Mexico

Mexico is basically a beer- and spirit-drinking country but wine is at long last starting to make its presence felt – which is as it should be since Mexico was the first New World country to produce wine, in the 1530s. The problem with many potential vineyard locations is a surfeit of heat, which can hustle grapes to ripeness long before they have developed much flavour. For this reason, top-quality vineyards tend to be either in the far north of the country in Baja California, particularly the Guadalupe Valley, or, historically at least, planted at high altitudes further south. Some distinguished full-bodied wines, most of them red, are made by the likes of Adobe Guadalupe, Casa de Piedra, L A Cetto, Château Camou, Monte Xanic, Paralelo and Villa Montefiori.