The Discovery of the Valley of the Vines
The first explorers were amazed to find an unexpected landscape: a fertile valley, fed by springs and covered with wild vines. An oasis that revealed its calling without needing words, destined to become something more.
The Franciscan Pedro de Espinareda and Captain Francisco Cano, a soldier serving in the northern expeditions, explored the region of Patos and the then-called Valley of the Pyrenees—later known as the Valley of Parras. According to tradition, both set out from Zacatecas northward in search of gold and silver. They did not find precious metals but rather a true oasis: a valley irrigated by abundant springs and covered with wild grapevines and walnut trees, whose discovery would mark the historical origin of the Valley of Parras
Between these years, new expeditions explored the valley and documented what the land clearly revealed. The conquistador Francisco de Urdiñola, a prominent figure in that region, transported wine to the Mazapil mines, a sign that the beverage was already circulating in the north even before organized cultivation existed in the Valle de las Parras. The Jesuits Jerónimo Ramírez and Juan Agustín also explored the valley and recorded its characteristics: constant springs, fertile soils, and wild vines that thrived without human intervention. These early observations showed that the valley had natural conditions that already pointed towards a destiny linked to the grapevine.
In this year, a visitor from the Spanish Crown traveled through the Valley of Parras and left one of the most valuable testimonies of his time. Other travelers had already observed the fertility of the place, but it was this visitor who described it with exceptional clarity: “[…] This valley is very fertile and has abundant water flowing down from the slopes of one of the region’s highest mountain ranges. This current irrigates it generously, and the land, by itself, produces many vines and wild grapes, from which the Valley of Parras takes its name […]”. His description became a lasting reference, an early reflection of the natural grandeur that would continue to define the valley to this day.
Beginning of Winemaking in the American Continent
Between these years, the valley began to forge its own path. After decades of exploration and descriptions of its fertility, the time came when this territory began to be delineated as a place destined for the production of grapes and wine. This was the period in which the lands that would later give rise to Hacienda San Lorenzo, the ancestral home of the vineyards and winery now known as Casa Madero, were requested, granted, and taken possession of.
During this period, Don Lorenzo García — who had arrived in the region with the first settlers of the future cities of Monterrey and Saltillo — requested a land grant from the viceregal authorities. The grant was a special endowment awarded by the Spanish Crown, through which the right to settle in a specific territory and develop it according to the practices of the time was recognized. With this request, Don Lorenzo García began the process that, over time, would establish the future Hacienda de San Lorenzo, the foundation of the oldest winemaking legacy in the Americas, known today as Casa Madero.
On August 19, 1597, the Governor of Nueva Vizcaya, Diego Fernández de Velasco, granted Don Lorenzo García a Merced (land grant) authorized by the Crown of King Philip II of Spain. Through this provision, he was assigned a land endowment along with permission to plant vines and make wine, thus formally giving birth to the Hacienda de San Lorenzo. Upon receiving the Merced, Don Lorenzo took possession through the symbolic acts of the time — dismounting his horse, pulling up weeds, drinking from the spring, and pouring a little water on the land — testifying to the acceptance of the place that was now under his care and noting that, by then, he had already built his house with his family. Within a couple of years, nearly 60 people were working the vineyard.
In this year, what is now the town of Parras de la Fuente was established, a settlement that brought order, permanence, and structure to the region. Its foundation consolidated the valley's agricultural life and defined the territory where land had been assigned to Don Lorenzo García, fostering development around winemaking activity.
No restrictions affected the history of the San Lorenzo estate. Proof of this was that during his visit to the Valle de las Parras, Bishop Alonso de la Mota y Escobar left a description that became one of the earliest and clearest references to the region's winemaking quality. His record stated: "This valley is very suitable for vineyards, because, in addition to the many manually planted vines that yield Castilian grapes, they bear much fruit and clusters and ripen with such flavor and with so much sweetness and must, that such good wine is made, that it is very clear that, if it were made with due curiosity and care, the wine would be as good as that of Spain..."
