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If you want to try local alcoholic beverages but beer isn’t your drink of choice, take a trip through Burque’s more upscale wine country featuring great food, entertainment and spectacular scenery – yes, the desert has its share of gorgeous wilderness areas. Cruise through the valley by the Rio Grande and you will find many of the city’s wine sanctuaries sprinkled throughout the bosque – which is what we call the area along the river – in the Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and Corrales neighborhoods. In the fall, the lush, cottonwood-packed area is painted in vibrant yellows and oranges, so try sampling local wines and clearing your palate between sips with crisp, clean air in the section of town with the most flourishing plant life. If you’re hanging out around the river at the right time, you might see balloonists playing a game where they gently dip their gondolas into the water before ascending back into the cool October skies, so maybe nab a couple of bottles and have a picnic by the Rio Grande. If you don’t feel like packing your own supplies, in addition to wine and good grub, Casa Rodeña Winery (733 Chavez Rd NW) emphasizes a love of music, art and architecture. You don’t even have to load your luggage with bulky bottles to take home to your loved ones because their award-winning wines and gourmet sauces are available for shipping to most states. Casa Vieja (4541 Corrales Rd.) serves hand-crafted wines and beers outside on their spacious patio or inside a beautiful, warm adobe house built in 1770. Like many of the city’s wineries, they feature local musicians and food trucks almost every day. The Lescombes family have been crafting wine in New Mexico since they emigrated from Burgundy, France in 1981, so they know a thing or two about wine. D.H. Lescombes Winery and Bistro has two Albuquerque locations in Old Town (901 Rio Grande Blvd. NW) and Rio Rancho (3771 NM-528) and offer appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and entrees prepared by their master chefs. Vara Winery& Distillery has a tasting room in the Los Ranchos neighborhood (6770 Fourth St. NW) and one located, conveniently, next to Balloon Fiesta Park (315 Alameda Blvd. NE).
Balloon Fiesta Guide: Wineries is a story from The Paper.. Publishing from New Mexico’s largest city, The Paper is your source for local, independent news, covering politics, arts, culture, and events.
