Don Quixote Distillery & Winery

We arrived 15 minutes before closing time and were afraid we would be greeted with the «we are closing» attitude, but couldn’t have been more wrong. The employee was friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable about all the wine and spirits. We did the tasting and tried a few wines, both vodkas and the blue corn bourbon. Our favorite by far was the blue corn bourbon, and we aren’t bourbon drinkers! It was smooth, light and so easy to drink. I highly recommend the short drive out here to experience a different twist to the ordinary SF wineries.

The blue corn bourbon is excellent. Smooth and creamy, with a hint of smoke and sweet finish. The owners are also very cool. The distillery tasting room is how I would want to decorate my own home. This is a must stop at place.

Dave goes to New Mexico part 9.
Well, if the previous night was hot, exhausting, and kind of pretentious, this night in the Santa Fe area was all about casual fun.
We got an early start on the evening, which I really appreciated after being out until about 11:00 the night before. First, we drove up the road a couple miles to the Don Quixote Distillery & Winery. Who knew that New Mexico has a wine and spirits industry? Well, I guess the folks at Don Quixote knew because they opened a tasting room right next to the highway.
When we arrived at about 4:30 we could not tell whether they were open. We saw some people laying stone in the front courtyard, but those people looked like they might be contractors. Not to worry, one of the people in the courtyard invited us inside.
Inside was very rustic with no A/​C, a small wood bar, wood tables and benches, and a cement floor.
Our hostess was Russian and seemed a little put out that we were there at first. However, once our group ordered the full tasting with souvenier glasses she started to warm up.
The tasting was $ 7 and you got 5 choices. Not being a wine drinker, I opted for the spirits. The big draw for most of our group was the blue corn vodka and blue corn bourbon. I started with the blue corn vodka based on the hostess’ recommendation.
The vodka was interesting. It is double distilled rather than the typical triple distilled. Therefore, this vodka has a definite flavor to it. It is rather sweet on the front end with definite alcohol flavor on the end. It was okay but not great.
Next came their version of a triple distilled vodka. Quite smooth. A typical middle grade vodka.
Next, I moved on to the grappa. The grappa had a bite to it that I liked. It is not for the faint of heart, but I enjoyed it.
My next choice was the blue corn bourbon. The hostess explained that this is a real American bourbon since it is at least 51% corn and is aged in new oak barrels. Interestingly, you could tell that the same grain was used in the Blue Corn Vodka and the Blue Corn Bourbon since both had the sweet front end. The bourbon was good but not great.
The star for me was the Spirit of Santa Fe Gin. Normally, I am a tequila drinker. Don Quixote did not have any tequila, but the gin made me happy because it had a spiciness and fruitiness that is remotely similar to higher end tequilas. In addition to the juniper berry flavor, there was definitely some lemon. This gin is meant to be consumed neat or with a bit of ice. No tonic needed.
Bottles were on the pricey side ranging from about $ 18 to $ 42. I did no buy anything, but I did get my souvenier shot glass.
Don Quixote is a recommended stop if you are in the area.

Great little surprise in Pojoaque! We have been there twice, once this past weekend with my parents. The wine is good, but not great. (A lot of it is too sweet for my taste) The spirits are to die for! I love the blue corn vodka and bourbon– we have both at our house now.
The location is great too and we were excited to learn about the wine tasting class they offer monthly. We will definitely make a weekend of it and come to Santa Fe.

Don Quixote Distillery & Winery has 2 locations; one in Los Alamos and one in Pojoaque (about 15 miles north of Santa Fe) on 285.
A girlfriend and I attended the 3 hour wine and spirit tasting with food pairings. What a great afternoon. Sampled white wines, red wines, ports, white sangria, red sangria, vodka, bourbon, gin and brandy. In total we tasted 27 different «beverages.» The food pairings included 6 cheese varieties, ham, salami, sausage, artichoke garlic dip, pretzels, bread, grapes, pickles, olives, chocolate covered raisin, chocolate pringle looking chips, chocolate truffles, chips and salsa; I think I remembered it all. whew! The owners were happy to let you «taste» more and were not in any way stingy about letting the guests explore the flavors to your hears desire. I’d suggest having a DD as some people in our group definitely were in no shape to drive after a 3 hour event.
Ron, the owner, walked through the history of wine making and distilling. He discussed each pairing as well as countless facts I’d never heard on my previous wine tasting experiences. His humor and knowledge made for an enjoyable and educational tasting. He even goes into how the bottles are labeled and all of the laws around packaging and selling wine, beer and spirits. He also gives an extremely interesting background of New Mexican wines and spirits. His wife, Olha, is wonderful too. She is happy to provide «tips» on how to sip the vodka and other spirits. Overall the you can tell the owners love what they do and love to share it with others.
I would go back to Don Quixote for another wine tasting, no question.
From Santa Fe, take 285 North. Don Quixote will be on our left. You will pass it. Go to the traffic light at County Road 103 and do a U-​turn and you’ll be there!