Morning light down a vine row at Pajarito Vineyards

First harvest · Four weekends · 14,993 lbs picked by hand

A working farm in Albuquerque's high desert.

3,500 vines, eight grape varieties, rows of lavender, and a winery taking shape. Our first-ever public harvest is in the books — friends and neighbors picked every cluster by hand, and the first vintage is now working its way through the cellar.

Harvest 2026: the final numbers Read the farm journal

acres of vines: 4.5
vines in the ground: ≈3,500
varieties harvested: 10
lbs picked in 2026: 14,993

Pajarito Farms

A farm built from the ground up, one season at a time.

Pajarito Farms is nearly ten acres of working ground in Albuquerque: 4.5 acres of vines — about 3,500, planted over multiple seasons — a quarter acre of lavender, alfalfa fields, and a small estate winery taking shape around the fruit. Some of what we grow is proven in warm, dry climates; some is a deliberate experiment no one else is running here.

We're not trying to copy California. We're finding out — row by row, vintage by vintage — what actually works in this soil, at this elevation, in this weather.

And there's precedent: New Mexico is the oldest wine-growing region in the United States — missionaries planted the first vines along the Rio Grande by 1629, about 140 years before California's missions. We grow on that same river valley.

More about the project →

Vine rows with rose bushes planted at the row ends — Roses at the row ends — vineyard tradition says they sound the mildew alarm first. Mostly, they just look good.

The Vineyard

3,500 vines, eight varieties, farmed on results.

Lavender

The other high-desert crop in the ground.

The Winery

Small lots, first crush 2026. Wine is coming.

What we grow

Eight varieties. Zero assumptions.

The full lineup

Growing wine in Albuquerque

This climate doesn't forgive guesswork.

High-desert farming is a different sport: intense sun, dry air, real freeze risk in spring, and temperature swings that would surprise most coastal growers. It demands attention — and rewards it.

High-desert sun: Long, reliable sunshine ripens fruit dependably. The challenge isn't getting ripe — it's choosing exactly when to stop.
Dry air: Low humidity keeps disease pressure low most of the year — monsoon season is the exception we watch. Irrigation is a necessity, not a supplement.
Freeze events: Spring frost after bud break is the season's biggest risk. When the forecast drops, smudge pots go out between the rows.
Big temperature swings: Hot days and cool nights are a defining feature of this site — the swing that helps grapes keep acidity while they ripen.