Culinary

No adventure in New Mexico is complete until you have experienced our cuisine. Unlike any other, it is a blend of flavors from Spanish and Native American cultures that has been perfected over the course of 400 years. At the center of it all is the New Mexican chile, in both red and green varieties, which is used in everything from enchiladas to ice cream. Whether you are looking for a dining experience that has received a James Beard award or an authentic dive off the beaten path, you will find it here.

Explore some of New Mexico's culinary delights:

The New Mexico Original Add green chile and you’re in a whole new world.

“...green chile cheeseburger has garnered national and international attention, further fueling a fiery passion for the state's chile.”

The classic cheeseburger is an American symbol. One juicy beef patty cooked to perfection and a velvety cheese blanket enveloped in a flavorful bun is the normal way of doing things. Add green chile and you enter into a whole new world that is uniquely New Mexico.

Green chile is considered to be the defining ingredient of New Mexican cuisine. While it’s origin can be traced back 6,000 years ago, the green chile cheeseburger has only been around since the middle of the last century — when roadhouses were popular pit stops to refuel empty stomachs along Route 66, which divided New Mexico from west to east. Many of these New Mexico grills claim to be credited for the creation of this taste bud tingling combination. But wherever you go, the legend is always the same. Customers would come in to the diner and order a side of green chile with their meal. One day, the owner ran out of bowls for the spicy side dish, so he put it on the cheese. And the green chile cheeseburger was born.

Throughout the years, green chile cheeseburger has garnered national and international attention, further fueling a fiery passion for the state’s chile. Among many rave reviews, big burger flavors of the two restaurants Buckhorn Tavern and Bob Cat Bite, respectively, have been featured in Alan Richman’s “The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die” (GQ, July 2008). Celebrity chef Bobby Flay saw the face of defeat after the grillmeister challenged one New Mexico restaurateur to a green chile cheeseburger cook-off on Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Even Australia has received a taste of New Mexico’s green chile cheeseburgers by a visit from Dermott Brereton of Getaway, the country’s most popular travel show.

You can find a mouth-watering, palate-pleasing, heat inducing green chile cheeseburger at those spots and a host of restaurants, cafes, drive-ins and dives when you follow the Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail. The indefinitely high calorie-driven guide was created after over 8,000 locals and visitors voted for their favorite green chile cheeseburger. Most establishments on the trail are along the most traveled roadways; however, the famous green chile cheeseburger can also be located in places where everyone in town knows what you ordered.

A True New Mexican Staple

Many families in New Mexico include the green chile in every one of their meals. After you’ve taken a bite of the New Mexico-grown green chile in any dish, you may find it hard not to bring a little warmth back to your home with the many traditional New Mexican recipes available at your fingertips.

More chile peppers are grown in New Mexico than all other states combined, and 20 percent of the harvest is destined for the fresh market. Red and green, both piquant pods are an essential ingredient for cooked sauces in traditional New Mexican dishes. To make a green chile sauce, the chiles are typically roasted, peeled and then chopped. Stock, garlic and onion are then added. In comparison to its green relatives, red chiles are hung up to dry on strings and ground before being cooked into a sauce with like flavors. A chile pepper is hot because of the capsaicinoids in the veins and wall where the seeds are produced. Many scientists believe that these plants have developed the chemical over time to deter animals from eating the pods so it can survive. And that means more chiles for us to eat.

More Chile Information:

The Green Chile Institute

Start eating your way through New Mexico.

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A True New Mexican Vintage North America's oldest wine growers, since 1629.

“...New Mexico’s sun-baked soil and chilly high-desert nights provide fertile ground for a wide variety of varietals”

Centuries before New Mexico was proclaimed as the 47th state, Spanish settlers and Franciscan friars brought wine grapes to the New Mexico Territory in the early decades of the 17th century, making our wine industry the oldest in North America. The fruit of our ancestors' labor has seen many peaks and valleys — facing floods, bulk marketing from California, and even the Prohibition.

