Mexico Wineries in Guanajuato State That Are Winning Awards

For decades, Valle de Guadalupe and the surrounding wine region in northern Baja California held the world’s attention when it came to Mexico Wineries. But anyone who has been paying attention to the last 15 years or so, has watched Mexico’s Bajio region, and in particular the state of Guanajuato, slowly gaining on Baja in terms of wine quality, production levels, wine tourism, and international awards.

We have been reporting about the booming wine trade there for years and are so happy to see some of the fundamental vineyards that make this area great getting the recognition in international competitions. If you are headed to San Miguel del Allende, Dolores Hidalgo, or Guanajuato city, a day trip to hit up a few local wineries is a must.

Guanajuato state wineries seem to be racking up more awards each year and in the 2026 version of the prestigious Brussels World Competition, the only state beating it was Baja California. Guanajuato ones pulled in a record 52 recognitions across a wide variety of categories. This included two “Grand Gold” special recognitions and 12 Gold awards.

Mexico’s Cradle of Wine-making

While many people think that the first grape growers in Mexico were the Franciscan monks in their California missions, the Bajío region, which is often called the cradle of Independence for its part in igniting the independence movement in the 1800s, is also the country’s cradle of winemaking.

Catholic priest and rebel leader Miguel Hidalgo himself supposedly had a vineyard, and the crown’s outlawing wine in the New World because it was hurting Spanish sales was one of the many things that infuriated the criollo middle class enough to start a war with the king.

For centuries afterward, grape growing seemed to disappear in this region until about 2005, when Juan Manchón and Ricardo Vega started their now award-winning winery Cuna de Tierra, and vineyard after vineyard followed. Now, around 50 wineries make their home in Guanajuato state, clustered around the cities mentioned.

Over the years, they have grown from unsteady experiments to solidly good wineries with hundreds of awards to prove it. Thanks to bloggers, local champions like us, and a few wine writers looking for the next new thing, the wineries near San Miguel de Allende and Dolores Hidalgo pop into travel articles on a regular basis now.

With cool nights, reliably sunny days, and no chance of frost, the Bajio area of Mexico is ideal for growing many grape varieties. On the negative side, there’s a distinct rainy season that leads right up to harvest time, which means tricky timing and some extra challenges if the rains don’t leave some drying-off time in between storms.

The winemakers are doing an impressive job in this region, including several female enologists, racking up awards in a pretty male-dominated industry. So who’s leading the charge? Here are a few of this year’s big winners that we think are worth a visit next time you are in the area.

Guanajuato’s Best Wine

A perennial favorite, Cuna de Tierra has been making great wine now for over two decades. This year, they won big. Their Gran Pago de Ricardo Vega 2021 was named Best Mexican Wine at the Brussels World Competition (and won the gold at Decanter World Wine Awards as well), beating out some pretty prestigious vineyards from Baja and Coahuila. Their 2023 vintage also earned the special Revelation Wine designation at Brussels, and across their catalogue, they picked up several other silvers and gold. 

The Tuscan winemaker Villa Petriolo expanded into Mexico in 2020 with Viñedo San Miguel and has subsequently been growing in prestige in the local wine industry. This year, they cleaned up at Brussels with a Grand Gold for their 2023 Syrah, a gold for their 2024 Blancs and 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon, a silver for the Piedra de Oro 2023, and a handful of additional merit awards (awarded to wines that score between 86 and 89 points out of 100, but don’t quite make it to medal status).

Another big winner this year was Tres Raíces, one of our favorite vineyards in the area. They racked up four golds and three silvers and again, a handful of merit awards. I can attest to the deliciousness of their Gran Reserva 2020 and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2023, which both won golds at Brussels. 

All three of these vineyards won multiple bronze medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards this year as well.

Dos Buhos, another favorite of ours, has become a standard-bearer for organic wine in the region. They were only officially awarded a silver in this year’s Brussels contest, but were awarded many merit awards to go along with it.

Other local wineries that won prizes include Vina del Gran Padre, Bodega Los Remedios (which won a gold for their Crianza 2024), Bodegas Guanamé (which also got a gold for their Pajaro Azul 2023), Viñedo Puente Josefa, Bodegas San Jose Lavista, and Vinicola Clandestina SMA.

Visiting San Miguel Wineries

Viñedo San Miguel is, appropriately, only 15 minutes away from the city center. This vineyard has a high pedigree, with a history going back to the old world in Italy and a connection to the high-end leather store chain Cuadra. With a reservation, you can tour the winery and taste five of their offerings. See more at the winery’s website here.

Bodega San Jose Lavista has great vistas indeed, with hilltop views of San Miguel de Allende and the nearby lake. While it looks like a grand hacienda estate that’s been in place for centuries, the house and vineyard date back to 2010. It’s one of the most popular wedding venues in this city of non-stop weddings. You can book a tasting tour with transportation from the city at that link.

Dos Buhos might be as famous locally for its farm-to-table restaurant as it is for its wine. You can make a reservation and experience a pairing with their boutique wines from Wednesday to Sunday in a gorgeous countryside setting. 

Viñedo Puente Josefa, Viñedo Los Remedios, and Vinicola Clandestina are also a quick car ride from San Miguel, but Clandestina lives up to its name: it’s non-existent on Google Maps, and only has a vague reference to the town of Santa Teresita de Don Diego on its website. I guess that’s a hint. 

Visiting Dolores Hidalgo Wineries

Cuna de Tierra is the winery in the region with the longest heritage as well as the biggest collection of awards on its shelves. It’s located north of Dolores Hidalgo in a gorgeous vineyard that also produces table grapes and olive oil. Head there for a tasting and tour, or make reservations for the restaurant and order a variety of wines with your meal.

Tres Raíces is a beautiful winery and hotel with individual casitas that is a visual delight and has an excellent restaurant. You can dine there and order wines by the glass or do a tour and tasting. See the official website and check out this Tres Raíces video tour we put together. If that looks enticing, book a tasting tour here with transportation from San Miguel de Allende.

Vina del Gran Padre, the other Dolores Hidalgo winery that was a winner this year, isn’t quite open to visitors yet, so stay tuned.

See area wine tasting tours here

Other Guanajuato Mexico Wineries

Guanamé winery, which also produces a premium wine under the Pájaro de Azul label, has racked up numerous gold and silver awards over the past few years. It takes some dedication and a road trip mentality to visit this winery, as it’s in a rural area north of San Felipe, in a region better known for producing mezcal.

Many wineries in Guanajuato host harvest festivals, special dinners, and other events in the second half of August. Check the Guanajuato Tourism website and the individual wineries for details.

If you’ll be touring the region, be sure to stop by the Wine Museum in downtown Dolores Hidalgo to get an overview of the region’s wine and do some sampling.

It’s easiest to get to these Mexico wineries in a car because there are others scattered around that we haven’t even mentioned, plus a whole other long list of them can be visited in neighboring Queretaro. You’ll need to have a designated driver for that though, so sometimes it’s easier to book a wine tasting tour instead so someone else can do the driving. Or just visit a good wine shop in San Miguel de Allende or a nice wine bar there or in Guanajuato City to sample some at or near where you’re staying.

See area wine tasting tours here.

See our reviews of the best luxury hotels in San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato City.

Text by associate editor Lydia Carey, photos by editor Timothy Scott except for the Guanamé photo courtesy of the winery.