La Chiripada Winery

The most common drive people take in this area of New Mexico is from Santa Fe to Taos or Taos to Santa Fe, neither of which will take you directly to La Chiripada «Stroke of Luck» in Dixon, NM. However, if you have the time, take the turn to Dixon and watch closely for the winery sign.
My girlfriend and I stopped into this quaint little family owned winery recently and were surprised at its comfortable and simple feel.
The one lady that was working allowed us to taste wines for a donation only. The two of us have very different tastes in wines, so three whites and three reds later we agreed that the Tempranillo was our favorite. Several of the reds were nice and full bodied, the whites sweet and subtle. We thought that this place felt so undiscovered and unique that we bought two long stemmed etched glasses as well before leaving. It truly is a unique experience.
The same family that owns La Chiripada owns a small brewery on the way to Taos (Blue Heron), where you can also buy their wines.
Stop by the winery, its five minutes off the highway and worth the time.

This is a great place to stop if your going between Santa Fe and Taos. Lovely setting with helpful staff. There is NO charge for tasting. Low key, lots of information provided by the young woman behind the counter. The oldest winery in New Mexico is family owned and operated. You will not regret stopping here.

We went out of our way to stop here driving back to Texas and are glad we did. The property is charming, small not overly commercial like some of the larger wineries in the Texas Hill Country I have been to. It is a really pretty parcel tucked off the road. I was surprised at the beauty and charm of the small tasting room. The girl pouring was friendly and had a good knowledge of the wine.
I am not a wine newbie but I like what I like. Sometimes I am dry, sometimes sweet and sometimes spicy! When we went they did not charge a tasting fee, which I like. There was no set number of tastes.
I lean mostly towards reds and like sweeter wines in our endless Texas summer. I liked that many of their wines tasted as though they could be drank alone or paired. I liked the Wine Makers Select, The Rio Embudo, Primavera, actually nothing I tasted was bad. My husband really liked their port. In the end we bought the Canoncito, it is a wonderful sipping wine, not overwhelmingly sweet but sweet and since it was a souvenir I wanted something grown there.
Next time I am in northern NM I will stop either at the winery or the Taos Tasting room, this was one of my favorite wineries.

This is a review more about why you should stop here, and what’s special about this winery, rather than what Mind-​Blowing wine this is. If you are driving between Santa Fe and Taos, or taking one of old roads to visit artists, stop at La Chiripada.
Odd as it may sound New Mexico is the oldest wine producing region in the US. I am skeptical about wine from weird places, but this wine is surprisingly well made. They have been making wines since the late 1977.
We tasted 7 red’s, their port, and their muscat, and if I could have brought some home, I would have bought the Tempranillo. The port and muscat were good; in fact the port really good for a fresher tasting, less deep port. There were some weaklings, but their efforts for a New World style were commendable.
La Chiripada’s $ 2 charge for tasting is peanuts. Most important, this is a stop you should make when driving through Dixon, south of Taos. Let’s face it: New Mexico wine is a curiosity, and if you’re going to try it, stop here.