Where To Drink The Best Natural Wine In Mexico City

Neighborhood: El Centro

What I Drank: Mr. No Sulfite Beaujolais-Villages and Alessandro Viola Note di Bianco

What I Ate: Tostada de Atún, Tamal de Berenjena

Located in the same building as Círculo Mexicano, the hotel’s reception recommended Caracol de Mar to me before my arrival.

I was a bit skeptical at first, thinking the recommendation may just be out of proximity, but my skepticism immediately proved fruitless.

I ordered an amazing bottle of organic wine: the Mr. No Sulfite Beaujolais-Villages, which had notes of cherry, strawberry and strangely enough, balsamic!

Normally, I’d have paired my wine with roast chicken, but given the restaurant’s seafood menu, I instead opted for the Tostada de Atún (tuna tostada) and the Tamal de Berenjena (eggplant tamale). The tostada was the perfect welcome dish to CDMX, reminding me how joyful even the most simply prepared foods can be.

I visited Restaurante Rosetta on my third day in Mexico for a Monday lunch. Helmed by Elena Reygadas and sitting in a former colonial mansion, Rosetta primarily serves Mexican food with an Italian flair. And Rosetta’s wine list is equally, if not more robust in its types and regions, while still feeling carefully curated for the restaurant’s elegant dishes and flavors.

I started my culinary adventure with a quick stop at Salon Rosetta, the soft blue and pink bar above the restaurant. Arriving at noon, I had the whole space to myself and definitely took advantage of the Bridgerton-esque vibes, treating myself to a negroni and lounging on the salon’s beautiful pastel loungers.

After sipping on some of my drink and enjoying the exterior views of Roma Norte, the restaurant’s hostess came up to get me – my table was ready.

The full restaurant is decorated like you’re at a secret botanical garden party in the middle of the city. I ordered the Tomato and eggplant starter, the Pappardelle pasta with chicken sausage, and last but not least, a natural Mexican wine: Vino Pelón.

Rosetta’s wine list has separate sections for wines by the glass and wines by the bottle – and each have plenty of natural options to choose from. I chose Vino Pelón because it was available by the glass, perfect for fellow solo travelers! I loved that it was a local mix of Syrah, Merlot, Grenache and a little Moscato Giallo.

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Drank: Vino Pelón

What I Ate: Tomatoes and Eggplant Starter, Pappardelle, and Chicken Sausage and Sage

Hugo is an cosy and completely natural wine bar situated in the middle of Condesa. During my visit, I opted for interior barstool seating to get out of CDMX’s rainy July evening weather.

I started with a glass of the Alfredo Maestro Consuelo 2019 orange wine, enjoying the lemon and oak flavors while placing my dinner order.

The menu was intimate just like the space, but even with limited dairy-allergy friendly options, I was still able to enjoy a few of their dishes. The Charred Cucumber, Butter Beans and Saffron starter was my favorite.

Along with my next two dishes, I decided to change up my wine pairing for a red: the Clos Lentiscus Kikiriki 2018 from Spain. I loved this wine’s savory and earthy flavors combined with its subtle cranberry and blackberry notes.

Neighborhood: Condesa

What I Drank: Alfredo Maestro Consuelo 2019 and Clos Lentiscus Kikiriki 2018

What I Ate: Charred Cucumber, Boqueron Toast and Cauliflower with Almonds

Located in the heart of the Roma Norte neighborhood, I wandered over to Loup after some lunch and light shopping through some of the neighborhoods many boutiques.

What drew me to this bar was its focus on working with environmentally-friendly wine and food producers as well as its fun logo. I wasn’t able to make room for more food here, but I did enjoy a few glasses of natural orange wine.

This is a wine bar that primarily serves wine by the bottle, so if you’re looking for a glass, the bar will serve you their “wine of the day“. I didn’t catch the names of the wine I drank here, but they had two bottles of orange wine opened for the day, so I tried both flavors.

Before closing my tab, I also made sure to grab one of the bar’s branded canvas tote bags to take with me to the farmer’s market back in LA.