This testimony confirms that, by the early 17th century, the Valle de las Parras was already recognized for its fertile, healthy land suitable for grape cultivation.
The property changed hands, but never its purpose
During the 17th century, the Hacienda de San Lorenzo changed owners on several occasions. This was a common process at the time. However, among the deeds from this period, key references appear: wine and brandy were part of the transactions, including commitments that the property had to deliver to the Catholic Church, which demonstrates that production was active and stable, reflected in formal agreements.
On August 10, 1626, the wineries intended for wine production were opened. On that day, the wine cellars of Hacienda de San Lorenzo, known as Bodegas de San Lorenzo, were founded.
After the death of Don Lorenzo García in 1630, Hacienda de San Lorenzo passed through several hands, who continued San Lorenzo's legacy as a prominent wine-producing hacienda in Nueva Vizcaya. The first buyers were Luis Hernández Escudero and his wife Doña María de Cárdenas, who paid 20,000 pesos and established a chaplaincy of 4,000 pesos on the property. Various recorded sales documents describe the property as a "bread and wine hacienda," with vineyards, necessary equipment for winemaking, specialized workers, and ready harvests, confirming the hacienda's commercial operation and wine as a key resource in its transactions.
Prohibitions, permanence, and a valley present in Mexican history
This period was marked by decisions that transformed the course of wine in New Spain. Even so, at Hacienda de San Lorenzo, tradition did not die out: while other regions were limited by the prohibition, here the vine maintained its presence thanks to the legal maneuver of Juan Oliden, owner of Hacienda de San Lorenzo. And, amid this scenario, the valley also became linked to key moments in national history.
That year, the Crown once again prohibited the planting of new vineyards and the expansion of existing ones in the American territories, in order to protect Peninsular wines and reserve the New World market for them. This restrictive policy would remain in place for more than two centuries, with nuances in its application depending on the region. However, at Hacienda de San Lorenzo, winemaking activity did not stop: its owner, Juan de Oliden, appealed to the courts of Nueva Vizcaya and won the case, a fact that speaks to the importance of the Hacienda and the prestige of its wines in the Viceroyalty. By disposition of the viceregal authority, the production of wine and spirits was not to be obstructed when it served specific functions, particularly those related to the Church. In this context, San Lorenzo continued to produce wine—especially for sacramental purposes—which allowed production to remain active even amidst the prohibition. Thus, while much of the territory faced restrictions, Hacienda de San Lorenzo uninterruptedly maintained its winemaking vocation and preserved a tradition that, far from fading, found a way to stay alive over time.
Throughout the 18th century, the hacienda changed hands again among various owners, as was common at the time, including: Pedro Losada Barrientos,
Juan de Oliden, José de Miranda Villaysán, Bernardo Apolinar de Miranda, Juan
de Urroz y Garceson, Juan Lucas Lazaga, among others. Bills of sale and operational records continued to mention wine, brandy, grapevines, and the structures used for their production.
In the years around the beginning of the War of Independence, the Hacienda de San Lorenzo is mentioned in documents and references featuring figures such as Miguel Hidalgo, Ignacio Allende, Juan Aldama, and Mariano Jiménez. Their passage through the property is not described in detail, but their presence in the records of the time shows that the Hacienda de San Lorenzo was part of the historical fabric of the country, a territory that, even in turbulent times, remained connected to the events shaping Mexico.
Don Evaristo Madero Elizondo, the visionary who transformed the destiny of Parras Valley
During this period, the Parras Valley entered a decisive stage marked by the arrival and vision of Don Evaristo Madero Elizondo, patriarch of the Madero family and grandfather of Francisco I. Madero. His background, international connections, and business acumen drove a profound transformation that connected the valley with the world's major technological and winemaking currents. This is where the stage that would shape the legacy that Casa Madero represents today began.
