Photo by Elizabeth Krecker.
Picture this: a wine made from red grapes that pours out white. A cellar dug 82 feet into the Mexican desert, deeper than any other cellar in Latin America, just so the bottles can rest at the same cool temperature as a cave in Champagne. And behind it all, a company you’ve almost certainly written off as cheap sparkling wine — quietly making some of the most fascinating wine in North America from a region most people couldn’t find on a map.
Crazy, right?
You’ve likely tasted Freixenet. Remember? Freixenet was that Spanish Cava your boring uncle brought to your New Year’s Eve party. Maybe you even lifted your nose a tad, wishing this had been a fine Champagne, or perhaps something you at least recognized, like Prosecco. But if you don’t remember ever drinking Freixenet, I’m pretty sure it’s because you enjoyed it so much that you simply forgot the name on the label.
That’s because Freixenet is everywhere.
Currently producing sparkling wine in nine countries, and with distribution channels in more than 140 countries, Freixenet’s recent merger with Henkel has expanded its ability to place its name on wines from all over the world. But even though its partnership with Henkel has increased its breadth, Freixenet remains family-owned – one of the few family-owned mega-wineries remaining.
Like all big wineries, Freixenet has its faults and its detractors. But one thing I especially like about Freixenet is the way it takes a small-winemaker approach to its mass-produced wines.
And not tacky wine, either, in spite of its reasonable prices. The wines we’ll explore today from Freixenet de Mexico are just delicious.
Welcome to Querétaro.
First, How I Found These Wines
Simple answer: my grocery store. But that’s exactly where this story begins.
In Mexico, La Competencia Imports, a U.S. distributor of fine Mexican wines with an astonishing history of its own, partnered with Freixenet de Mexico to support Mexican wineries and sell their wines in the United States.
We’ll taste two of these wines today. Both are labeled El Bajío.
I look forward to sharing more with you about El Bajío wines, La Competencia Imports, and Freixenet de Mexico, but, like so many stories I write about wine, this one developed a thousand arms and legs. So, let’s start with the story of La Competencia Imports.
How La Competencia Imports Converted the Mexican Ability to Pivot into an International Wine Company
When Don Ramon Gomez emigrated to the United States, reportedly in the 1950s, he founded a local general store, called a “tiendita” in Mexico, named La Competencia, located on Chapman Avenue in El Modena, a Mexican neighborhood of Orange, California.
Soon, he’d saved enough money to purchase the building where his store was located, a next-door home for his mother, and another home for his own growing family.
Not long after, national grocery chains began opening up nearby grocery stores in El Modena. Gomez and his family took a look around at their changing marketplace and quickly pivoted by converting La Competencia from a tiendita into the area’s first Mexican restaurant, The White Tortilla Kitchen.
Photo of The White Tortilla Kitchen courtesy of La Competencia Imports.
A closely-knit family, Gomez’ grandson, Tomás (Tom) Bracamontes later stepped up to engage in a second family pivot: the newly formed La Competencia Imports, a U.S.-based import company with offices in Ezequiel Montes, Querétaro, Mexico. La Competencia Imports soon found its home in the wine industry and now represents 50 Mexican wineries.
Head-spinning, right?
Our wines from today, labeled “El Bajío,” are produced through a collaborative relationship between Freixenet de Mexico and La Competencia Imports.
Today, La Competencia Imports distributes wine not just from Querétaro, but also from the Mexican states of Baja California, Coahuila, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosí, and Guanajuato, with Chihuahua coming soon.
The Family-Owned Connection Between Freixenet and La Competencia Imports
Although Freixenet and La Competencia Imports have formed a very modern business partnership, their connection is deeply rooted in a shared dedication to honoring their family legacies.
One of the beauties of Freixenet is that it remains a private, family-owned company today. The founding Ferrer family still controls Freixenet, and Chairman and CEO Jose Luis Bonet Ferrer leads it alongside his cousins Enrique Hevia Ferrer and Eudaldo Bonet Ferrer.
Although it now has a business relationship with Henkel, these family-owned roots remain the driving force behind Freixenet.
How Freixenet de Mexico Grows Grapes and Makes Wines in High-Elevation Querétaro
The largest winery in Central Mexico, and one of the largest in the country overall, Freixenet de México must practice extreme viticulture in Querétaro’s semi-arid conditions. This geographical location forces the winery to navigate highly specific climate and soil challenges due to its low latitude and high altitude.
Event held at Finca Sala Vivé, courtesy of Sala Vivé.
Similar grape-growing regions can be found in Argentina, Bolivia, Morocco, and China. Each of these regions must navigate the many challenges of their extreme locations, including intense UV radiation, massive diurnal temperature swings, severe frost risks, and water scarcity.
