Mesilla Valley AVA

32°19′36″N 106°46′32″W / 32.326595°N 106.775436°W / 32.326595; -106.775436


Mesilla Valley AVA
Wine region
TypeAmerican Viticultural Area
Year established1985[1]
CountryUnited States
Part ofNew Mexico, Texas
Other regions in New Mexico, TexasMiddle Rio Grande Valley AVA, Mimbres Valley AVA
Total area280,000 acres (438 sq mi)[2]
Size of planted vineyards40 acres (16 ha)[2]
Grapes producedBlack Muscat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Malvasia, Merlot, Mourvedre, Muscat of Alexandria, Primitivo, Riesling, Sangiovese, Viognier, Zinfandel

The Mesilla Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located primarily in the state of New Mexico with a small area in the state of Texas.[3] Spanish explorer Don Juan de Oñate arrived in the area in 1598 and named a Native American village in the valley Trenquel de la Mesilla, from which the valley as a whole became known as Mesilla Valley. Although viticulture began in nearby El Paso as early as 1650, grapes were first planted in the Mesilla Valley only in the early twentieth century, near the town of Doña Ana. The climate in the Mesilla Valley is dry and hot.[2]

  1. ^ "§ 9.100 Mesilla Valley" (Title 27: Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; Part 9 — American Viticultural Areas; Subpart C — Approved American Viticultural Areas). Code of Federal Regulations. February 12, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c "Mesilla Valley (AVA): Appellation Profile". Appellation America. 2007. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2007.
  3. ^ "The Wine Growing Regions of Texas". Go Texas Wine. Texas Department of Agriculture. 2006. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2007.