Spanish missionaries first planted vines along the Rio Grande River, south of the current-day city of Socorro, as far back as 1629. The influential Archbishop of that era wrangled a dispensation for a winery operated by the Christian Brothers in Bernalillo to continue production of sacramental wine for all the Catholic churches in the state. Historians agree that New Mexico’s vineyards preceded those of California’s Napa and Sonoma Valleys, which were first planted in the mid-1700s. By 1884, New Mexico had become fifth in the nation in wine production. The industry continues to expand, with 46 commercial wineries/tasting rooms (with more in the planning stages) and an estimated production of 700,000 gallons of wine a year, according to the New Mexico Wine Growers Association.

What many people don’t know is that New Mexico’s sun-baked soil and chilly high-desert nights provide fertile ground for a wide variety of varietals. Southern New Mexico offers the magic combination of elevation, soil and climate needed to produce flavor-intense, heavily structured wines that could rival those of California — and any other wine region in the world. The unique terroir, which is the environment where the wine is produced (denoting factors such as soil, topography and climate), bears a mature and flavorful fruit. That combined with Old World techniques and modern technology creates a winning combination.

New Mexico’s vineyards and wineries cluster in four parts of the state: Southeast (near Ruidoso, Tularosa, Alamogordo, and Roswell), South Central (near Las Cruces, Deming, Lordsburg, and Silver City), around Albuquerque, and north of Santa Fe. Most of the state’s wineries are intimate, small to medium-size operations. Visitors can talk directly to the winemaker, sample wines and often picnic on the premises. From beginner to wine connoisseur, New Mexico has many vintages to sample. You can enjoy fine wines from other areas too, in a surprising number of locales, including many dining establishments recipient to the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. Go ahead, make your grape escape to New Mexico.

Dine NM Color

Award Winning Vintners

As the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and other similar contests have proven, there’s gold in New Mexico hills — gold medals, that is. The surprise 2009 Sweepstakes Award winner in San Francisco, chosen from 4,675 wines, was a 2007 Cabernet Franc from southwestern New Mexico’s Mimbres Valley — the 2007 D.H. Lescombes label made by Southwest Wines. Tying with a Paso Robles, California Syrah for both “Best Red” and “Best of Class,” the Cab Franc earned the highest of 17 awards given to Southwest Wines in the event. In the 2011 San Francisco competition, Southwest Wines’ St. Clair label Gewürztraminer captured yet another the Sweepstakes Award for “Best White.”

The accolades are indicative of the increasing popularity of New Mexico wines being produced by nearly three dozen wineries, from Blanco near the northern border (the Wines of the San Juan) to La Union (La Viña) in the south. These include the acclaimed Gruet Winery in central New Mexico, also founded in the mid-1980s by a French winemaker — Gilbert Gruet of the Champagne house Gruet et Fils. Gruet’s sparkling wines also are distributed nationally and have won national and international wine competitions for nearly two decades.

FINE WINE FESTIVALS

New Mexico is fast becoming a popular wine destination, offering a variety of festivals to exercise your palate from spring to fall. Check out these lively events, from Taos in the north to La Union on the Mexican border. And expect to show a valid photo ID to gain entrance to each festival. Some festivals will not allow anyone under 21. But don’t let that dampen your spirits. There’s a festival for everyone!

April

Spring Wine Festival
April 28-29, 2012
Las Cruces Area
Noon to 7:00 p.m. Daily
The Spring Wine Festival at La Viña Winery includes a weekend of music and wine at New Mexico’s oldest
winery.lavinawinery.com

May

Albuquerque Wine Festival
May 26-28, 2012 – Memorial Day Weekend
Albuquerque Area
Noon to 6:00 p.m. Daily
At the Albuquerque Wine Festival, you can enjoy wines from around the state, food, varied music, arts and crafts, and educational programs.
abqwinefestival.com

Southern New Mexico Wine Festival
May 26-28, 2012 – Memorial Day Weekend
Las Cruces Area
Noon to 6:00 p.m. daily
Celebrate the rich history of New Mexico Wines with the 20th Annual Southern New Mexico Wine Festival. Samples wines from wineries around the state, shop vendors from all over the southwest, eat, listen to live music, and attend sessions at the University of Wine to learn more about food and wine pairing.
snmwinefestival.com