In 1870, Don Evaristo Madero Eizondo, patriarch of the Madero family, arrived in Parras upon acquiring the textile factory La Estrella and the wine company Hacienda del Rosario. With this purchase, the Madero family began its winemaking era. Shortly thereafter, he founded Bodegas del Rosario. Don Evaristo Madero's arrival marked a before and after in the history of the Parras Valley.
On March 16, 1880, one of the most surprising technological milestones on the continent occurred in Parras. At Hacienda del Rosario, Thomas Alva Edison—whose invention had just been patented—conducted a private demonstration in which he lit a series of electric light bulbs. The visit was possible thanks to the closeness and support that Don Evaristo Madero provided to the American inventor's research. That lighting, recorded in the historical memory of the Parras Valley and now associated with the Estanque de la Luz (Pond of Light), made Parras the first place in Latin America to have electric lighting, even ahead of many capitals in the region. It was a moment that synthesized Don Evaristo's visionary spirit and the pioneering character that would mark the region's development.
With the arrival of the Saltillo railroad, the Maderos had professionalized the marketing of wines from Hacienda del Rosario, becoming a renowned winery in the country. They produced sacramental wines "certified by the parish priest of Parras," which allowed them to sell successfully throughout the country. They also produced bottled wine for export to Texas and advertised consistently in the national press.
Between 1883 and 1885, according to local chronicles, another innovative milestone also took place in Parras: the first telephone calls in Latin America were recorded, thanks to the personal friendship between Don Evaristo Madero and Alexander Graham Bell. Tradition indicates that, during early demonstrations of the invention, a provisional telephone line was installed in Parras, allowing for a first long-distance voice exchange. This episode, along with other advancements driven at the time, reflects how the valley—far from being an isolated enclave—was beginning to integrate into the innovations that were transforming the world.
Evaristo Madero was the first Mexican to import vine cuttings from Europe and Upper California on a large scale. In these years, the wine project of the Parras Valley took a decisive turn towards modernization and international expansion. Europe became a reference point, technology transformed production, and strategic decisions—including the purchase of Hacienda de San Lorenzo and the subsequent merger with Hacienda El Rosario—defined the structure that would ensure the legacy's continuity.
The French company San Lorenzo Mexique acquired Hacienda de San Lorenzo. Its arrival was in response to an urgent search: to find resistant rootstocks in the New World that would help save European varieties affected by phylloxera. The vines of the Parras Valley—robust, adapted to the desert, and naturally resistant—offered exactly what Europe needed. From Hacienda de San Lorenzo, the first native vines from the Parras Valley began to be sent to the Old World, where they were used as rootstocks, onto which traditional grape varieties were grafted to reconstruct entire vineyards. These shipments made the valley a decisive player in solving one of the greatest challenges in the history of wine. From Parras came roots that helped preserve European viticulture; a technical legacy that few know, but whose magnitude remains undeniable.
The international leap and consolidation of a wine project
In the late 19th century, European vineyards faced the worst crisis in their history: phylloxera, a tiny insect capable of completely destroying vine roots. France, Spain, Italy, and practically all of Europe saw their harvests plummet; millions of vines died, and the winemaking tradition of the Old World was on the verge of collapse. As governments, scientists, and producers desperately sought a solution, attention turned to the New World, whose native vines showed natural resistance to the plague that was devastating European viticulture. In this scenario, the Parras Valley—remote, discreet, and adapted to the desert's harshness—attracted particular interest. Its native vines, vigorous and resilient, offered something exceptional: roots capable of withstanding the phylloxera plague. This natural strength would silently turn the valley into a key piece for the rescue of European viticulture.
As early as 1884, Don Evaristo Madero already had high-quality grapevines in Parras and even a French expert advisor in viticulture. But it was in 1887 when he took an unprecedented step: he requested, on a large scale for the first time in Mexico, select varieties from Europe and Upper California, becoming the first Mexican producer to offer 100% high-quality Mexican table wines throughout the Republic. The definitive boost came in 1889 when he took his wines to the Paris Universal Exposition. That trip opened the door to profound modernization: he returned with state-of-the-art viticulture tools, Limousin oak to make vats and pipes, and three Charentais Endrivet Fils stills—identical to those used for great French cognacs. These pieces, now preserved in the Hacienda de San Lorenzo, marked the beginning of a distinct technical stage, in which European know-how began to be definitively integrated into the centuries-old tradition of the Parras Valley.
