So I’m always very careful when it comes to categorizing things. [places, music, movies, food, wine, ect...] By this I mean I try my hardest to say... one of my favorites [or] one of the best [or] one of the most beautiful… I think you get the point I'm trying to make. I do this for a couple of reasons: 1. I have not done, seen, or tasted nearly everything that there is to do, see, or taste in this world!! [obviously LOL] 2. I simply refuse to choose because... well, I don't have to!! HA!! I mean, why limit yourself to having just one best or one favorite of anything, right!?
That being said, Casa Rondeña Winery is one of the most beautiful vineyards I have ever had the pleasure to visit!! We [Shawn and I] discovered it during the second summer we spent in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You see, we long-term lived at a different campground than the one we stayed during the previous summer, and you know me... just had to explore!! The Vineyard was literally a couple [city] blocks away. Over the years I have been back several times, and it is always just incredible!! It seems like I enjoy their wines more over the years too, thanks to my expanding palate!! Every-time I get out of the car here, it makes me feel like I've been transported to Spain!!
Speaking of Spain… John Calvin, the gentleman who established Casa Rondeña and is also the winemaker, spent many years in Spain himself. He not only has a great love for wine, but he is an accomplished musician, as well. He studied Flamenco [a traditional Spanish art form that combines singing, dancing, and guitar playing] in Southern Spain. John was so passionate about his music that it spilled over into the naming of the vineyard. “Casa” means house in Spanish, and “Rondeña” refers to a type of flamenco song and dance.
John is also a designer/builder, and he fell in love with the Spanish style architecture, where his spent his younger years. I think this may be one of the reasons that this winery gives off such strong Spanish root vibes. John planted the first vines on the vineyard property in 1990, with the help of his two sons, Ross and Clayton. The tasting room was built and opened in mid 1997. They added a Tricentennial bell tower in 2004, and a storage facility in 2008 that included a Founder’s Rotunda. This is a type of building or room that is round and often has a dome shape. [as you can see in the above photo]
John had a house built towards the back of the property where he lived until 2010. When he moved out, he turned the home into the 1629 Club, a place for private members to enjoy peace and tranquility. They could sit and have a glass of wine and tapas in a more secluded setting!! [among other member benefits] The club is named after the year the first vines were smuggled into to New Mexico by some early monks in… you guessed it, 1629!! You can see the club house in the photo above. [behind one of my wine tasting bff's, Jessica and myself while we were visiting just last year!!]
I loved learning more about the history of this beautiful winery!! When you look at the whole story... John living in Spain, playing Flamenco, and living on a musician’s salary. His pipe dream of one day starting his own winery. To me it's a feel good story and solid proof that dreams [even pipe dreams] can become a reality!! Today, Casa Rondeña has been voted best winery for 7 years in a row, and they have received gold and double-gold medals for their delicious wine!! You need to check them at, maybe even catch some live Spanish style music!! They are located at 733 Chavez Rd NW Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM 87107.
Now you may be thinking back to last week’s closing remarks, when I mentioned the Albuquerque Balloon Festival. It was no accident that we were here during the festival... you should know by now about Shawn's hot air balloon connection, so we came to town for this event, and I was able to revisit Casa Rondeña while we were here!! I won't get into our complicated ballooning/travel nurse story, after-all this is my wine blog and not a work blog!! HA!!
Next week Wine with Wixy is still in Albuquerque, working at the Balloon Festival... BUT you know I can always make time for some wine!! Tune in if you want to see what else downtown Albuquerque has to offer!!
Cheers to you my wine loving friends, and TTFN!!
Comments