Can you produce high quality wine in Guatemala?

Last class we learned a lot about winemaking process from an agricultural standpoint. Evo was very good, in my opinion, at demystifying the practices of biodynamic farming and making it more practical and understandable. (Although, I’m still skeptical that burying cow horns filled with compost actually has any effect on the grapevines.) Thibaut then proceeded to explain how through technology he is able to quantify and provide useful information to wine growers about their own vineyards. From both guest speakers it was evident that the attributes of wine are directly correlated to the unique properties and quality of the land.

This made me wonder if there are limitations to where you can produce high quality wine, assuming you have winemakers of comparable skill. By high quality I simply mean that an experienced wine critic would give it a high rating – given taste could be more subjective. Could you possibly make high quality wine in a country like Guatemala (my home country)?

Surprisingly, there might be hope for non-traditional wine countries like Guatemala. Two Americans, fell in love with Guatemala (if you have visited you would understand why), ended up buying an old coffee farm and converted it into Guatemala’s first vineyard and winery, Château DeFay (http://www.fincadefay.com/about.html). Over the last decade they have been experimenting with different varietals (Pinot Gris, Shiraz, Riesling, etc.) to find the one best suited for the unique conditions of their vineyard, such as volcanic soil and temperate weather. According to their website, they have found some success with some varietals and and claim they have produced high quality wines – 6 whites, 5 reds and 2 roses. Unfortunately, I just found out about them, so can’t personally vouch for them and could not find many more news to confirm or make a better judgment of the quality. But next time I go to Guatemala I will make sure to pay them a visit. Who knows, maybe one day there will be a case study about them on this class.