LIFESTYLE
Guillermo Herrera
Herencia del Valle vineyards
Guillermo’s daughter, Mia Herrera
Vino Latino
Mexican American-owned wineries take root in Napa BY SYLVIA A. MARTINEZ
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HISPANIC LIVING | 2020
more established winemakers for generations. For decades, Latinos have been “the vineyard whisperers,” says Guillermo Herrera, owner of Herencia del Valle winery and president of the Napa Sonoma Mexican American Vintners Association (MAVA). “We’re the backbone of this industry. We’ve been making wine for a long time — since Mexican laborers came to the U.S. during the 1920s. We grow it. We pick it. We crush it. … It was inevitable for the children of the initial pioneers to make their
Guillermo and his mom, Antonia
Our heritage is rooted in this valley.” — GUILLERMO HERRERA, OWNER, HERENCIA DEL VALLE WINERY
HERENCIA DEL VALLE (3); RHODA STEWART
T
he names — Farm Worker, La Chica, Encanto — speak to the changing landscape of California’s wine business. Bottles with labels that read Mi Sueño, a nod to the American dream come to fruition, or feature a stylized ballet folklorico dancer, also reflect the proud Latino lineage and heritage. The name bearers, however, have long been a part of the industry, working the land, growing and harvesting the grapes for larger,