Querétaro’s high altitude creates a dramatic temperature swing between blistering daytime heat and freezing desert nights. This thermal amplitude stops the grapes from over-ripening too quickly. The crazy diurnal shift in this region allows the vines to rest, preserving natural acidity and freshness within the grapes—a non-negotiable metric for Freixenet’s signature traditional method sparkling wines.
Wine folk like to talk about the diurnal shift in their growing regions. 20 degrees…like WOW! Try 60 degrees on for size.
At Finca Sala Vivé, growers implemented shifts in practice to adapt to its high altitude, which the grapes adapt to on their own. For example, the thin atmosphere at 6,500 feet exposes the vines to high solar radiation. The grapes adapt by developing thicker skins. This results in highly concentrated phenolics and deep flavor extractions.
Winemakers use strategic canopy management in Querétaro to shield grapes from intense UV rays in high-altitude wine regions, preventing scalding grapes and bitter flavors while capturing just enough light for proper ripening.
Because the microclimates of Querétaro dictate precise, uneven ripening windows across the 50-hectare Finca Sala Vivé estate, the entire vineyard is harvested completely by hand. This eliminates damaged fruit before pressing.
Finally, Freixenet’s most critical farming and production workaround is its 25-meter (82-foot) underground wine cellar. Because the above-ground semi-desert climate fluctuates wildly, the winery dug the deepest cellar in Latin America to achieve a constant, natural temperature of 57°F to 59°F (14°C to 15°C). This practice mimics traditional European cellars, ensuring safe, slow maturation for their high-altitude harvest.
This unique cellar, recognized as the deepest wine cellar in Latin America, is open to visitors.
Video of underground cellar in Querétaro, courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Tasting El Bajío Wines
One of the many beauties of El Bajío wines is their low alcohol content. For those of you who avoid high-alcohol wine, these wines could be a perfect bet.
El Bajío’s lauded sparkling wine, typically 12% ABV, is made with the traditional Cava grapes Macabeo and Xarel-lo and features flavors like Meyer lemon and pear (slurp-yum!).
The still white wine, however, is especially interesting. When I first tasted this wine, I was fascinated by both its texture and its flavors. What on earth is this? I thought. Nothing on the bottle or in the glass answered my questions.
After a bit of online research, I determined that this low-alcohol wine (just 10.5% ABV) is made from a unique white wine blend produced entirely from black grapes—specifically Tempranillo, Malbec, and Syrah.
Wait a minute!
Yup. El Bajío makes this white wine from Tempranillo, Malbec, and Syrah. Much like making white Pinot Grigio, El Bajío harvests these red grapes early, keeps their sugar levels low, then presses them immediately after harvest without allowing the grape skins to make contact, creating a low-alcohol white wine made entirely from red grapes.
And yes, this wine is quite delicious. We enjoyed it with grilled salmon and cilantro pesto ever-so-lightly spiked with jalapeño. Oh yeah!
El Bajío also produces a red wine made exclusively from Marselan, a unique cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache.
Pairing Mexican Wine
People sometimes reach for a Mexican wine on Taco Tuesday, or perhaps on May 5, when it is celebrated as Mexican Independence Day in the United States — which, by the way, marks a military victory over France rather than independence from Spain. While a great moment for a party, it’s not Mexican Independence Day. (Stay tuned ‘cuz there’s a whole story about the actual independence of Mexico coming soon!)
But here’s the beauty of Mexican cuisine: it can be paired with just about anything, from late-night Mezcal to fine wines from Bordeaux. And the best news about sparkling wine is that it can also be paired with everything from shrimp to steaks.
So why pair Mexican wine only with Mexican food? Indian cuisine, Thai cuisine, German cuisine, Spanish cuisine, French cuisine, never mind American cuisine, which increasingly features Mexican flavors in unexpected places. As with any cuisine, food always tastes better when paired with wine.
Where to Purchase El Bajío Wines
Although La Competencia Imports distributes wine from Mexico into the United States, unfortunately, these wines can’t be found everywhere.
The local wholesale networks formed by La Competencia Imports currently distribute in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan, Nevada, and New Mexico, as well as several other states. However, due to the complexity of state wine regulations and procedures, online store orders can currently ship only to California, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Washington, D.C.
I found both the traditional method sparkling wine and the non-vintage white wine featured here at my local Whole Foods Marketplace in Phoenix. If you live in one of the states on La Competencia’s website, and there is a high-end grocery store or a wine supermarket near you, I’d start my hunt there first.
Or you can simply travel to Querétaro.
El Bajío is not just a beautiful Spanish name for this wine. It refers to the famous, fertile, and historically rich geographic and cultural region in Central Mexico, including Querétaro, named for its expansive valley plains.
