Mexico
Parras de la Fuente
The oldest winery in the Americas — desert vineyards producing wine since 1597.
Grapevines shouldn't grow in a desert. But natural springs feed an oasis in the Coahuila scrubland, and the vines have been here since 1597 — making Casa Madero the oldest winery in the Americas. The tasting room is quiet, the wine is cold, and the desert heat stays outside the thick adobe walls.
Parras de la Fuente is a desert oasis town in Coahuila, centred around natural springs that have supported viticulture since before Mexican independence. Casa Madero, founded in 1597 by Spanish colonists who received the first wine-producing licence in the Americas, is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Western Hemisphere and still produces award-winning wines from the same estate. The town's name — Parras means 'grapevines' — reflects its founding purpose. The colonial architecture includes a church and convent dating to the 17th century, and the surrounding desert landscape of Coahuila provides stark contrast to the irrigated green of the oasis. Francisco I. Madero, the revolutionary leader who sparked the Mexican Revolution in 1910, was born here — the family hacienda is now a museum. The town maintains a quiet, unhurried atmosphere, with weekend visitors from Monterrey and Saltillo supplementing the local economy alongside the wine production.
Couple
Wine tasting at the oldest winery in the Americas, colonial architecture in a desert oasis, and the quietness of a town that time has largely passed by — Parras is romance in slow motion.
Solo
Casa Madero's tasting room, the revolutionary museum, and the improbability of a vineyard in the desert — Parras rewards the solo traveller who appreciates history layered with terroir.
- Casa Madero, founded in 1597, is the oldest winery in the Americas — still producing award-winning wines.
- The desert oasis setting is fed by natural springs — the name Parras means 'grapevines.'
- Francisco I. Madero, who sparked the Mexican Revolution, was born here — the town has revolutionary heritage alongside viniculture.
Cabrito al pastor and estate wines at Casa Madero — the hemisphere's first winery, still pouring.
Nogada — walnut-and-cheese candies unique to Parras — sold from the colonial-era dulcerías.
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