The increase in electricity rates for agricultural use also had effects, after eliminating the pumping subsidy.
Previously, field support included complete technological packages: advice from an agronomist, fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides, improved seeds and training. Today, that no longer exists.
Esteban Chavoya, former president of the Agroindustrial Sector of Canacintra.
Now, the main program of the federal government is Production for Wellbeing which, in 2024, dispersed around 15.2 billion pesos among more than two million small and medium-sized producers, in 23 entities in the country. That is, each farmer received between 6,200 and 24,000 pesos annually.
Added to the lack of subsidies is the tax burden. During the 4th International Agroindustrial Forum, held in June of this year in Baja California, winemaker Víctor Manuel Torres denounced that “a 1,500 peso bottle of Mexican wine pays up to 1,000 pesos in taxes, when an equivalent French wine barely pays six cents.” He estimates that 46% of the total value of national wine goes to taxes, which hinders the growth of domestic consumption.
The country has one of the lowest per capita consumption on the continent: just 1.5 liters per year, compared to 46 in France, 61 in Portugal or 10 in the United States. Low domestic consumption limits economies of scale and investment in infrastructure, the experts consulted agree.
Abedrop criticizes the lack of action against what it considers unfair trade practices by the European Union. He assures that there are exports of surplus European wine that do not meet the designation of origin requirements and that are “relabeled” to be sold at prices well below the average. “It is not about blind protectionism, but about the rules being fair,” he says.
The surplus is generated, for example, when a winery produces more than what is allowed under its name. That wine loses its commercial value in Europe, but can enter Mexico without restrictions, he explains. Despite the challenges, the wine industry in Mexico is making progress. In 2024, national wines obtained 870 medals in international competitions, exceeding the 630 in 2023.
Chef Eduardo Figueroa, head chef at Balcón del Zócalo, highlights the growth of regions such as Querétaro, Zacatecas and Aguascalientes, in addition to the traditional Valle de Guadalupe. It also celebrates that national wines have found their identity, seeking to highlight the local terroir and explore grapes adapted to extreme climates; that is, factors including soil, climate, topography, grape variety and growing practices.
The diversity of Mexican wine enriches our gastronomy and allows for increasingly sophisticated pairings.
chef Eduardo Figueroa, head of the room at Balcón del Zócalo.
However, that diversity also poses challenges. “A sommelier in La Rioja knows exactly what to expect from a wine from that region. In Mexico, that predictability does not exist,” warns Aurélie Skorupa, wine director at Pedro Domecq.
The lack of regulations on areas, varieties and production methods prevents progress towards a robust designation of origin. “There is no quality policy at the national level. As long as it does not exist, Mexican wine will continue to be a surprise, sometimes pleasant, other times not so much, and that affects consumer confidence,” he adds. Víctor Manuel Torres himself pointed out that the government is more interested in promoting wine tourism than in supporting production.
Wine has been instrumentalized as part of the rural tourism discourse, but they have forgotten the field, the vineyard, the grapes.
Víctor Manuel Torres, winemaker, at the Baja California forum.
Towards a new strategy?
The Mexican Wine Council promotes campaigns to encourage local consumption, training of staff in restaurants and surveillance of imports, says Abedrop. Additionally, in 2025, the federal government included the sector in the Made in Mexico campaign, which facilitates meetings with commercial chains, e-commerce platforms and distributors, to prioritize the exhibition, trade and consumption of national wine. But structural challenges remain, with a smaller budget for the countryside, lack of financing alternatives, unfair trade and taxes, says Chavoya.
The agronomist argues that all developed countries have support for large-scale agricultural production and claims that the federal government’s Agriculture budget went from more than 92,000 million pesos in 2015, to just 74,000 million pesos for this year.
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Editor’s note: This story was originally published in the print edition of Expansión magazine in August.