In April 1893, Don Evaristo Madero returned to Europe, this time to acquire the San Lorenzo–Mexique company and, with it, the Hacienda de San Lorenzo. This was an operation of such magnitude that, it was said at the time, it would have been enough to buy a renowned French "château", but it was instead used to strengthen the viticultural development of Parras and Mexico. The property was then described as a complete and self-sufficient complex of “waters, ranches, farmlands, pastures, improvements, the wine cellar, the vineyards, and the San Lorenzo winery building.”
In the early 20th century, the operations of both haciendas were unified under a single name: Bodegas de San Lorenzo. The merger integrated land, water rights, infrastructure, vineyards, and decades of accumulated experience, allowing the work initiated by Don Evaristo to advance under one house. The result was the first winery with national distribution of high-quality table wines—made with cuttings imported from Europe and Alta California—which opted for a pioneering marketing strategy during the Porfiriato: large advertisements in the country's main newspapers that, for the first time, presented each of their wines through highly elaborate drawings, turning the advertisement into a visual piece as carefully crafted as the labels on their bottles. This modern approach earned Madero wines international recognition in Paris and the United States from the early 20th century.
Those same newspapers that promoted Madero's wines reached a middle class that the Porfiriato had created for the first time in Mexico: a society that dressed in French fashion, that recognized the Maderos and their winery as the most important in the country, and that, page after page, also read about the democratic ideals that were beginning to circulate with increasing urgency. By 1908, these ideas were no longer confined to paper: Francisco I. Madero, Don Evaristo's eldest grandson, published "La Sucesión Presidencial en 1910," a work that became the manifesto of this middle class, weary of thirty years of dictatorial rule. The democratic tour he undertook throughout the country between 1909 and 1910 was met with an enthusiasm that Díaz failed to recognize in time. In 1911, Madero became president, but the country he inherited was already too volatile: in 1913, he was betrayed and assassinated in the coup d'état known as the Ten Tragic Days, dragging Mexico into the bloodiest years of the Revolution. With the men of the family forced into exile or caught in the political whirlwind, it was the women who kept the hacienda running: led by Bárbara Madero Farías, Don Evaristo's daughter, who took charge of Bodegas de San Lorenzo and managed it with firmness, preserving what three generations had built. The same family that had modernized Mexican wine saw history place them at the center of the century's most profound transformation, never abandoning the land and the hacienda that had made it possible.
The modernization and family continuity of Hacienda San Lorenzo
After decades of transitions following the Revolution, the old Hacienda San Lorenzo entered a decisive stage. The modernization of the country, social changes, and the reorganization of family businesses led to the formal birth of Casa Madero as a modern institution. Shortly after, the brand would achieve an unexpected place: the very center of Mexican popular culture, projecting itself nationwide through music and radio.
Casa Madero's consolidation occurred in May 1946 when the Ernesto Madero y Hermanos partnership was dissolved. This process integrated the machinery, furnishings, and wine stocks from the historic Bodegas de San Lorenzo, as well as their credits, rights, and wine brands. This is how the modern Casa Madero company was legally born, a direct heir to a lineage that began in 1597.
In 1947, Casa Madero took a visionary step: it began supporting the radio program "Así es mi tierra" (This is My Land), initially broadcast by XEQ. It quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Figures who defined Mexican music paraded across that stage: Pedro Infante (exclusive artist in 1954), Alfonso Esparza Oteo, Juan Arvizu, Alfonso Ortiz Tirado, Agustín Lara, and Juan García Esquivel's orchestra. With composers such as Tata Nacho, Curiel, Grever, and Domínguez, the program celebrated the country's musical identity and reached XEW and later television. This was fundamental in consolidating Casa Madero not only as a winery but also as a cultural reference point in Mexico.