June

Red River Fine Art & Wine Festival
June 16-17, 2012 (Father’s Day Weekend)
Red River, NM
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. – Saturday11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. – Sunday
Come experience the picturesque town of Red River while tantalizing your taste buds with fine wines and delicacies. The festival features both silent and live auctions, fine art, pottery, photography, wine sampling, a progressive wine dinner, and live music.
redriver.org

Toast of Taos Wine Festival and Golf Tournament
June 23, 2012
Taos, NM
9 a.m. – Golf tournament shotgun start2 p.m. – 5 p.m. – Wine festival
Get ready for a fun-filled day beginning at 9 a.m. with golf at the beautiful Taos Country Club Golf Course. Breathtaking views of Taos Mountain greet every player. Enjoy gourmet wines and appetizers beginning at 2 p.m., along with a silent auction featuring works by notable artisans, fine wines and gourmet meals. toastoftaos.com

Wine Maker’s Cooking Class Series
June 23, 2012Santa Fe, NM
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Come celebrate the glorious summer season of Santa Fe by joining us at Estrella Del Norte, a charming vineyard 20 minutes north of the capital. The Santa Fe School of Cooking class size is limited to 24 people. Classes will run about 3 hours and include wine tasting and a full meal. The class will be held outside in the middle of the vineyard where the freshest ingredients will be prepared in a wood-burning oven or on the charcoal grill. After the preparation of the meal, let one of our local New Mexican winemakers discuss the history of grape growing in New Mexico and try some of northern New Mexico's best wines.
santafeschoolofcooking.com

July

Santa Fe Wine FestivalJuly 4, 2012Santa Fe, NM
Noon to 6:00 p.m.
Celebrate the wines of New Mexico at El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a historic southwest ranch. Discover the delicious blends of today’s vintners at the Santa Fe Wine Festival, where you can sample and purchase varietals from sixteen New Mexico wineries in a festive atmosphere with live music, food, traditional agricultural products, and handmade arts and crafts for sale. The ranch is a living history museum dedicated to Spanish Colonial heritage and culture on 200 acres in a rural farming valley just south of Santa Fe. All museum exhibits will be open. Take a hat and sunscreen.
santafewinefestival.com

September

Harvest Wine Festival
September 1-3, 2012 – Labor Day Weekend
Las Cruces Area
NEED HOURS
Make plans for a fun-filled weekend of delicious New Mexico wines, energetic live music and lots of foods, arts and crafts. Learn more about the award-winning wines of New Mexico at our free seminars, or just browse the tasty treats and beautiful artwork of local craftspeople.
wineharvestfestival.com

New Mexico Wine Festival
September 1-3, 2012 – Labor Day Weekend
Bernalillo, NM
NEED HOURS
New Mexico Wine Festival is the state’s oldest and largest wine festival. Well into its third decade, this popular event attracts more than 20,000 enthusiasts and wraps up the summer season, packed with music, arts and crafts, and of course food and wine. Ride the Rail Runner and be shuttled to the festival site. Designated drivers get free refreshments.
newmexicowinefestival.com

Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta
September 26-30, 2012
Santa Fe, NM
NEED HOURS
The Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta is an annual five-day weekend of events featuring the culinary artistry found in over 75 of Santa Fe, New Mexico’s many excellent restaurants coupled with the sophistication and wines of over 90 national wineries.
santafewineandchile.org/

Tularosa Basin Wine and Music Fest
September 15-16, 2012
Alamogordo, NM
Noon to 6:00 p.m.
Concurrent with the White Sands Balloon Invitational in Alamogordo, festival goers can savor New Mexico wines, art from the region, and lots of music at this relatively new festival. The event is already so popular though that it’s outgrown two sites already.
tularosabasinwinefest.com

October

Fall Harvest Festival
October 13-14, 2012
Las Cruces Area
NEED HOURS
The Fall Harvest Festival features a weekend of wine and entertainment at La Viña Winery, New Mexico’s oldest vintner.
lavinawinery.com

More Wine Information: