A visit to the oldest vineyard in the Americas

This past October found us on our way with friends to the oldest vineyard and winery in the Americas. Hacienda San Lorenzo, in the high desert of the state of Coahuila, was granted to the original owners from Spain in 1597. It was here that the lovely, award-winning wines today known as Casa Madero and San Lorenzo got their start. The vineyard was purchased in 1893 and is still owned by the Madero family.

A visit to the oldest vineyard in the Americas

This past October found us on our way with friends to the oldest vineyard and winery in the Americas. Hacienda San Lorenzo, in the high desert of the state of Coahuila, was granted to the original owners from Spain in 1597. It was here that the lovely, award-winning wines today known as Casa Madero and San Lorenzo got their start. The vineyard was purchased in 1893 and is still owned by the Madero family.

The tour of the Hacienda San Lorenzo winery is informative and well-done, but in Spanish only. No matter – just immerse yourself in the aromas coming from the old oak barrels and enjoy the experience. There’s also a museum on-site that’s very interesting.

The pricing makes it difficult to not throw out all your luggage and load up the car with cases of wine. The helpful staff will even bring your purchases to your car and load it, making sure the cases are packed with the neck of the bottles face-down. This is a brand that’s difficult to find locally and when you do, you can bet you’ll pay an exorbitant price.

Every August since 1946, a wine fair celebrates the pressing of the current year’s grape crop, with an elected queen and all the attendant festivities. Participants wear costumes reminiscent of old Spain. The Casa de la Cultura has several rooms devoted to the photos of all the queens since the inception of the fair, with other rooms dedicated to the history of the state. There are now six other bodegas/wineries in the town, some of them producing only a sweet, dessert-type wine – both red and white.

The small town of Parras, with a population of about 45,000, is about 20 km south of the cuota (toll road) between Torreon and Saltillo. The drive “up the hill” from Mazatlán via the Durango highway is one of the most beautiful in the world, but at this time is still mostly two-lane. This will change when the new toll road is completed. Don’t expect to top speeds of 35 mph most of the way, and remember to watch for semi-trucks at the curves.

Once you leave Torreon, the scenery is more arid and desolate. It’s easy to imagine the original settlers and priests struggling on their way. It took us about 11 hours of driving with a stop in Durango for lunch. Don’t forget that you’ll lose an hour on the drive, with a zone change.

We stayed at the Hostal el Faro, a restored finca, or country home, that’s owned by the Madero family and right in the heart of town. It is all on one level, with off-street, secure parking, a very good restaurant and excellent service. Each room is furnished with period furniture and modern baths, as well as a portable gas space heater for any chilly nights.

Since we all seemed to travel by our stomachs, we sought out the ex-Hacienda Isabel, which at one time was a convent. There are still marvelous paintings of various saints on their walls.

Another interesting sight in town is the aqueduct of the former Hacienda del Rosario, with a mountain stream rushing alongside it and a charming park. One of the strangest sights was a small chapel atop an old volcano plug, in the middle of nowhere. We climbed, via stairs and a steep ramp, to the top to check it out.

Shoppers, take note: There’s a large Dickies clothing factory in town, which employees a lot of people from the surrounding area. Not very well promoted is another huge factory where they manufacture denim and clothing for a lot of big-name brands. There you can purchase jeans, shirts, skirts and even beautiful fabrics at incredibly reasonable prices - $100 for jeans and $60 for very nice denim shirts. Lots of stores in town also sell denim goods, at higher, but still good, prices.

We visited Parras for three nights, enough time to pretty well explore the area. While this might not be the most economical way to purchase wine, it does make a wonderful long weekend get-away.