In the autumn of 1955, Casa Madero achieved one of the most important recognitions in its history at the VII International Vine and Wine Fair in Montpellier, France, one of the most prestigious competitions in the world.
This triumph placed Casa Madero in the international conversation, demonstrating that Parras' winemaking tradition could compete—and win—on the world's most demanding stage.
During these decades, brandy consumption in Mexico experienced a period of splendor, and Casa Madero became one of the undisputed protagonists in the market. Its distillates managed to position themselves as public favorites thanks to their quality and unmistakable style.
Casa Madero thus entered the second half of the 20th century with strength, national reputation, and a solid foundation for the modernization processes that would come later.
From Transformation to International Consolidation
The arrival of Don José Milmo Garza, great-grandson of Don Evaristo Madero Elizondo, at the helm of Casa Madero marked the beginning of a new era for the company. Passionate about wine and with a long-term technical vision, he spearheaded the necessary changes to transform Casa Madero from a company primarily focused on brandy production to one dedicated to crafting high-quality wines.
From then on, and under the leadership of the fifth generation of the Madero family, the winery continued a constant process of modernization in viticulture, enology, and brand image. This period solidified the transition between Casa Madero's centuries-old tradition and the innovation that today positions it as one of the most recognized wineries in Latin America.
Currently, Casa Madero wines are present in national and international markets, including the United States, Spain, France, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and South Korea, bringing more than four centuries of Mexican wine history and tradition to consumers in different parts of the world.
In 2007, the first vintage of Casa Madero 3V was introduced, a Mexican red wine originally created as a private label for a major national airline. In its early years, it was served exclusively on business class flights, where it stood out for its quality, personality, and innovative proposal. Thanks to its widespread acceptance by passengers and consumers, Casa Madero 3V evolved to become one of the winery's most iconic wines and a benchmark within the category of contemporary Mexican wines. Its versatile and balanced profile has made it a favorite for pairing with Mexican cuisine and celebrating special moments. Casa Madero 3V is a Reserva wine aged for 12 months in barrels, made from a blend of three grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Tempranillo. Today, Casa Madero 3V is one of Mexico's most recognized red wines and one of the most representative labels in the Casa Madero portfolio.
Following the success of Casa Madero 3V, in 2009 the V family grew with the launch of two new labels: Casa Madero 2V and Casa Madero V Rosado, expanding the winery's offering of contemporary wines for different consumption occasions. Casa Madero 2V is a Mexican white wine made from a blend of two grape varieties: Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. Its fresh, aromatic, and balanced profile quickly made it a preferred option for pairing with a wide variety of dishes and social gatherings. Casa Madero V Rosado, on the other hand, was born as an innovative proposal within the category of Mexican rosé wines. In its first vintages, it was made with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, standing out for its freshness, aromatic intensity, and gastronomic versatility. Over the years, the label evolved into an expression made with Shiraz grapes, maintaining the fresh, vibrant, and contemporary style that characterizes it to this day. Backed by Casa Madero's quality and tradition, both labels managed to consolidate themselves as benchmarks in their categories and become favorite wines among Mexican consumers.
Driven by its commitment to sustainability and respect for the environment, Casa Madero marked a new milestone for the national wine industry by certifying the first organic vineyard in Mexico.
This achievement was the result of years of work focused on soil care, the natural balance of the ecosystem, and respect for the vine's cycles, laying the groundwork for more sustainable agriculture within Mexican viticulture.
Casa Madero completely revamped its visual identity, drawing inspiration from the original property titles of Hacienda de San Lorenzo, historical documents dating back to 1597 that are still preserved by the family.
The new labels incorporated fragments of these documents onto textures inspired by the hacienda's historic walls, reflecting the balance between tradition, authenticity, and a forward-looking vision that distinguishes the winery.