is a collective yearning for a simpler, more traditional way of life. Young people in the area are embracing DIY basics and devoting themselves to learning how to garden and even farm, picking up knowledge along the way on how to pickle, ferment, and cure the output of their efforts. It is a burgeoning hipster–science culture which borrows from the past to create something meaningful, substantial, and yes, sustainable. As more people start to understand that rebuilding soil and biodiversity in food production is one way to invest in the future, more resources are going to be diverted into transitioning overused landscapes and implementing growing techniques such as permaculture, which works with, rather than against, the natural order of things. This approach is the same one touted by Michael Reynolds’ Earthship Biotecture, which for almost 50 years has been committed to a vision of autonomous sustainability in building practices. The Earthships are, in fact, a classic example of the new Taos business model, incorporating areas for growing food within actual habitats and where water is recycled along with the building materials. The drive toward sustainability is building partnerships. Vivác Winery, Robert Mirabal, Taos Pueblo native and Grammy® Award– winning musician, and Tre DeCosta, chef and entrepreneur, have collaborated to produce two wines under the eponymously labeled Mirabal Reserve by Vivác Winery. Possibly the first fine wine produced by Indigenous persons using classic French protocols, Mirabal Reserve’s Vino Rojo is a unique blend of sangiovese grapes grown exclusively in New Mexico with local Taos chokecherries. “It’s very bold with velvety tannins and a hint of berry notes, and it is made to stand up to the flavors of traditional Pueblo fare, particularly of game,” Mirabal says. “Our high elevation brings a unique quality to these wines that you will find nowhere else. These wines express the heritage and tradition of New Mexico, and especially Taos.” The second wine, Vino Blanco, is a blend of gewurztraminer and malvasia grapes and boasts great acidity and a fruity, not-toosweet flavor. Vivác introduced its two new
offerings during the weekend tastings at the Taos Winter Wine Festival, the only local winery to do so. The Mirabal–DeCosta–Vivác partnership is rooted in a shared love of the land. Despite his international acclaim as a musician and artist, Mirabal continues to see himself through the lens of his Taos Pueblo heritage. “I hunt, grow, and harvest the food to feed my family, just as my ancestors have done for generations.” Mirabal recalls his grandmother bringing grapes to him each summer, plucked from a generations-old vine on the Jemez reservation. “I see now that was the beginning of this journey,” he says.
“We share an appreciation for the old traditions,” DeCosta says about his business partner. He and Mirabal have spent time hunting and cooking together, experiences which led to their collaboration. DeCosta, an accomplished chef, artist, and entrepreneur originally from New Orleans, resides with his wife, Lizzie, in the century-old adobe home built by the legendary Taos artist and trader Ralph Meyers. “Clearly, joining forces with Vivác proved to be the perfect match for us,” DeCosta says, “and it has happened very easily, almost organically.” Vivác’s award-winning sommeliers couldn’t be happier with the alliance. Owned by brothers Chris and Jesse Padberg and
Gemma Ra'Star DiFerdinando at the equine preserve of Wumaniti Earth Native Sanctuary near the hemp fields. trendmagazineglobal.com
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