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Editor’s Note: The Mexican Wine Council (CMV), the voice of the grape and wine industry in Mexico, was established more than 72 years ago. Exclusively men led the organization until 2019, when the first woman director, Paz Austin, took over. Now the council has appointed its second female leader, Ana Paula Robles Sahagún. In this interview with Alfredo Espinola, el Restaurante’s representative in Mexico City, Sahagún – whose background is architecture, not wine making – discusses how the council is growing the wine industry.
Why the world of wine?
And why not? It is a challenge and a great opportunity, to have a vision of the world of wine that perhaps I knew little about. The Board was ready to take on the challenge of welcoming someone from another industry. The council was on the right track, with good foundations. It had been doing well in recent years and that made my arrival much easier.
What challenges do you face as you take over the management of CMV?
Many challenges, from the operation of an organization that represents all grape growers nationwide in its five vocations, from knowing, reconfirming, reorganizing the house, to identifying priorities. There are 16 producing states in the country that we want to work together, to accompany each other in their challenges and in their knowledge. And we want to add more of these producers to the Mexican wine project, and undoubtedly this requires a strategy.
So what are the priorities?
Upon my arrival, the Board established three very relevant pillars, which are the ones that today govern my activity, and have to do with being a united and sustainable industry.
The first pillar is to have a united industry, a community of producers who accompany each other, who respect each other, who do not compete, but who work collectively to put Mexican wine as the first option in the market.
The second pillar in this administration is to increase production and promote the planting of more hectares. Today, three out of every ten bottles consumed in the country are Mexican. The other 70 percent are imported wines from all over the world. How do we monopolize the volume of consumption in the country? More planted hectares, more production of quality grapes.
The third pillar, which is undoubtedly an enormous challenge, is to position the Mexican wine brand. We have a collective brand that has been around for years and if you look at a bottle of Mexican wine you will find a little seal that is the collective brand. This not only means that it is a wine made in Mexico, but also speaks of high quality standards. And thanks to this, today we have won medals, we have a high acceptance in some countries of the world.
Our priority is that Mexicans choose Mexican wine, that more restaurant menus have Mexican wine up to the top. My challenge is to make that happen. This will not happen in a day, but very relevant steps have been taken to achieve it.
Wine is a national beverage, like tequila, like mezcal, it must be appreciated in the same way. Wine has the taste of the land, the altitude, the knowledge of the soil. It is important to know that a cabernet from Baja [California] is not the same as one from Coahuila. Pairing Mexican wine with Mexican food, what better combination is there? This is a well proven formula -- Mexican food has the possibility of being accompanied by a good wine. We have to motivate the restaurant to feel committed and do it.
How is the CMV raising the profile of Mexican wines?
Right now we have an incredible project that we are doing with a wine platform called Wiki Vinos. And we launched the first course of seven massive sessions on wine to train the restaurant waiters so they feel super comfortable opening a bottle in front of the diner, uncork it, offer it and talk about it. The course will talk about all the Mexican wine regions. As of this morning we already have 2,300 people registered.
In November of this year, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles is coming to Mexico, as well as the Mexico Selection, which will be held in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Mexico has to participate strongly by presenting its labels and winning medals, we really want to be on the map.
Nobody says it will be easy. Now we have 1.3 liters of consumption per capita and we want to reach 1.5 or 2.0 in five or ten years. It is a progressive change, but today, unlike other countries in the world, our consumption is increasing in wine, the esteem of wine is growing. So we have the opportunity to build, to get closer to new consumers, to make wine accessible, and, well, to make everyone feel this love and this passion for wine and for Mexico so that you talk about it and choose it.
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