, then distillation takes place in copper stills. 

Ancestral Mezcal is ultra-traditional: agave cooked in underground pits, crushed by hand or horse, fermented in open wood, clay or stone vats, and distilled in clay pots.

But before any of that happens, the juice must ferment. And the best maestros allow that to occur with wild yeast (levaduras silvestres). Yes, even mezcal is talking about wild yeast fermentations!

The “smoky” myth

That “campfire” flavor many of us associate with Mezcal? Not traditional.

It comes from over-roasting the piñas (agave hearts) until they blacken. Ideally, they’re roasted to a golden brown, coaxing caramelized and nutty notes rather than smoke.

Javier explained that this over-roasting can cover up flaws the same way too much new oak can mask poor-quality wine.  So large scale producers leverage this to conceal bad fruit, knowing that American palates expect those smoky notes (a win-win for them).

Some maguey, like Arroqueño or Cenizo, naturally show a little smokiness in the juice itself but, in most cases, it’s a stylistic choice.  I still enjoy a smoky Mezcal, but now I understand it’s like asking for a heavily toasted barrel: deliberate, not default, and less of a sense of terroir.

Two Curveballs: Pechuga and Raicilla

Just when you think you’ve got mezcal figured out, two curveballs appear: Pechuga and Raicilla — both technically mezcal, but with stories (and flavors) all their own.

Pechuga (meaning “breast”) refers to a special distillation where a chicken or turkey breast — along with fruits, grains, or spices — is suspended in the still during the second distillation. The meat doesn’t flavor the spirit directly; it adds subtle texture and depth as the vapors pass through. Think of it like gin distilled with botanicals. In Oaxaca, Pechuga is usually saved for celebrations  (weddings, births, holidays) not everyday sipping.

Raicilla (pronounced rye-SEE-yah) is essentially mezcal made in Jalisco, the home of Tequila. When the Spanish outlawed local spirits in the 1700s, people there kept distilling in secret and renamed it Raicilla (“little root”), claiming it was medicinal. The name and the style stuck. Today, Raicilla tends to be lighter, more herbal, and often briny in character.

Bottles worth seeking out

These are some great producers available in the states that I also saw poured in top bars in Oaxaca (and that Javier approved of):

• Del Maguey Vida — a great gateway Mezcal for sipping or cocktails. Fairly mainstream but their Village Varietals collection is an awesome way to explore the different maguey varietals!

• Alipús — a readily available producer in the US with high quality standards and a range of entry level 'Joven' styles all the way up through single-varietal bottlings that express terroir.

• Venenosa — Raicilla from Jalisco; savory and complex. I love the orange label, Sierra del Tigre. It almost tastes like feta cheese to me!

I hope this was a fun journey down maguey lane. If you seek any of these bottles out, I'd love to know what you think! I promise I'll be back to wine next week 😉

Salud,
Kelsey