NEW MEXICO IS KNOWN AS the "Land of Enchantment." Its Spanish- and Mexican-influenced history, grand vistas, colorful landscapes, brilliant sunrises, breathtaking sunsets and festive cuisine all contribute to its motto and its reality. Many of its wines and wineries are enchanting, too, although some wineries need more experience to produce better balanced and longer-lasting wines. This became clear to me when I attended the New Mexico Wine Festival in early September 2004 in Bernalillo, about 13 miles north of Albuquerque. The festival is jointly sponsored by the Town of Bernalillo Main Street Association and the New Mexico Wine Growers Association (NMWGA), to be renamed New Mexico Wine, Inc. by the end of 2004. Twenty-six wineries or tasting rooms were represented out of New Mexico's 30 winegrowers. The first day crowd of over 5,500 attendees bowled me over, as I had anticipated maybe a few hundred people at the most.
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