Complex & balanced: New Mexico Wine Festival puts spotlight on wineries statewide

May 24—This time of year, there's an excitement that surrounds Dean Strober.

As the owner of Blue River Productions, he collaborates with New Mexico Wine to put on two of the biggest wine festivals over Memorial Day weekend. The events take place from noon-6 p.m. Saturday, May 25, through Monday, May 27.

The New Mexico Wine Festival is held both in Albuquerque at Balloon Fiesta Park and in Las Cruces at the Southern New Mexico State Fairgrounds.

Despite the couple hundred mile difference, each event celebrates the New Mexico wine industry.

In Albuquerque, wineries include Wines on the San Juan, Sheehan Winery, Ponderosa Valley Vineyards & Winery, Noisy Water Winery, Luna Rossa Winery, Las Nueve Ninas Winery, La Esperanza Vineyard & Winery, Jaramillo Vineyards, Gruet Winery, El Alamo Winery, D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro, Casa Rondena Winery, Black's Smuggler Winery, Black Mesa Winery and Cidery and Amaro Winery.

In Las Cruces, Tularosa Vineyards, Sheehan Winery, Shattuck Vineyard, Rio Grande Vineyards & Winery, Noisy Water Winery, Luna Rossa Winery, Las Nueve Ninas Winery, Jaramillo Vineyards, Heart of the Desert, D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro, Black's Smuggler Winery and Amaro Winery.

Strober says for this year's event, there is a Reserve Wine Experience, where visitors will have a more intimate wine festival experience. There is an additional cost for it.

"It's a whole new area of the festival with a tent and shaded seating," Strober says. "Wineries will have a secondary service location for sampling and selling. This is a way for people to get more wine with less lines. Because it's limited to about 350 people on Saturday and Sunday, it's for people who really want to explore all of the wineries."

There's months of planning that goes into each event and Strober says there's one certainty.

"It will be hot," he says. "As we look to increase capacity at each event, we are working to keep attendees comfortable, cool and safe by increasing tents."

There will also be free water stations and this year's event has increased the number of food trucks.

"We've also increased the number of headsets for our silent disco," Strober says. "We've started with 100 headsets and this year we will have 225 headsets for the silent disco party."

Strober says the energy of the events is what helps kick off the summer. There will also be a full slate of music throughout the day at both events.

"People come to the festival to have a good time," he says. "This is also one of the most fun ways to showcase all New Mexico products."