(Munchies.vice) - I grew up in San Diego but Mexican wine was never really impressive then, at least in the world market when compared to other wines. I remember going to the Valle de Guadalupe around seven years ago and it was kind of depressing, actually. But a lot has happened in the last five years.

The biggest difference that I’ve seen is in the rise of the sheer quality of wine and hospitality in Baja California. And a lot of that progress has to do with the commitment that Javier Plascencia has had to reviving Baja in the last decade. I know this personally because I am the sommelier for Bracero, Plascencia’s latest alta cocina restaurant in San Diego.

So how do Mexican wines fare against some other wines of the world? Well, the first thing you will notice as you start tasting the varietals from down there is that they are unlike the same wine varietals grown elsewhere in the world. For example, Baja is really proud of their nebbiolos, but their nebbiolo is unlike any other nebbiolo in the world.

This has a lot do with the unique terroir down there and the fact that the grapes are grown with no fog whatsoever (unlike European or Northern Californian grapes that get a break from the daytime heat, because a blanket of morning fog cools them down during the nighttime). So Baja grapes develop a really thick skin, and their nebbiolos come out looking almost like a petit syrah or cabernet—really dark and inky with a great tannic structure. For a wine enthusiast or professional—I’m a level-two sommelier, got my culinary degrees from both CIAs in New York and Napa Valley, and worked at Bouchon in Yountville—Baja wines have the power to throw you off guard.

Some—not all—of these winemakers use reclaimed ocean water from the nearby Pacific ocean to irrigate their vineyards.

However, the most notable characteristic of Baja wines are that most are really big and powerful. A lot of people attribute salinity to wines down there, and consequently a leathery, very intense, raw meat, salty flavor and aroma. This has a lot to do with the fact that these grapes are constantly getting baked by the heat and consequently, their flavor is developing 24 hours a day. At that point, after this tumultuous upbringing, a glass of Baja wine becomes very expressive. The land hasn’t really been studied, nor have a lot of the grapes. So a lot of them could be field blends with other varietals blended into them and not pure grapes. There are a lot of variables that the winemakers will eventually be able to pin down. For now, it is kind of random.

Also, some—not all—of these winemakers use reclaimed ocean water from the nearby Pacific ocean to irrigate their vineyards. They have to do this because having a consistent water supply is a challenge that they are dealing with as well, since Baja is still part of California. Water supply is one of the battles that Valle de Guadalupe is going to have to deal with in the long term, and conservation is something that the Valley is something that they are going to have to do in order to stay sustainable.

The good thing is that grapes do well when they are struggling. That’s the sign of a great winemaker, you know? When they can make a good wine with grapes that have struggled. In my menu on at Bracero, I support many brands and many families since some wineries are really pushing to make world quality wines. I even put whole portfolios of vineyards on the menu as opposed to just one or two bottles. I just don’t pick the most famous producers, too. I pick smallers ones like Vinicola Torres Alegre y Familia, Adobe de Guadalupe, and La Lomita. These are some of the wineries that I really respect. I think they are at the forefront of the scene down there.