L.A. Cetto Winery

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Did you know the oldest continuously operating winery in the Americas is in Mexico? 

And no—I’m not at Casa Madero. I’m visiting L.A. Cetto in Baja California’s famous Valle de Guadalupe wine region. 

By production, L.A. Cetto is Mexico’s largest winery, producing more than 12 million liters of wine each year—about 4× more than Casa Madero and accounting for over 50% of Mexico’s wine production. Their wine tanks are absolutely ginormous.

Just how big are they? They have 48 labels in their portfolio and are often credited with introducing many international drinkers to Mexican wine. 

Founded by Italian immigrant Angelo Cetto, the winery is still family-owned today. Their flagship red is Nebbiolo, the iconic grape from Italy’s Piedmont region. Thanks to Valle de Guadalupe’s warm Mediterranean climate, it produces bold, full-bodied wines with notes of dark fruit, spice, leather, and firm tannins. #wineeducator

They also produce:


• Cabernet Sauvignon

• Merlot

• Chardonnay

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chenin Blanc
• Petite Sirah

• Zinfandel

• Sparkling wines
  

My favorite? The Sauvignon Blanc. It’s crisp, fruit-forward, refreshing, and a great expression of the region’s warm-climate style. Best of all, most bottles are surprisingly affordable—typically $10–30.

Can’t make it to Mexico? You can find select L.A. Cetto wines at San Antonio Winery in downtown Los Angeles. Fun fact: San Antonio Winery was one of the few U.S. wineries to survive Prohibition by producing sacramental wines.

For perspective: Mexico produces roughly 20–30 million liters of wine annually, making it a small-to-medium wine-producing country on the global stage. Meanwhile, Italy produces more than 4 billion liters every year. That’s quite the difference—but it’s exactly why discovering Mexican wine feels like finding one of the wine world’s best-kept secrets.