Down the Tequila Trail

It is time for another Great Taste Tour and this time we ventured back to the land of Tequila.  We set our sights on Mexico to hopefully learn more about the mystique behind what makes this agave nectar so amazing.  We had a great group of people that consisted of many from Oregon and few from North Carolina, overall it was a very well rounded group of liquor store owners and employees. 

We arrived in Guadalajara on a Sunday and I was immediately reminded of what a beautiful city it is.  The

Tequila: It’s as simple as 1…2…3

The irrepressible and enthusiastic David Ravandi, a telling combination of practical and romantic mixed up in one persona, visited Portland this week to speak long and lovingly about his primary passion: his new Tequila brand, Uno Dos Tres.
Ravandi had a three part vision for his new tequila: First, it had to be organically made and organically certified.  Second, it had to be only of the finest quality.  And third, it had to be done in the authentic and traditional style of original tequila from the heartland of tequila.
Looks like he succeeded on all three counts.

Organically Certified
Despite romantic wishful thinking, Mexico is not largely organic. Quite the opposite, actually.  Poor and undeveloped is not the same thing as organic, and agrarian countries tend to depend fairly heavily on

Agave Spirits--- Tequila or Mezcal, it’s a growth market

©Hoke Harden February 2011

Anyone who has been paying the slightest bit of attention the last ten years or so has noticed the explosive growth of Tequila in the U.S. market.

Here’s some more news:  that growth is going to continue.  But it isn’t just Tequila that’s going to continue, and not just in the U.S.   Mezcal has entered the mix, so it’s now about the entire agave spirits category.  And agave has gone global, so it’s a worldwide phenomenon.

Did you know….there are six different agave spirits produced in Mexico?  Tequila, Mezcal, Sotol, Raicilla, Bacanora, and Comiteca.  The only two exported in significant numbers to the U.S. are Tequila and Mezcal; the others remain largely local.  So far.

New "Tequila Train" Gives Behind the Scenes Look of Mexico's Famous Drink

EFE

Take a trip on a train that'll bring you near the foot of the Tequila Volcano in Mexico, where you'll find the Blue Agave plantations that are the source of Mexico's world renowned alcoholic beverage.

The new Tequila Train is the second of its kind and will begin operating in April in the southwestern state of Jalisco, giving tourists a first-hand look at the world famous tequila plantations.

The tour will begin around midday at a train station dating back to the late 19th century that Tequila Cuervo La Rojeña, maker of the world famous Jose Cuervo brand, is renovating outside Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital.
 

The train will return in the afternoon so the tourists can admire the view as the sun sets over the greenish-blue, agave-dominated landscape.

A project conceived of by Tequila Cuervo La Rojeña, the train will begin running on April 1 under a different concept than the Tequila Express - a tourist train operated by

Agave Spirits Tequila or Mezcal, it’s a growth market

By Hoke Harden

Anyone who has been paying the slightest bit of attention the last ten years or so has noticed the explosive growth of Tequila in the U.S. market. 
Here’s some more news: that growth is going to continue. But it isn’t just Tequila that’s going to continue, and not just in the U.S. Mezcal has entered the mix, so it’s now about the entire agave spirits category. And agave has gone global, so it’s a worldwide phenomenon.

When Tequila did that, and became “respectable”, it encouraged the emergence and growth of many smaller artisanal brands in the market. Store shelves and back bars are