Hispanic Winemakers Finding Success

from Fatima Lopez, Development Director, National Immigration Forum

Reynaldo Robledo was 16 years old when he arrived from his small hometown in the mountains of Mexico to work for $1.10 an hour in the vineyards of Northern California.

Now 59, Reynaldo is among a handful of Latinos who have built their own wineries and are catering in part to Hispanic wine drinkers interested in quality and a connection to their heritage.

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Many immigrants dream of owning land, but property in wine country doesn't come cheap. Reynaldo worked on other people's land for decades. He eventually started a vineyard management company with his children and they saved enough to buy 14 acres of Pinot Noir.

In 1997 – with nine children and almost 30 years after he came to the U.S. – Reynaldo sold his first bottle of wine under his label. Today, the Robledo Family Winery produces their own estate wines from 300 acres of land.