To experience El Bajío wines alongside many other beautiful Mexican wines from Central Mexico, travel from the United States to the Querétaro wine region in Mexico by catching a flight to either Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (QRO) or Mexico City International Airport (MEX). From Mexico City, you can then either rent a car for a scenic three-hour drive or find a private shuttle that will take you into the Valle de Bernal.
Once you’ve arrived and settled into a hotel, you can then drive, rent a car, or hire a shuttle to Finca Sala Vivé, the Mexican vineyard of Freixenet de Mexico, located in the municipality of Ezequiel Montes, roughly 45 minutes outside of Querétaro City center.
From here, you can tour the unique underground cellar at Finca Sala Vivé in addition to tasting wines from numerous Mexican winemakers, including this wine from El Bajío.
Beyond the cellar, the estate offers “Uvabús” (tram) vineyard tours, horseback riding, interactive workshops, and an outdoor food garden with wine bars.
Querétaro also has many beautiful sites, including iconic landmarks, historical sites, stunning churches, a masterpiece of Mexican Baroque architecture, and walkways jam-packed with local color and flavor.
Photo of the Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo in Querétaro, Mexico, courtesy of Wikipedia. As you can see, even the local church celebrates Querétaro wine.
May you enjoy exploring wine from Querétaro. Salud!
How I Obtain Information, Wines, and Images for This Blog
Regarding the wines, it’s simple: I buy them, just like you. Hence, you can rest assured that my opinions are entirely my own.
The photos you find in my stories may be taken by me or obtained from various wine websites, Wikimedia, or Adobe Stock. All photos are credited, except photos from Adobe Stock, which can only be credited when Adobe provides the photographer’s name. I use photos from other wine websites with permission.
I never use artificial intelligence (AI) to write my posts. However, Adobe Stock occasionally uses AI to construct and edit its images. Any image I use that has been constructed by AI will always be identified as such in its caption.
Regarding the information in this post, the references I researched are listed below under “Resources.”
Resources
Alley, G. (2022, April 8). Sparkling Wine from Mexico For #TacoTuesday #WinePW. Wine Predator. https://winepredator.com/2022/04/08/sparkling-wine-from-mexico-for-tacotuesday-winepw/
At Freixenet, Globalization and Leadership Are Built into the Genetic Code. (2004, September 22). KNOWLEDGE AT WHARTON. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/at-freixenet-globalization-and-leadership-are-built-into-the-genetic-code/
Bachman, D. (2026, June 14). This Historic City in Mexico Is One of the Country’s Best-kept Secrets—and It’s Just 3 Hours From Mexico City. Travel + Leisure. https://www.travelandleisure.com/santiago-de-queretaro-mexico-food-history-culture-11996445
Del Río, M.S., Raventós, L. & Garza, V. (2023). Zoning of the Querétaro wine region. BIO Web Conference, 68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/20236801029
U.S. Distribution. (n.d.). La Competencia Imports. https://www.lacompetenciaimports.com/US-Distribution
El Bajío. (n.d.). La Competencia Imports. https://www.lacompetenciaimports.com/Store/El-Bajio-by-Freixenet-de-Mexico
El Bajío / Blanco - Vino Joven. (n.d.). La Competencia Imports. https://www.lacompetenciaimports.com/product/El-Baj-o-/-Blanco---Vino-Joven
Greenwell, L. (2022, March 4). Querétaro is Mexico’s Next Big Wine Region. The Vintner Project. https://vintnerproject.com/wine/queretaro-is-mexicos-next-big-wine-region/
Karavadiya, P. (2026, April 14). Canopy Management in Vineyards: A Complete Grower’s Guide. Promeraki. https://promeraki.com/blog/canopy-management-in-vineyards
Our History. (n.d.). Freixenet Spain. https://freixenet.com/es/en/about-us/our-history/
The Original La Competencia. (n.d.). La Competencia Imports. https://www.lacompetenciaimports.com/About-Us/The-Original-La-Competencia
TOMÁS BRACAMONTES FROM LA COMPETENCIA IMPORTS. (n.d.). Latino Leaders. https://www.latinoleadersmagazine.com/marchapril-2021/2021/6/18/toms-bracamontes-from-la-competencia-imports
Valdespino, A. (2024, October 18). Explore the World of Mexican Wines. CULTURE OC. https://www.cultureoc.org/post/explore-the-world-of-mexican-wines
Great post. I got into Mexican wine from Querétaro by way of https://www.mexicanwine.us
I think there’s something special about the diurnal shift that makes for high acid wines that can also be full bodied.
Looking forward to more of your posts.
I've had some fantastic Mexican wines over the years and almost all of them were from the VdG. Thanks for putting Querétaro on my radar. I'll be on the hunt for a bottle or two to try out!