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Drank: Orange Wine of the Day

Neighborhood: Condesa

What I Drank: Bichi La Gorda Yori and Mas del Périé’s La Roque 2020

What I Ate: Flatbread, Ensalada De Arugula and Pulpo with Red Curry and Chilacayote

After the amazing meal at Restaurante Rosetta, I knew I had to try Elena Reygadas’ other restaurant, Lardo.

Most of the wines at Lardo are more traditional, but their menu very clearly notates the ones that are natural, biodynamic or organic.

I started with the Bichi La Gorda Yori 2022, a natural orange wine from Tecate, Mexico with quite the interesting label. It paired quite nicely with my Ensalada De Arugula and the restaurant’s complimentary spiced and oiled flatbread.

Next, I swapped orange for a natural Malbec, specifically the Mas del Périé’s La Roque 2020 from Cahours, France. The menu had lots of delicious looking pizzas, but since I had indulged so much during my time in Mexico, I opted to pair my glass with the delicious Pulpo (Octopus), Red Curry and Chilacayote entree.

Now I eat Thai food quite often, but Galanga Thai is quite possibly the best and most extravagant that I’ve had to date.

The evening I went to the restaurant was a bit chilly, so I was seated inside Galanga’s beautifully renovated Roma Nte. mansion instead of outside in their garden courtyard. I sampled a glass of orange wine from Dominio de las Abejas, a winery located in the Ojos Negros Valley in Baja, Mexico. The wine had notes of pineapple, citrus and, of course, honey – which was very appropo since the winery’s name literally translates to “Dominion of the Bees“.

This natural wine also paired perfectly with the Gai Pad Med Mamuang I ordered, or rather, the stir fried chicken with dry chilis, cashew, pineapple, carrot, pepper and mushrooms.

I also ate See Sai Hai which is a vegetable stir fry and Galanga’s famous Thai Royal Dumplings with the wine. The dumplings came in three types: Chor Muang Gai (Organic Chicken), Jeep Nkok Sai Tau (Yellow Mung Bean) and Pun Sip Neung (Shrimps).

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Drank: Dominio de las Abejas Naranja

What I Ate: Gai Pad Med Mamuang, See Sai Hai, Chor Muang Gai, Jeep Nkok Sai Tau and Pun Sip Neung.

Local 1 was the last, but certainly not the least of the wine bars that I visited in Mexico City. Located in Roma Norte, Local 1 offers patrons a completely natural wine menu and on-site mezcals.

Local 1, which also acts as a local art residency space and reminded me of a place I might find in LA’s Arts District. I was immediately made to feel quite at home not just by my server but also by Sergio Bromberg, the Local 1 artist/gallerist who helped me book a table a few days prior.

While here I tried two wines to start: Lammidia Miscela Orange and Claus Preisinger Fruit Loops.

Miscela is a natural, blended orange wine from Abruzzo, Italy. It tasted punchy, with tropical notes and an apple cider vinegar undercurrent. The Fruit Loops wine was a very fruit forward biodynamic wine, with notes of citrus, grapefruit and white peaches.

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Drank: Lammidia Miscela Orange and Claus Preisinger Fruit Loops Blanc

I would have made it to Amaya had it not been for a bought of construction blocking my Uber driver and I on the winding Juarez neighborhood roads.

Amaya is a colorful restaurant and bar focused on rich foods and natural, biodynamic and organic wines. If I have another opportunity to try and visit Amaya in the future, I’m most excited to try the Meinklang Pinot Noir with their Salchichas Hechase En Casa (homemade sausages) and Arroz Con Pesto De Kale (rice with kale pesto).

Neighborhood: Juarez

What I Would Have Ordered: Meinklang Pinot Noir, Salchichas Hechase En Casa, and Arroz Con Pesto De Kale

Neighborhood: Roma Nte.

What I Would Have Ordered: Guiberteau “Les Chapaudaises” 2017

Vigneron was a wine bar that I have been dying to go to even before arriving in Mexico City! What can I say? I’m quite a sucker not just for wine, but also for a detailed wallpapers and cutlery.

Unfortunately some last minute changes to my itinerary meant I couldn’t make it in, but I now have an excuse to visit CDMX again very soon!