For the first week here in Cancun, Mexico, we stayed in a hotel – which shall remain nameless. The white wine was sherry-like but not in a nice way. The fact that I failed to finish a single glass, red or white, says it all. As for the cocktails, well I could have drunk them all day without feeling an effect. Mind you, we were on a package where all the food and drink was included. Boy, didn't that show. Scanning the bar in Hotel Anonymous, a lone bottle of Smirnoff was the only brand I could discern.

We are now self catering at the Casa Major up the road in the Cancun 'Hotel Zone'. So we had to go to the nearby Superama, owned by US retail giant, Wal Mart, to do our groceries. Perusing the wine fixture, I noted that Chilean and Spanish wines dominated the choices. Squinting, I found a modest selection of Mexican wines.

So far I have tried a LA Cetto Petite Sirah 2009 (89 pesos*) and a Reserva Privado Nebbiolo 2008 (177 pesos), both from the Valle de Guadalupe. Both excellent. Nebbiolo rarely 'performs' outside its native Italy. This Mexican expression was inky dark but showed good fruit unlike many others which tend to be lean and mean. A pleasant surprise, if I'm honest. The Petite Sirah was light to medium-bodied, quite perfumed. A very easy-to-drink wine.

Tequila? Yes, of course. We're in Mexico! I bought an Espolon 100% agave reposado (167 pesos). Minimalist, modern packaging, it was an enticing light golden colour with pronounced vanilla on the nose, as you would expect from a spirit aged in bourbon barrels. Smooth on the palate, not too fiery but the spirit was definitely present, unlike the spirits in the hotel that shall remain nameless. 

There was also a bottle of Don Julio in Superama but at more than 300 pesos, my personal budget doesn't run that far. To come, a LA Cetto 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon...

*100 pesos = US$8/£5.