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Rio Grande Vineyards and Winery, Las Cruces

4.4
Winery / Vineyard · Hidden Gem · Food & Drink
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Gordon Steel was born in Hatch, the chile capital of New Mexico – if not the world. But Steel, as a child, dreamed of grapes. And now Steel is the winemaker of Rio Grande Vineyards & Winery in the historic Mesilla Valley in southern New Mexico.

As Steel grew up, so did his dream – especially when his wife, Sandi, became part of the passion to plant a vineyard and build a winery. They fueled their passion by visiting wineries of California and Europe during the time Gordon served in the Air Force. When time allowed, the couple tried growing grapes in Albuquerque’s South Valley.

“We tried for nine years (1986-1995) to have a vineyard and even a small winery,” Steel says. “But we just could not get our grapes to grow. That’s why we moved to south of Mesilla.”

Fortunately, the move transformed the dream into reality, first with a 10-acre vineyard of vinifera grapes planted in 2004. The first harvest came in 2007. But one can’t just dream about becoming a winemaker, so Steel studied the craft at UC Davis and Washington State University. And one cannot just dream of a winery without careful consideration for the tasting room. So the couple built a modern winery and an attractive tasting room with a backdrop of the dramatic Organ Mountains.

Steel retired from the Air Force in 2009, and now he and Sandi aren’t just dreaming; they’re living in their dream.
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Rio Grande Vineyards and Winery reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
34 reviews
Google
4.7
TripAdvisor
  • I was with a group of six sampling some of the vineyards along this stretch of New Mexico highway. All of them were fine locations, with attractive facilities and good service. Alas, I did not enjoy.....  more
    I was with a group of six sampling some of the vineyards along this stretch of New Mexico highway. All of them were fine locations, with attractive facilities and good service. Alas, I did not enjoy.....  more »
  • We are somewhat wine connoisseurs and having experienced many other states that offers so many vineyards and tastings often – we are being constantly surprised and amazed of the Southwest’s many... 
    We are somewhat wine connoisseurs and having experienced many other states that offers so many vineyards and tastings often – we are being constantly surprised and amazed of the Southwest’s many...  more »
  • We just made a quick stop along the way to Las Cruces NM. They not only have wine, but local beers as well. The person behind the bar was most hospitable and answered our questions. There were 6 of... 
    We just made a quick stop along the way to Las Cruces NM. They not only have wine, but local beers as well. The person behind the bar was most hospitable and answered our questions. There were 6 of...  more »
Google
  • We were visiting from Phoenix and a local told us to check it out since we had kids as this winery has room for kids to play. Beautiful setting with Organ Mountains in the background. Live music was phenomenal (Christachio) and Mexican Lager from a local brewery in Las Cruces was good. I only drink red wine and they had one which was real dry but my wife liked the rose. Great experience overall, and would recommend!
  • Great place! Great Views! Friday night music was awesome! Food was simple but good! Small selection of wines but very good. Viognier and Spaniard were nice selections.
  • Beautiful winery with gorgeous sunset views. We did a tasting of all the wines on the menu and ended up ordering bottles of Pavla Blanca and El Santo. Overall, a wonderful experience — the place was clean and the staff were kind
  • We had our wedding there recently. They provided the food, the tables, and complete venue. We decorated ourselves. Views, ambiance, dressing rooms were all amazing! Eric and the girls were all fantastic. Go by and plan with them, went very smooth without any issues. Was a wonderful experience. I highly recommend Rio Grande Winery for your next big event. Its clean, its tasteful, the staff is great, and very understanding and helpful. Thank you Eric and staff for your help, we all had a beautiful time.
  • The wine is lovely. Rich, round reds and tart, bright whites. The view CANNOT be beat. The patio has many seating options with heaters for a cool desert evening.. Such a great stop for an evening of wine and mountains.

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