Wineries in the Dominican Republic?

bryan

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Mar 9, 2002
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Hello,

I was wondering if there are any wineries anywhere in the DR.

Thanks,
Bryan
 

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Grapes for wine unfortunately do not grow well in the DR, so there aren't any wineries. Sadly.
 

donP

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Dec 14, 2008
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Very Few

... in the DR, so there aren't any wineries.

I think there is at least one in the southwest (Pedernales Province ?)

And then there is/was "La Fuerza"...
Whether it is drinkable, I do not know, but I heard it is used for making "mamajuana".

donP
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Although , after years of experience, I generally find that the second half of any bottle is better than the first half.

At times, my sense of humour improves in the second half
 

Matilda

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Sep 13, 2006
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Unfortunately even the second half doesn't taste better. The ones I have tried, Gitane, Campeon, la Fuerza - taste nothing like wine at all, the only similarity is that they are red. When desperate I use them in cooking, but if I was dying for a drink I would rather have turps or aftershave.

matilda
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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I think The DR is actually ripe for a nice winery. Good quality grapes are grown in the southwest (Neyba area). Those other "wines" that are sold I'm not sure where they come from, but I don't think they're made from any Dominican grapes. Probably just buy the concentrated juice from some other country, dilute it and bottle it as "wine".
 

windeguy

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I wish the DR was ripe for a winery. Unfortunately in the Caribbean we have the wrong climate to grow the proper grapes here unlike Napa/Sanoma in California, The Finger Lake region of NY, certain parts of Chile..etc.

Perhaps Pichardo can put a spin on this on how the DR will create specific micro climates using technology as yet undeveloped nor used anywhere else in the world to grow wine grapes in the "near" future.
 

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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I like the imagery "ripe for a winery"....

We need CCC back --- Cowboy Criss Colon.....

The new Conservative Criss Colon is fine........... but..............
 

minerva_feliz

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May 4, 2009
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Vino Neyba!

Neyba (some spell it "Neiba") is the place known for producing grapes and wine in the DR. You can always find wine being sold (alongside tilapia, pan de batata and grapes) at the Cruce de Vicente Noble on the highway down to Barahona. If it's not out just ask, someone probably has a stash. If you drive up through Neyba you will certainly encounter tables on the sidewalk with products for sale, including marmalade. You can get a sample before buying... :lick:

For the third year, the annual "Feria de la Uva" was held in Neyba in August 2011. Apart from typical festivities and stands, it also features an agro/eco-tourism route to show visitors about the grape and wine production. Worth checking out if you're in the DR and interested in wine, or will be around the southwest when it's going on. The 2012 dates haven't been announced as far as I know.

Neyba celebr? su III Feria de la Uva con gran j?bilo a pesar de crisis econ?mica - Acento

I'm not into wine, and have only tried the Neyba wine from the plastic gallon jugs. Pretty rough, but maybe it's gotten better? The local producers have received technical and financial support through the Dominican government (Instituto Nacional de la Uva), international cooperation, and are very proud of their products. There are good expectations from elsewhere about improving quality (all in Spanish):

En directo - El vino de Neyba - DiarioLibre.com
elmundovino.elmundo.es
Uva de Neyba con gran potencial para producir vinos en Rep?blica Dominicana | Revista Summa

So if you haven't, give Neyba wine a try...

[video=youtube;EkCB7KmcS7g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkCB7KmcS7g[/video]
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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and there i was, reading "are there any weiners in DR?"...
sometimes those threads are such a dissapointment....
 

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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There is a Sangria made in DR, it could be mistaken for cooking wine or very ill sherry on a good day. I've always found it in Colmados in the Capital, same brand, black and yellow label. Unfortunately I have subjected myself to this stuff on a few occasions and it does go down okay after an evening drinking something slightly smoother, however I am still yet to drink a bottle and remember getting to my bed, and so is not for the more responsible drinker, hence not being able to remember the name. I never spend more than 200 pesos on a wine in DR, they have little idea of how to store it in Colmados or supermarkets and so it is always a waste of time searching for quality. Overall, it is nicer than the expected better quality imported stuff.
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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I wish the DR was ripe for a winery. Unfortunately in the Caribbean we have the wrong climate to grow the proper grapes here unlike Napa/Sanoma in California, The Finger Lake region of NY, certain parts of Chile..etc.

Perhaps Pichardo can put a spin on this on how the DR will create specific micro climates using technology as yet undeveloped nor used anywhere else in the world to grow wine grapes in the "near" future.

I don't think you're right on this one Windeguy. Just because it's in the Caribbean doesn't mean the climate is not appropriate. Remember The DR has several micro climates from the really hot to very mild and cool and anything in between. The Neiba valley supposedly has a very good climate for certain types of grapes. According to Google the following grapes are grown there "La Tempranillo, Cabernet, Primitivo, Frech Colombar, Michelle Patiere, Alfonso Lavalle, Cardinal, Moscazo de Hamburgo, Aram?ns Importada, Sultanina, Italia, etc". I don't know enough about these different types of grapes, but at least If they grow Cabernet and Tempranillo that tells me they can grow good enough grapes.

It sounds like what's missing is someone with the money, expertise and dedication to actually make decent wines. It's a hard proposition though as there's such a large selection of inexpensive wines nowadays that would be tough to make a profit, so I can see how nobody's willing to jump into this. It would pretty much have to be a labor of love...
 

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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No, he is correct. A tropical climate does not provide the annual cycle of winter dormancy for them to provide quality fruits. They need a warm but dry summer and mild winter and DR just saturates, grapes don't like that.
 

Criss Colon

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What about Jarabacoa?
It get really "Frosty" up there.
CC
They tried growing Almonds there,but when it got really cold,it used to
Freeze The Farmer's Nuts Off"!