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Water, heat and survival – Mexico's climate-resilient viticulture

Guest contributor

Monday 20 July 2026 • 9 min read

Mexico drought climate change water

Valle de Guadalupe vineyards

Mexico’s wine industry offers lessons in dealing with climate challenges, says Mexico-based journalist and sommelier Carlos Borboa. Above, vineyards in the Valle de Guadalupe (credit: Monte Xanic).

In Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe, one of the most consequential decisions a grower can make today is not what to plant, but whether to plant at all.

This is a startling turn-about for a region that went from 10 wineries in 1997 to more than 260 today, producing wine from more than 4,500 ha (11,120 acres) of vineyards. It’s responsible, in fact, for 70% of Mexican wine. But as Hans Backhoff, CEO...

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