Casa Madero

History

Casa Madero owns and operates the oldest vineyards and winery in the entire American Continent Barely 73 years after Hernan Cortez conquered the Aztecs, Don Lorenzo Garcia explored the north of Mexico, and in the midst of a desert, came across a veritable oasis with water springs and abundance of native vines, from whose grapes the first American wine was ever produced. The place was called "Santa Maria de las Parras", or Holy Mary of the Vines, as parras is Spanish for vines.

After establishing a vineyard he received in 1597 a Royal Land Grant, with the rights to the vineyard and to the production of wines and brandies, thus giving birth to the San Lorenzo vineyards and winery, today´s Casa Madero.

The tradition began in the year 1549 when Spanish priests and conquistadores came across the gifted valley that is now known as the "Parras Valley", where they found abundant spring water and a profusion of native vines, this discovery prompted them to establish the Mission of Santa María de las Parras or Holy Mary of the Vines, as parras is the Spanish world for vines. From these native grapes they produced the first American wine, and in a few years the wonderful vines, wines and brandies of the Valley of Parras, were being "exported" to the rest of American Continent.

On the 19th August 1597, Don Lorenzo García took formal possession of a land grant issued to him by Philip II King of Spain, with the express purpose of establishing a vineyard to produce wine and brandy, thus asserting his claim and peaceful use of the land he had settled earlier; where he had already established the vineyard and winery, thus giving formal birth to the Hacienda de San Lorenzo.

The soil and climate of the high elevation - 1,500 meters above sea level - of the Parras Valley have produced fine grapes from time immemorial. With the years the fame of the Parras wines grew so much that in 1699 the King of Spain, alarmed by the competition prohibited, with the exception of wines for the Church, the cultivation of vinyards and the production of wine in the American Colonies, a difficult period when San Lorenzo survived by producing mainly for the Curia. This prohibition lasted until Mexico´s independence from Spain in 1810.

The estate was purchased from its French owners in Paris in 1893 by Don Evaristo Madero, scion in Mexico of the Madero family and grandfather of President Madero who in 1910 set the foundations of modern Mexico.

In Europe Don Evaristo also contracted the services of the best people in their respective fields, viticulturist from Italy and Spain and oenoligsts from France, he also brought to the Parras Valley new vine varieties and modern equipment, from grape presses, Cognac or Charentais pot stills or alembiques and the most up to date bottling machines. With the new personnel, grape varieties and equipment the San Lorenzo winery of Casa Madero grew and progressed to become Mexico´s premiere wine and brandy producer.